Figure 11: Right-click any arrow button

Keyboard navigation

To navigate a spreadsheet using the keyboard, pressing a key or a combination of keys. For a key combination, press more than one key at the same time. Table 1 lists the keys and key combinations you can use for spreadsheet navigation in Calc.

Table 1. Keyboard cell navigation

Customizing the Enter key

You can customize the direction in which the Enter key moves the cell focus by going to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > General. Select the direction cell focus moves from the drop-down list. Depending on the file being used or the type of data being entered, setting a different direction can be useful. The Enter key can also be used to switch into and out of editing mode. Use the first two options under Input settings in Figure 12 to change the Enter key settings.

 

Figure 12: Customizing the Enter key

Selecting items in a spreadsheet

Selecting cells

Single cell

Left-click in the cell. You can verify your selection by looking in the Name Box on the Formula Bar (Figure 2 on page 8).

Range of contiguous cells

A range of cells can be selected using the keyboard or the mouse.

To select a range of cells by dragging the mouse cursor:

1. 1)Click in a cell. 

2. 2)Press and hold down the left mouse button. 

3. 3)Move the mouse around the screen. 

4. 4)Once the desired block of cells is highlighted, release the left mouse button. 

To select a range of cells without dragging the mouse:

1. 1)Click in the cell which is to be one corner of the range of cells. 

2. 2)Move the mouse to the opposite corner of the range of cells. 

3. 3)Hold down the Shift key and click. 

• Tip 

You can also select a contiguous range of cells by first clicking in the Selection mode field on the Status Bar (Figure 4 on page 10) and selecting Extending selection before clicking in the opposite corner of the range of cells. Make sure to change back to Standard selection or you may find yourself extending a cell selection unintentionally.

To select a range of cells without using the mouse:

1. 1)Select the cell that will be one of the corners in the range of cells. 

2. 2)While holding down the Shift key, use the cursor arrows to select the rest of the range. 

• Tip 

You can also directly select a range of cells using the Name Box. Click into the Name Box on the Formula Bar (Figure 2 on page 8). To select a range of cells, enter the cell reference for the upper left-hand cell, followed by a colon (:), and then the lower right-hand cell reference. For example, to select the range that would go from A3 to C6, you would enter A3:C6.

Range of non-contiguous cells

1. 1)Select the cell or range of cells using one of the methods above. 

2. 2)Move the mouse pointer to the start of the next range or single cell. 

3. 3)Hold down the Ctrl key and click or click-and-drag to select another range of cells to add to the first range. 

4. 4)Repeat as necessary. 

Selecting columns and rows

Single column or row

To select a single column, click on the column header (Figure 1 on page 7).

To select a single row, click on the row header.

Multiple columns or rows

To select multiple columns or rows that are contiguous:

1. 1)Click on the first column or row in the group. 

2. 2)Hold down the Shift key. 

3. 3)Click the last column or row in the group. 

To select multiple columns or rows that are not contiguous:

1. 1)Click on the first column or row in the group. 

2. 2)Hold down the Ctrl key. 

3. 3)Click on all of the subsequent columns or rows while holding down the Ctrl key. 

Entire sheet

To select the entire sheet, click on the small box between the column headers and the row headers (Figure 13), or use the key combination Ctrl+A to select the entire sheet, or go to Edit on the Menu bar and select Select All.

 

Figure 13: Select All box

Selecting sheets

You can select one or multiple sheets in Calc. It can be advantageous to select multiple sheets, especially when you want to make changes to many sheets at once.

Single sheet

Click on the sheet tab for the sheet you want to select. The tab for the selected sheet becomes white (default Calc setup).

Multiple contiguous sheets

To select multiple contiguous sheets:

1. 1)Click on the sheet tab for the first desired sheet. 

2. 2)Move the mouse pointer over the sheet tab for the last desired sheet. 

3. 3)Hold down the Shift key and click on the sheet tab. 

4. 4)All tabs between these two selections will turn white (default Calc setup). Any actions that you perform will now affect all highlighted sheets. 

Multiple non-contiguous sheets

To select multiple non-contiguous sheets:

1. 1)Click on the sheet tab for the first desired sheet. 

2. 2)Move the mouse pointer over the sheet tab for the second desired sheet. 

3. 3)Hold down the Ctrl key and click on the sheet tab. 

4. 4)Repeat as necessary. 

5. 5)The selected tabs will turn white (default Calc setup). Any actions that you perform will now affect all highlighted sheets. 

All sheets

Right-click a sheet tab and choose Select All Sheets from the context menu.

Working with columns and rows

Inserting columns and rows

• Note 

When you insert columns or rows, the cells take the formatting of the corresponding cells in the next column to left or the row above.

Single column or row

Using the Sheet menu:

1. 1)Select a cell, column, or row where you want the new column or row inserted. 

2. 2)Go to Sheet on the Menu bar and select either Insert > Columns > Columns Left or > Columns Right or Insert > Rows > Rows Above or > Rows Below. 

Using the mouse:

1. 1)Select a column or row where you want the new column or row inserted. 

2. 2)Right-click the column or row header. 

3. 3)Select Insert Columns Left, Insert Columns Right, Insert Rows Above, or Insert Rows Below from the context menu. 

Multiple columns or rows

Multiple columns or rows can be inserted at once rather than inserting them one at a time.

1. 1)Highlight the required number of columns or rows by holding down the left mouse button on the first one and then dragging across the required number of identifiers. 

2. 2)Proceed as for inserting a single column or row above. 

