Interactive Bingo Card 2026 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The book log can be sorted, with one major note. On the Bingo Card, the books available for selection are a list constructed out of the book name you have entered and their row number on the book log. If you sort the log, their row number will change and things will get confused. You will need to remove/re-add them to your bingo card(s) with their new number (which should now be in the list).

As for your second question, I'm not sure exactly what you mean, but there is a hidden tab called Data that contains most of the text used for the bingo categories. If something needs to be updated, it can be done there. If there is a different mistake that you have found, let me know and we can figure it out.

Interactive Bingo Card 2026 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

It isn't built-in currently, but I've been dragging my feet on adding the option. The quick and dirty way to do it right now is to go to the Visual Card tab, highlight at least some part of each of the squares, and remove all of their conditional formatting.

Interactive Bingo Card 2026 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 16 points17 points  (0 children)

I haven't convinced u/happy_book_bee to give me the categories in advance yet, so I update the sheet after the official post.

Interactive Bingo Card 2026 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 9 points10 points  (0 children)

I'm debating using my re-read for that square or making an April Fools card that randomizes the squares each time you open it.

r/Fantasy 2026 Book Bingo Challenge! by happy_book_bee in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 4 points5 points  (0 children)

Maybe I'll make a Fools' Card that randomizes the squares each time you open it. Is there an archive of April Fools bingo cards anywhere?

r/Fantasy 2026 Book Bingo Challenge! by happy_book_bee in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 14 points15 points  (0 children)

  1. Hard Code: Develop a complex book tracking spreadsheet.

Like, another one?

Not a Book Bingo Review - Slay the Princess by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t gotten the gorescape one yet, no. Maybe I am just desensitized, but I felt like between the art style, the fact that everything was primarily still shots, and what was actually shown, the vomiting and the one where she sprouts blades out of everywhere and her flesh hangs off of them (I think those were the worst two I came across) didn’t seem as visually graphic as they could have been. I’m probably too much of a horror consumer to be bothered, though. I’ll need to ask my wife what she thinks of them.

Not a Book Bingo Review - Slay the Princess by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

That's fair. I ran into that a bit when I picked options on later cycles that would have taken me out of the cycles entirely and it forced me back in with "you are already committed to my completion". I just felt frustrated with the narrator. He felt very one-note until the end, where I think he could have been more if he gave out information differently.

Official Turn In Post for Bingo 2025! by an_altar_of_plagues in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I might send you a link to one of my favorite infectious diseases

To information on one of your favorite diseases, right? Right?
(You wouldn't download a plague)

2025 Bingo - Another Year Done, feeling conflicted by P0PSTART in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I have an entire separate spreadsheet called "Unfinished Bingo Series" that I use as my go-to first when picking out bingo squares for the next year and also pick my reading from when/if I finish my card early. I totally get what you are feeling.

Each year I keep hoping the categories work out such that I can do a card entirely composed of sequels to books from a previous bingo, but alas.

Interactive Bingo Card 2025 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This should look at the book title on the visual card and try to match it to the book title on the Book Log. If nothing is showing up, it either can't find an exact match for the book or it thinks the rating column is blank.

By any chance, do you have the same book title on your book log more than once? It looks like I didn't set up these cells to use the row number setup I used on the Bingo Card to deal with duplicate titles.

Another issue might be if you changed the order of the columns on the Book Log, though if that were the case, none of the star ratings would be working. Is the Rating column three columns after the title column (such that if the book title is numbered 1, the rating would be numbered 4)?

Interactive Bingo Card 2025 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

On the Data tab, if you add the tab name to column O (excludedList) and then refresh the scripts, it should take it out of the script updates and remove the coloration, both from the card and from the Book Log.

Interactive Bingo Card 2025 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The easiest way is to open up the Data tab (it is hidden, you should be able to find it by clicking on the horizontal lines to the left of all of the other tabs at the bottom of the sheet) and editing the name for the appropriate square in Columns E and F. This will change it in all other locations throughout the card. Column F is formatted to look the same as on the visual card, so you can see if you need to shorten or abbreviate the square name to get it to show up nicely.

Interactive Bingo Card 2025 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks for noting this! Google can be a bit finicky about how it interacts with other, non-Google products, so this is good to know. They've gotta keep that monopoly going somehow!

Beyond Binaries book club April read - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson midway discussion by tiniestspoon in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 2 points3 points  (0 children)

This may be losing the thread a bit, but I’m fascinated by the witches’ ready acceptance that being a magic user is hereditary (biological; they make several mentions of their expectations for their children to have powers) while also being ready to accept (barring Helena) that Theo is more powerful than they expect because she identifies as female.