Deleting columns and rows

Single column or row

To delete a single column or row:

1. 1)Select a cell in the column or row you want to delete. 

2. 2)Go to Sheet on the Menu bar and select Delete Cells or right-click and select Delete from the context menu. 

3. 3)Select the option you require from the Delete Cells dialog (Figure 14). 

 

Figure 14: Delete Cells dialog

Alternatively:

1. 1)Click in the column or header to select the column or row. 

2. 2)Go to Sheet on the Menu bar and select Delete Cells or right-click and select Delete Columns or Delete Rows from the context menu. 

Multiple columns or rows

To delete multiple columns or rows:

1. 1)Select the columns or rows, see “Multiple columns or rows” on page 19 for more information. 

2. 2)Go to Sheet on the Menu bar and select Delete Cells, or right-click and select Delete Columns or Delete Rows from the context menu. 

Working with sheets

Inserting new sheets

Click on the Add Sheet icon on the bottom of the screen to insert a new sheet after the last sheet in the spreadsheet without opening the Insert Sheet dialog. The following methods open the Insert Sheet dialog (Figure 15), where you can position the new sheet, create more than one sheet, name the new sheet, or select a sheet from a file.

1. 1)Select the sheet where you want to insert a new sheet, then go to Sheet > Insert Sheet... on the Menu bar. 

2. 2)Right-click on the sheet tab where you want to insert a new sheet and select Insert Sheet from the context menu. 

3. 3)Click in the empty space at the end of the sheet tabs. 

4. 4)Right-click in the empty space at the end of the sheet tabs and select Insert Sheet from the context menu. 

 

Figure 15: Insert Sheet dialog

Moving and copying sheets

You can move or copy sheets within the same spreadsheet by dragging and dropping or using the Move/Copy Sheet dialog. To move or copy a sheet into a different spreadsheet, you have to use the Move/Copy Sheet dialog.

Dragging and dropping

To move a sheet to a different position within the same spreadsheet, click and hold on the sheet tab and drag it to its new position before releasing the mouse button.

To copy a sheet within the same spreadsheet, hold down the Ctrl key (Option key on Mac) then click on the sheet tab and drag it to its new position before releasing the mouse button. The mouse pointer may change to include a plus sign depending on the setup of your operating system.

Using a dialog

Use the Move/Copy Sheet dialog (Figure 16) to specify exactly whether you want the sheet in the same or a different spreadsheet, its position within the spreadsheet, and the sheet name when you move or copy the sheet.

1. 1)In the current document, right-click on the sheet tab you wish to move or copy and select Move/Copy Sheet from the context menu or go to Sheet > Move or Copy Sheet... on the Menu bar. 

2. 2)Select Move to move the sheet or Copy to copy the sheet in the Action area. 

3. 3)Select the spreadsheet where you want the sheet to be placed from the drop-down list in To document. This can be the same spreadsheet, another spreadsheet already open, or a new spreadsheet. 

4. 4)Select the position in Insert before where you want to place the sheet. 

5. 5)Type a name in the New name text box if you want to rename the sheet when it is moved or copied. If you do not enter a name, Calc creates a default name (Sheet 2, Sheet 3, and so on). 

6. 6)Click OK to confirm the move or copy and close the dialog. 

• Caution 

When you move or copy to another spreadsheet or a new spreadsheet, a conflict may occur with formulas linked to other sheets in the previous location.

 

Figure 16: Move/Copy Sheet dialog

Deleting sheets

To delete a single sheet, right-click on the sheet tab you want to delete and select Delete Sheet from the context menu, or go to Sheet  > Delete Sheet... on the Menu bar. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

To delete multiple sheets, select the sheets (see “Selecting sheets” on page 20), then right-click one of the sheet tabs and select Delete Sheet from the context menu, or go to Sheet > Delete Sheet... from on the Menu bar. Click Yes to confirm the deletion.

Renaming sheets

By default, the name for each new sheet added is SheetX, where X is the number of the next sheet to be added. While this works for a small spreadsheet with only a few sheets, it can become difficult to identify sheets when a spreadsheet contains many sheets.

You can rename a sheet using one of the following methods:

• •Enter the name in the Name text box when you create the sheet using the Insert Sheet dialog (Figure 15 on page 22). 

• •Right-click on a sheet tab and select Rename Sheet from the context menu to replace the existing name with a different one. 

• •Double-click on a sheet tab to open the Rename Sheet dialog. 

• Note 

Sheet names must start with either a letter or a number; other characters, including spaces, are not allowed. Apart from the first character of the sheet name, permitted characters are letters, numbers, spaces, and the underscore character. Attempting to rename a sheet with an invalid name will produce an error message.

Viewing Calc

Changing document view

Use the zoom function to show more or fewer cells in the window when you are working on a spreadsheet. For more about zoom, see Chapter 1 Introducing LibreOffice in this guide.

Freezing rows and columns

Freezing locks a number of rows at the top of a spreadsheet or a number of columns on the left of a spreadsheet or both rows and columns. Then, when moving around within a sheet, the cells in frozen rows and columns always remain in view.

Figure 17 shows some frozen rows and columns. The heavier horizontal line between rows 3 and 23 and the heavier vertical line between columns F and Q indicate that rows 1 to 3 and columns A to F are frozen. The rows between 3 and 23 and the columns between F and Q have been scrolled off the page.

 

Figure 17: Frozen rows and columns

Freezing rows or columns

1. 1)Click on the row header below the rows where you want the freeze, or click on the column header to the right of the columns where you want the freeze. 

2. 2)Click on the Freeze Rows and Columns icon in the main toolbar or go to View on the Menu bar and select Freeze Rows and Columns. A heavier line appears between the rows or columns indicating where the freeze has been placed. 

Freezing rows and columns

1. 1)Click into the cell that is immediately below the rows you want frozen and immediately to the right of the columns you want frozen. 

2. 2)Click on the Freeze Rows and Columns icon in the main toolbar or go to View on the Menu bar and select Freeze Rows and Columns. A heavier line appears between the rows or columns indicating where the freeze has been placed. 

Unfreezing

To unfreeze rows or columns, either go to View on the Menu bar and select Freeze Rows and Columns or click on the Freeze Rows and Columns icon in the main toolbar. The heavier lines indicating freezing will disappear.

Splitting the screen

Another way to change the view is by splitting the screen your spreadsheet is displayed in (also known as splitting the window). The screen can be split horizontally, vertically, or both, giving you up to four portions of the spreadsheet in view at any one time. An example of splitting the screen is shown in Figure 18 where a split is indicated by additional window borders within the sheet.

Why would you want to do this? For example, consider a large spreadsheet in which one cell contains a number that is used by three formulas in other cells. Using the split-screen technique, you can position the cell containing the number in one section and each of the cells with formulas in the other sections. You can then change the number in one cell and watch how it affects each of the formulas.

 

Figure 18: Split screen example

Splitting horizontally or vertically

1. 1)Click on the row header below the rows where you want to split the screen horizontally or click on the column header to the right of the columns where you want to split the screen vertically. 

2. 2)Go to View on the Menu bar and select Split Window. Window borders appear between the rows or columns indicating where the split has been placed, as shown in Figure 19. 

1. Alternatively:

• –For a horizontal split, drag the new horizontal window border beneath the row where you want the horizontal split positioned. 

• –For a vertical split, drag the new vertical window border across to the right of the column where you want the vertical split positioned. 

Splitting horizontally and vertically

1. 1)Click in the cell that is immediately below the rows where you want to split the screen horizontally and immediately to the right of the columns where you want to split the screen vertically. 

2. 2)Go to View on the Menu bar and select Split Window. Heavy black lines appear between the rows or columns indicating where the split has been placed. 

 

Figure 19: Split screen window borders

Removing split views

To remove a split view, do one of the following:

• •Drag the split window borders back to their places at the ends of the scroll bars. 

• •Go to View on the Menu bar and deselect Split Window. 

Using the keyboard

Most data entry in Calc can be accomplished using the keyboard.

Numbers

Click in the cell and type in a number using the number keys on either the main keyboard or numeric keypad. By default, numbers are right aligned in a cell.

Minus numbers

To enter a negative number, either type a minus (–) sign in front of the number or enclose the number in parentheses (), for example (1234). The result for both methods of entry will be the same, for example -1234.

Leading zeroes

To retain a minimum number of integer characters in a cell when entering numbers in order to retain the number format, for example 1234 and 0012, leading zeros have to be added using one of the following methods.

Method 1

1. 1)With the cell selected, right-click on the cell, select Format Cells from the context menu or go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 20). 

 

Figure 20: Format Cells dialog – Numbers page

1. 2)Make sure the Numbers tab is selected then select Number in the Category list. 

2. 3)In Options > Leading Zeros, enter the minimum number of characters required. For example, for four characters, enter 4. Any number less than four characters will have leading zeros added, for example 12 becomes 0012. 

3. 4)Click OK. The number entered retains its number format and any formula used in the spreadsheet will treat the entry as a number in formula functions. 

Method 2

1. 1)Select the cell. 

2. 2)Open the Sidebar (View > Sidebar) and click the Open Panel (+) icon on the Number Format panel to open it. 

3. 3)Select Number in the Category list box. 

4. 4)Set the Leading zeroes value box to 4. Formatting is applied immediately. 

 

Figure 21: Set Leading zeroes

If a number is entered with leading zeroes, for example 01481, without first setting the Leading zeros parameter, then by default Calc will automatically drop the leading 0. To preserve leading zeros in a number:

1. 1)Type an apostrophe (') before the number, for example '01481. 

2. 2)Move the cell focus to another cell. The apostrophe is automatically removed, the leading zeros are retained and the number is converted to text left aligned. 

Numbers as text

Numbers can also be entered as text using one of the following methods.

Method 1

1. 1)With the cell selected, right-click on the cell and select Format Cells from the context menu or go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 20). 

2. 2)Make sure the Numbers page is selected, then select Text from the Category list. 

3. 3)Click OK and the number, when entered, is converted to text and, by default, left aligned. 

Method 2

1. 1)Select the cell. 

2. 2)Open the Sidebar (View > Sidebar) and click the Open Panel (+) icon on the Number Format panel. 

3. 3)Select Text in the Category list box. Formatting is applied to the cell immediately. 

4. 4)Click back on the cell. Enter the number and move focus from the cell to have the data formatted. 

• Note 

By default, any numbers that have been formatted as text in a spreadsheet will be treated as a zero by any formulas used in the spreadsheet. Formula functions will ignore text entries.

Text

Click in the cell and type the text. By default, text is left-aligned in a cell.

Date and time

Select the cell and type the date or time.

You can separate the date elements with a slash (/) or a hyphen (–) or use text, for example 10 Oct 2012. The date format automatically changes to the selected format used by Calc.

When entering a time, separate time elements with colons, for example 10:43:45. The time format automatically changes to the selected format used by Calc.

To change the date or time format used by Calc, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

1. 1)With the cell selected, right-click on the cell and select Format Cells from the context menu, or go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 20). 