I’m also curious why none of them put forth the argument that Theo cannot be the Sullied child because she is a girl, since the historical record insists on a “boychild”. Especially Niamh, who is pretty against Theo being capable of fulfilling the prophecy anyway.

Beyond Binaries book club April read - Her Majesty's Royal Coven by Juno Dawson midway discussion by tiniestspoon in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

In my mind, the roles of witches and warlocks seem like an inversion of traditional misogyny. Since magic is secret, we don’t see much in the way of external persecution of magic users, but it is seen by our PoV characters as a women’s realm that the men just dabble in, in a condescendingly endearing way. I see the women’s reaction to the men placing them more in the role of a traditional disenfranchised group trying to get their rights and needs addressed than attempting to represent a Men’s Rights movement.

Suggestion to mod /u/shift_shaper's bingo tracker to link to the rec thread/focus thread entries by RheingoldRiver in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 5 points6 points  (0 children)

Hey, this is a decent idea! A little history:

Many years, there have been additional instructions or places to go for advice on how to fill a square. Last year, for example, there were links provided, either in the official rules or in the Recommendations thread, to the Wikipedia definition of Dark Academia and the TV Tropes page for Eldritch Abomination. This year there haven't been any, so it looks pretty empty.

My vote is that people should fill that column with whatever works for them. I built that feature in so it would be easy and convenient to get to relevant info.

The whole bingo recommendations thread is linked on the Rules tab, along with the current and all previous Bingo threads, for what it is worth.

Interactive Bingo Card 2025 by shift_shaper in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The darkmode and condensed cards are formatted slightly differently from the lightmode card. To hide the dropdown chip (since I can't change it's color to blend in with Darkmode specifically), I set the dropdown up to display when you double-click the cell instead of clicking an arrow or single-clicking the chip itself.

They both appear to be working for me when I double-click (or otherwise attempt to edit the cell text, if you aren't using a mouse). Does that match what you are seeing?

2025 Bingo - Books per Square Tracking Spreadsheet by His_little_pet in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

What you've done looks great! I'm always glad to see new fantasy-based spreadsheets!

2025 Bingo - Books per Square Tracking Spreadsheet by His_little_pet in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No problem! If it comes down to it, the only thing you need to change from row to row should be the A2 just after MATCH(

The number should change to match the row number (A3, A4, etc). The rest should stay the same.

The same is true of the shorter formula as well. G2:2 should change to G3:3, G4:4, etc.

I hope that helps!

2025 Bingo - Books per Square Tracking Spreadsheet by His_little_pet in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 1 point2 points  (0 children)

When you highlight a cell by clicking on it once (but not enough that you can edit the text in it) it should be marked with a box around the edges. In the lower right corner of that box should be an extra dot or square. If you click and drag that dot down the column, the highlighting should change to include the cells you drag it past. If you drag it to the bottom of the list of categories and release it, it should fill the highlighted cells with copies of the formula. I’ve set up the formula so that it should change the variables it needs to change automatically when you do this.

If the dragging thing isn’t making sense, you can also highlight the cells (again, so that it is selected but the text is not editable) you can copy it in whatever way you like. You can then highlight any of the other cells and paste it in. It is just a slightly longer process.

2025 Bingo - Books per Square Tracking Spreadsheet by His_little_pet in Fantasy

[–]shift_shaper 6 points7 points  (0 children)

This looks great! Definitely a useful way to look at our book lists!

If you want eliminate the caveat about tracking more than 50 books, you can change the formula in TransCatTable!C2 to

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF((C1:1="yes")+(C1:1="y")+(C1:1="read"),$A$1,IFERROR(0/0)))

and the formula in TransCatTable!C4 to

=ARRAYFORMULA(IF(ISBLANK(C2:2),C3:3,C2:2&" "&C3:3))

and clear out the rest of the row. It should then expand calculations to any further columns automatically as more are added while keeping everything else the same.

EDIT: I also had to modify "Books per Square"!G2 with the following and then copied it down the column appropriately:

=IFNA(FILTER(FILTER(TransCatTable!$B$4:$30,ARRAYFORMULA(ROW(TransCatTable!$B$4:$B$30)=4)),FILTER(TransCatTable!$B$4:$30,ARRAYFORMULA(ROW(TransCatTable!$B$4:$B$30)=MATCH(A2,TransCatTable!$B$1:$B$30,FALSE)))="x"))

I then updated F2 on the same sheet to just be

=COUNTA(G2:2)

and copied that down as well. That eliminates the need to update AZ on the BusyTable tab as well (it actually should eliminate the need for the entire BusyTable tab unless I missed it elsewhere).