2. 2)Make sure the Numbers page is selected, then select Date or Time from the Category list. 

3. 3)Select the date or time format you want to use from the Format list. 

4. 4)Click OK. 

Method 2

1. 1)Select the cell. 

2. 2)Open the Sidebar (View > Sidebar) and (if necessary) click the Open Panel (+) icon on the Number Format panel. 

3. 3)Select Date in the Category list box. 

4. 4)Click the More Options button in the panel title bar to open the Format Cells dialog. 

5. 5)Select the date or time format you want to use from the Format list. 

6. 6)Click OK. 

 

Figure 22: Select Date and More Options

Autocorrection options

Calc automatically applies many changes during data input using autocorrection, unless you have deactivated any autocorrect changes. You can also undo any autocorrection changes by using the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z or manually by going back to the change and replacing the autocorrection with what you want to actually see.

To change the autocorrect options, go to Tools > AutoCorrect Options on the Menu bar to open the AutoCorrect dialog (Figure 23).

Replace

Edits the replacement table for automatically correcting or replacing words or abbreviations in the document.

Exceptions

Specify the abbreviations or letter combinations that you do not want LibreOffice to correct automatically.

Options

Select the options for automatically correcting errors as you type and then click OK.

Localized options

Specify the AutoCorrect options for quotation marks and for options that are specific to the language of the text.

Reset

Resets modified values back to the LibreOffice default values.

 

Figure 23: AutoCorrect dialog

Deactivating automatic changes

Some AutoCorrect settings are applied when you press the spacebar after you enter data. To turn off or on Calc AutoCorrect, go to Tools on the Menu bar and deselect or select AutoInput.

Speeding up data entry

Entering data into a spreadsheet can be very labor-intensive, but Calc provides several tools for removing some of the drudgery from input.

The most basic ability is to drop and drag the contents of one cell to another with a mouse. Many people also find AutoInput helpful. Calc also includes several other tools for automating input, especially of repetitive material. They include the fill tool, selection lists, and the ability to input information into multiple sheets of the same document.

Using the Fill tool

The Calc Fill tool is used to duplicate existing content or create a series in a range of cells in your spreadsheet (Figure 24).

1. 1)Select the cell containing the contents you want to copy or start the series from. 

2. 2)Drag the mouse in any direction or hold down the Shift key and click in the last cell you want to fill. 

3. 3)Go to Sheet > Fill Cells on the Menu bar and select the direction in which you want to copy or create data (Up, Down, Left or Right) or Series and Random Number... from the submenu. 

Alternatively, you can use a shortcut to fill cells.

1. 1)Select the cell containing the contents you want to copy or start the series from. 

2. 2)Move the cursor over the small square in the bottom right corner of the selected cell. The cursor will change shape. 

3. 3)Click and drag in the direction you want the cells to be filled. If the original cell contained text, then the text will automatically be copied. If the original cell contained a number, a series will be created. 

 

Figure 24: Using the Fill tool

Using a fill series

When you select a series fill from Sheet > Fill Cells > Series..., the Fill Series dialog (Figure 25) opens. Here you can select the type of series you want.

 

Figure 25: Fill Series dialog

• •Direction – determines the direction of series creation. 

• –Down – creates a downward series in the selected cell range for the column using the defined increment to the end value. 

• –Right – creates a series running from left to right within the selected cell range using the defined increment to the end value. 

• –Up – creates an upward series in the cell range of the column using the defined increment to the end value. 

• –Left – creates a series running from right to left in the selected cell range using the defined increment to the end value. 

• •Series Type – defines the series type. 

• –Linear – creates a linear number series using the defined increment and end value. 

• –Growth – creates a growth series using the defined increment and end value. 

• –Date – creates a date series using the defined increment and end date. 

• –AutoFill – forms a series directly in the sheet. The AutoFill function takes account of customized lists. For example, by entering January in the first cell, the series is completed using the list defined in Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > Sort Lists. AutoFill tries to complete a value series by using a defined pattern. For example, a numerical series using 1,3,5 is automatically completed with 7,9,11,13; a date and time series using 01.01.99 and 15.01.99, an interval of fourteen days is used. 

• •Unit of Time – in this area you specify the desired unit of time. This area is only active if the Date option has been chosen in the Series type area. 

• –Day – use the Date series type and this option to create a series using seven days. 

• –Weekday – use the Date series type and this option to create a series of five day sets. 

• –Month – use the Date series type and this option to form a series from the names or abbreviations of the months. 

• –Year – use the Date series type and this option to create a series of years. 

• •Start Value – determines the start value for the series. Use numbers, dates or times. 

• •End Value – determines the end value for the series. Use numbers, dates or times. 

• •Increment – determines the value by which the series of the selected type increases by each step. Entries can only be made if the linear, growth or date series types have been selected. 

Figure 26: Sort Lists dialog

 

Defining a fill series

To define your own fill series:

1. 1)Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > Sort Lists to open the Sort Lists dialog (Figure 26). This dialog shows the previously-defined series in the Lists box on the left and the contents of the highlighted list in the Entries box. 

2. 2)Click New and the Entries box is cleared. 

3. 3)Type the series for the new list in the Entries box (one entry per line). 

4. 4)Click Add and the new list will now appear in the Lists box. 

5. 5)Click OK to save the new list. 

Defining a fill series from a range in a sheet

You can define a range of text values as a fill series.

1. 1)Select the range containing the text values that you want to use as a fill series. 

2. 2)Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > Sort Lists to open the Sort List dialog (Figure 26). 

3. 3)The selected range is in the box Copy list from. Click Copy to add the range to the sort list. 

Using selection lists

Selection lists are available only for text and are limited to using only text that has already been entered in the same column.

1. 1)Select a blank cell in a column that contains cells with text entries. 

2. 2)Right-click and select Selection Lists from the context menu. A drop-down list appears listing any cell in the same column that either has at least one text character or whose format is defined as text. 

3. 3)Click on the text entry you require and it is entered into the selected cell. 

Sharing content between sheets

You might want to enter the same information in the same cell on multiple sheets, for example to set up standard listings for a group of individuals or organizations. Instead of entering the list on each sheet individually, you can enter the information in several sheets at the same time.

1. 1)Go to Sheet > Select Sheets...  on the Menu bar to open the Select Sheets dialog. 

 

Figure 27: Select Sheets dialog

1. 2)Select the individual sheets where you want the information to be repeated. Use the Shift and Ctrl (Options on Mac) keys to select multiple sheets. 

2. 3)Click OK to select the sheets and the sheet tabs will change color. 

3. 4)Enter the information in the cells on the first sheet where you want it to appear and it will be repeated in all the selected sheets. 

• Note 

This technique automatically overwrites, without any warning, any information that is already in the cells on the selected sheets. Make sure you deselect the additional sheets when you are finished entering information that is going to be repeated before continuing to enter data into your spreadsheet.

Validating cell contents

When creating spreadsheets for other people to use, validating cell contents ensures that they enter data that is valid and appropriate for the cell. You can also use validation in your own work as a guide to entering data that is either complex or rarely used.

Fill series and selection lists can handle some types of data, but are limited to predefined information. To validate new data entered by a user, select a cell and go to Data > Validity on the Menu bar to define the type of contents that can be entered in that cell. For example, a cell may require a date or a whole number with no alphabetic characters or decimal points, or a cell may not be left empty.

Depending on how validation is set up, validation can also define the range of contents that can be entered, provide help messages explaining the content rules set up for the cell and what users should do when they enter invalid content. You can also set the cell to refuse invalid content, accept it with a warning, or start a macro when an error is entered. See the Calc Guide Chapter 2 Entering, Editing and Formatting Data for more information on validating cell contents.

Editing data

Deleting data

Deleting data only

Data can be deleted from a cell without deleting any of the cell formatting. Click in the cell to select it and then press the Delete key.

Deleting data and formatting

Data and cell formatting can be deleted from a cell at the same time.

1. 1)Click in the cell to select it. 

2. 2)Press the Backspace key, or right-click in the cell and select Delete Contents from the context menu, or go to Edit > Delete Contents) on the Menu bar to open the Delete Contents dialog (Figure 28). Here you can delete the different aspects of the data in the cell or to delete everything in the cell. 

 

Figure 28: Delete Contents dialog

Replacing data

To completely replace data in a cell and insert new data, select the cell and type in the new data. The new data will replace the data already contained in the cell but will retain the original formatting used in the cell.

Alternatively, click in the Input Line on the Formula Bar (Figure 2 on page 8), then double-click on the data to highlight it completely and type the new data.

Editing data

Sometimes it is necessary to edit the contents of cell without removing all of the data from the cell. For example, changing the phrase “Sales in Qtr. 2”  to “Sales rose in Qtr” can be done as follows.

Using the keyboard

1. 1)Click in the cell to select it. 

2. 2)Press the F2 key and the cursor is placed at the end of the cell. 

3. 3)Use the keyboard arrow keys to reposition the cursor where you want to start entering the new data in the cell. 

4. 4)When you have finished, press the Enter key and your editing changes are saved. 

Using the mouse

1. 1)Double-click on the cell to select it and place the cursor in the cell for editing. 

2. 2)Either: 

• •Reposition the cursor to where you want to start entering the new data in the cell. 

• •Single-click to select the cell. 

1. 3)Move the cursor to the Input Line on the Formula Bar (Figure 2 on page 8) and click at the position where you want to start entering the new data in the cell. 

2. 4)When you have finished, click away from the cell to deselect it and your editing changes are saved. 

Formatting data

• Note 

All the settings discussed in this section can also be set as a part of the cell style. See the Calc Guide Chapter 4 Using Styles and Templates in Calc for more information.

Multiple lines of text

Multiple lines of text can be entered into a single cell using automatic wrapping or manual line breaks. Each method is useful for different situations.

Automatic wrapping

To automatically wrap multiple lines of text in a cell, use one of the following methods.

Method 1

1. 1)Right-click on the cell and select Format Cells from the context menu, or go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog. 

2. 2)Click on the Alignment tab (Figure 29). 

3. 3)Under Properties, select Wrap text automatically and click OK. 

 

Figure 29: Format Cells dialog – Alignment page

Method 2

1. 1)Select the cell. 

2. 2)Open the Sidebar (View > Sidebar) and click the Open Panel (+) icon on the Alignment panel. 

3. 3)Select the Wrap text option to apply the formatting immediately. 

 

Figure 30: Wrap text formatting

Manual line breaks

To insert a manual line break while typing in a cell, press Ctrl+Enter. This method does not work with the cursor in the input line. When editing text, double-click the cell, then reposition the cursor to where you want the line break.

When a manual line break is entered, the cell width does not change and your text may still overlap the end of the cell. You have to change the cell width manually or reposition your line break so that your text does not overlap the end of the cell.

Shrinking text to fit the cell

The font size of the data in a cell can automatically adjust to fit inside cell borders. To do this, select the Shrink to fit cell size option under Properties in the Format Cells dialog (Figure 29) on the Alignment page. This dialog is also available by clicking the More Options button in the Character title bar of the Properties deck on the opened Sidebar.

Formatting numbers

Several different number formats can be applied to cells by using icons on the Formatting toolbar (highlighted in Figure 31). Select the cell, then click the relevant icon to change the number format.

 

Figure 31: Number icons on Formatting toolbar

For more control or to select other number formats, use the Numbers page of the Format Cells dialog (Figure 20 on page 27):

• •Apply any of the data types in the Category list to the data. 

• •Control the number of decimal places and leading zeros in Options. 

• •Enter a custom format code. 

• •The Language setting controls the local settings for the different formats such as the date format and currency symbol. 

Some number formats are available from the Sidebar’s Number Format panel in the Properties deck. Click the More Options button to open the Format Cells dialog described above.

Formatting a font

To quickly select a font and format it for use in a cell:

1. 1)Select the cell. 

2. 2)Click the small triangle on the right of the Font Name box on the Formatting toolbar (highlighted in Figure 32) and select a font from the drop-down list. 

3. 3)Click on the small triangle on the right of the Font Size on the Formatting toolbar and select a font size from the drop down list. 

 

Figure 32: Font Name and Size on Formatting toolbar

1. 4)To change the character format, click on the Bold, Italic, or Underline icons. 

2. 5)To change the paragraph alignment of the font, click on one of the four alignment icons (Left, Center, Right, Justified)

   .

   . 
3. 6)To change the font color, click the arrow next to the Font Color icon

   to display the color palette, then select the desired color.

   to display the color palette, then select the desired color. 

The Properties deck of the Sidebar has five panels, Styles, Character, Number Format, Alignment and Cell Appearance, which between them contain all the formatting controls from the Formatting toolbar and more.

To specify the language used in the cell, open the Font page on the Format Cells dialog. You can also select the More Options button on either of the Sidebar panels to open the Format Cells dialog. Changing language in a cell allows different languages to be used within the same document.

Use the Font Effects tab on the Format Cells dialog to set other font characteristics. See the Calc Guide Chapter 4 Using Styles and Templates in Calc for more information.

Formatting cell borders

To format the borders of a cell or a group of selected cells, click on the Borders icon

on the Formatting toolbar, and select one of the border options displayed in the palette.

To format the line style and line color for the borders of a cell, click the small arrows next to the Line Style

and Line Color (Border Color)

icons on the Formatting toolbar. A line style palette and a border color palette respectively are displayed.

The Cell Appearance panel of the Properties deck in the Sidebar contains Cell border, Line style and Line color controls.

For more control, including the spacing between cell borders and any data in the cell, use the Borders page of the Format Cells dialog (Figure 20 on page 27), where you can also define a shadow style. Clicking the More Options button on the Cell Appearance title bar, or clicking More in the panel’s line style drop-down list, opens the Format Cells dialog at the Borders page.

See the Calc Guide Chapter 4 Using Styles and Templates in Calc for more information.

• Note 

Cell border properties apply only to the selected cells and can only be changed if you are editing those cells. For example, if cell C3 has a top border, that border can only be removed by selecting C3. It cannot be removed in C2 despite also appearing to be the bottom border for cell C2.

Formatting cell background

To format the background color for a cell or a group of cells, click the small arrow next to the Background Color icon

on the Formatting toolbar. A color palette, similar to the Font Color palette, is displayed. You can also use the Background tab of the Format Cells dialog (Figure 20 on page 27). The Cell Appearance panel of the Properties deck in the Sidebar contains a Cell background control with a color palette. See the Calc Guide Chapter 4 Using Styles and Templates in Calc for more information.

AutoFormatting of cells

Using AutoFormat

You can use Calc’s AutoFormat feature to format a group of cells quickly and easily. It also let you format different parts of the sheet with the same look and feel very easily.

1. 1)Select the cells in at least three columns and rows, including column and row headers, that you want to format. 

2. 2)Go to Format > AutoFormat on the Menu bar to open the AutoFormat dialog (Figure 33). 

3. 3)Select the type of format and format color from the list. 

4. 4)If necessary, click More to open Formatting if Formatting is not visible. 

5. 5)Select the formatting properties to be included in the AutoFormat function. 

6. 6)Click OK. 

 

Figure 33: AutoFormat dialog

Defining a new AutoFormat

You can define a new AutoFormat so that it becomes available for use in all spreadsheets.

1. 1)Format the data type, font, font size, cell borders, cell background, and so on for a group of cells. 

2. 2)Go to Edit > Select All on the Menu bar to select the whole spreadsheet. 

3. 3)Go to Format > AutoFormat to open the AutoFormat dialog and the Add button is now active. 

4. 4)Click Add. 

5. 5)In the Name box of the Add AutoFormat dialog that opens, type a meaningful name for the new format. 

6. 6)Click OK to save. The new AutoFormat is now available in the Format list in the AutoFormat dialog. 

Using themes

Calc comes with a predefined set of formatting themes that you can apply to spreadsheets. It is not possible to add themes to Calc and they cannot be modified. However, you can modify their styles after you apply them to a spreadsheet, and the modified styles become available for use in that spreadsheet after you have saved it.

To apply a theme to a spreadsheet:

1. 1)Click the Choose Themes icon

   in the Tools toolbar. If this toolbar is not visible, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select Tools, and the Theme Selection dialog (Figure 34) opens. This dialog lists the available themes for the whole spreadsheet.

   in the Tools toolbar. If this toolbar is not visible, go to View > Toolbars on the Menu bar and select Tools, and the Theme Selection dialog (Figure 34) opens. This dialog lists the available themes for the whole spreadsheet. 

2. 2)Select the theme that you want to apply. As soon as you select a theme, the theme styles are applied to the spreadsheet and are immediately visible. 

3. 3)Click OK. 

4. 4)If you wish, you can now open the Styles and Formatting window to modify specific styles. These modifications do not modify the theme; they only change the appearance of the style in the specific spreadsheet you are creating. 

 

Figure 34: Theme Selection dialog

Using conditional formatting

You can set up cell formats to change depending on conditions that you specify. For example, in a table of numbers, you can show all the values above the average in green and all those below the average in red.

Conditional formatting depends upon the use of styles and the AutoCalculate feature must be enabled. Go to Tools > Cell Contents > AutoCalculate on the Menu bar to enable this feature. See the Calc Guide Chapter 2 Entering, Editing, and Formatting Data for more information.

Hiding and showing data

In Calc you can hide elements so that they are neither visible on a computer display nor printed when a spreadsheet is printed. However, hidden elements can still be selected for copying if you select the elements around them. For example, if column B is hidden, it is copied when you select columns A and C.

For more information on how to hide and show data, including how to use outline groups and filtering, see the Calc Guide Chapter 2 Entering, Editing, and Formatting Data.

• Note 

When data in cells are hidden, the blank cells remain visible in the spreadsheet.

Hiding and protecting data

To hide sheets, rows, and columns:

1. 1)Select the sheet, row or column you want to hide. 

2. 2)Go to Format on the Menu bar and select Sheet, Row or Column. 

3. 3)Select Hide from the menu and the sheet, row or column can no longer viewed or printed. 

4. 4)Alternatively, right-click on the sheet tab, row header or column header and select Hide from the context menu. 

To hide and protect data in selected cells:

1. 1)Go to Tools > Protect Sheet. The Protect Sheet dialog will open (Figure 35). 

2. 2)Select Protect this sheet and the contents of protected cells. 

3. 3)Create a password and then confirm the password. 

4. 4)Select or deselect the user selection options for cells. 

5. 5)Click OK. 

6. 6)Select the cells you want to hide. 

7. 7)Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog. 

8. 8)Click the Cell Protection tab (Figure 36) and select an option to hide the cells. 

9. 9)Click OK. 

 

Figure 35: Protect Sheet dialog

 

Figure 36: Cell Protection page in Format Cells dialog

Showing data

To show hidden sheets, rows, and columns:

1. 1)Select the sheets, rows or columns each side of the hidden sheet, row or column. 

2. 2)Go to Format on the Menu bar and select Sheet, Row or Column. 

3. 3)Select Show from the menu and the sheet, row or column will be displayed and can be printed. 

4. 4)Alternatively, right-click on the sheet tabs, row headers or column headers and select Show from the context menu. 

To show hidden data in cells:

1. 1)Go to Tools > Protect Sheet. 

2. 2)Enter the password to unprotect the sheet and click OK. 

3. 3)Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells from the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells dialog. 

4. 4)Click the Cell Protection tab (Figure 36) and deselect the hide options for the cells. 

5. 5)Click OK. 

Sorting records

Sorting within Calc arranges the cells in a sheet using the sort criteria that you specify. Several criteria can be used and a sort applies each criteria consecutively. Sorts are useful when you are searching for a particular item and become even more useful after you have filtered data.

Also, sorting is useful when you add new information to your spreadsheet. When a spreadsheet is long, it is usually easier to add new information at the bottom of the sheet, rather than adding rows in their correct place. After you have added information, you then carry out a sort to update the spreadsheet.

For more information on how to sort records and the sorting options available, see the Calc Guide Chapter 2 Entering, Editing, and Formatting Data.

 

Figure 37: Sort Criteria dialog

To sort cells in a spreadsheet:

1. 1)Select the cells to be sorted. 

2. 2)Go to Data > Sort on the Menu bar to open the Sort dialog (Figure 37). 

3. 3)Select the sort criteria from the drop down lists. The selected lists are populated from the selected cells. 

4. 4)Select either ascending order (A-Z, 1-9) or descending order (Z-A, 9-1). 

5. 5)Click OK and the sort is carried out on your spreadsheet. 

Using formulas and functions

You may need more than numbers and text on your spreadsheet. Often the contents of one cell depend on the contents of other cells. Formulas are equations that use numbers and variables to produce a result. Variables are placed in cells to hold data required by equations.

A function is a predefined calculation entered in a cell to help you analyze or manipulate data. All you have to do is enter the arguments and the calculation is automatically made for you. Functions help you create the formulas required to get the results that you are looking for.

See the Calc Guide Chapter 7 Using Formulas and Functions for more information.

Analyzing data

Calc includes several tools to help you analyze the information in your spreadsheets, ranging from features for copying and reusing data, to creating subtotals automatically, to varying information to help you find the answers you need. These tools are divided between the Tools and Data menus.

One of the most useful of these tools is the PivotTable, which is used for combining, comparing, and analyzing large amounts of data easily. Using the PivotTable, you can view different summaries of the source data, display the details of areas of interest, and create reports, whether you are a beginner, an intermediate or advanced user.

Calc also includes many tools for statistical analysis of data, where you can obtain important numerical information on data obtained from physical measurements, polls, or even business transactions such as sales, stock quotations, and so on. These statistical data analyses are available in the menu Data > Statistics.

See the Calc Guide Chapter 8 Using Pivot Tables and Chapter 9 Data Analysis for more information on pivot tables and other tools available in Calc to analyze your data.

Printing

Printing from Calc is much the same as printing from other LibreOffice components (see Chapter 10 Printing, Exporting, and Emailing in this guide). However, some details for printing in Calc are different, especially regarding preparation for printing.

Print ranges

Print ranges have several uses, including printing only a specific part of the data or printing selected rows or columns on every page. For more information about using print ranges, see the Calc Guide Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E-mailing.

Defining a print range

To define a new print range or modify an existing print range:

1. 1)Select the range of cells to be included in the print range. 

2. 2)Go to Format > Print Ranges > Define on the Menu bar. Page break lines are displayed on screen. 

3. 3)To check the print range, go to File > Print Preview on the Menu bar or click on the Print Preview icon

   . LibreOffice will display the cells in the print range.

   . LibreOffice will display the cells in the print range. 

Adding to a print range

After defining a print range, you can add more cells to it by creating another print range. This allows multiple, separate areas of the same sheet to be printed while not printing the whole sheet.

1. 1)After defining a print range, select an extra range of cells for adding to the print range. 

2. 2)Go to Format > Print Ranges > Add on the Menu bar to add the extra cells to the print range. The page break lines are no longer displayed on the screen. 

3. 3)To check the print ranges, go to File > Print Preview on the Menu bar or click on the Print Preview icon

   . LibreOffice will display the print ranges as separate pages.

   . LibreOffice will display the print ranges as separate pages. 

• Note 

The additional print range will print as a separate page, even if both ranges are on the same sheet.

Removing a print range

It may become necessary to remove a defined print range, for example, if the whole sheet needs to be printed later.

To remove all the defined print ranges, go to Format > Print Ranges > Remove on the Menu bar. After the print ranges have been removed, the default page break lines will appear on the screen.

Editing a print range

At any time, you can directly edit the print range, for example to remove or resize part of the print range. Go to Format > Print Ranges > Edit on the Menu bar to open the Edit Print Ranges dialog where you can define the print range.

Printing options

To select the printing options for page order, details, and scale to be used when printing a spreadsheet:

1. 1)Go to Format > Page on the Menu bar to open the Page Style dialog (Figure 38). 

2. 2)Select the Sheet tab and make your selections from the available options. 

3. 3)Click OK. 

For more information on printing options, see the Calc Guide Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E‑mailing.

Repeat printing of rows or columns

If a sheet is printed on multiple pages, you can set up certain rows or columns to repeat on each printed page. For example, if the top two rows of the sheet as well as column A need to be printed on all pages, do the following:

1. 1)Go to Format > Print Ranges > Edit on the Menu bar to open the Edit Print Ranges dialog (Figure 39). 

2. 2)Type the row identifiers in the Rows to repeat box. For example, to repeat rows 1 and 2, type $1:$2. This automatically changes Rows to repeat  from, - none -  to - user defined -. 

 

Figure 38: Page Style dialog

1. 3)Type the column identifiers in the Columns to repeat box. For example, to repeat column A, type $A. In the Columns to repeat list, - none - changes to - user defined -. 

2. 4)Click OK. 

For more information on editing print ranges, see the Calc Guide, Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E‑mailing.

Figure 39: Edit Print Ranges dialog

 

Page breaks

While defining a print range can be a powerful tool, it may sometimes be necessary to manually adjust the Calc printout manually using a manual or page break. A page break helps to ensure that your data prints properly according to your page size and page orientation. You can insert a horizontal page break above or a vertical page break to the left of the active cell.

For more information on manual breaks, see the Calc Guide Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E‑mailing.

Inserting a break

To insert a page break:

1. 1)Navigate to the cell where the page break will begin. 

2. 2)Go to Insert > Page Break on the Menu bar. 

3. 3)Select Row Break to create a page break above the selected cell. 

4. 4)Select Column Break to create a page break to the left of the selected cell. 

Deleting a page break

To remove a page break:

1. 1)Navigate to a cell that is next to the break you want to remove. 

2. 2)Go to Edit > Delete Page Break on the Menu bar. 

3. 3)Select Row Break or Column Break depending on your need and break is removed. 

• Note 

Multiple manual row and column breaks can exist on the same page. When you want to remove them, you have to remove each break individually.

Headers and footers

Headers and footers are predefined pieces of text that are printed at the top or bottom of a page when a spreadsheet is printed. Headers and footers are set and defined using the same method. For more information on setting and defining headers and footers, see the Calc Guide Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E‑mailing.

Headers and footers are also assigned to a page style. You can define more than one page style for a spreadsheet and assign different page styles to different sheets within a spreadsheet. For more information on page styles, see the Calc Guide Chapter 4 Using Styles and Templates.

Setting a header or footer

To set a header or footer:

1. 1)Navigate to the sheet that you want to set the header or footer for. 

2. 2)Go to Format > Page on the Menu bar to open the Page Style dialog (Figure 40). 

3. 3)On the Page Style dialog, select Header or Footer tab. 

4. 4)Select the Header on or Footer on option. 

5. 5)Select Same content left/right option if you want the same header or footer to appear on all the printed pages. 

6. 6)Set the margins, spacing, and height for the header or footer. You can also select AutoFit height box to automatically adjust the height of the header or footer. 

7. 7)To change the appearance of the header or footer, click on More to open the borders and background dialog. 

8. 8)To set the contents, for example page number, date and so on, that appears in the header or footer, click on Edit to open the style dialog. 

 

Figure 40: Header page of Page Style dialog