Introduction to LibreOffice
Introduction to LibreOffice
Calc
Start Center - Introduction to LibreOffice
The LibreOffice Start Center is mainly used to create new
documents or open existing documents
Create a blank word processor document in Writer
Create a blank spreadsheet in Calc
Create a blank PowerPoint presentation in Impress Open an existing
LibreOffice or Microsoft Office
document Open the free templates/extensions website on LibreOffice.org
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Calc is used to create
spreadsheets.
It can save spreadsheets in either
the OpenDocument Spreadsheet
format (.ods), or Microsoft Excel
97/2000/XP/2003 format (.xls)
At Jordan all computers are set to
save by default to Microsoft format
(.xls) which is currently the most
compatible Excel document format.
If you want to change the file
format that you save in, after
clicking 'Save As' from the File
menu, click the 'All Formats' drop
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Calc – Toolbars
Standard Toolbar Formatting Toolbar Find Toolbar Standard Toolbar Find Toolbar Formatting Toolbar Formula bar Formula barCalc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Columns and Rows:
In any spreadsheet program a column is a vertical group of consecutive cells and a row is a horizontal groups of consecutive cells
Columns and rows both have headers. You can highlight an entire column or row by clicking on a column or row header.
Right-clicking on a column/row header will allow you to format the entire column or row. Columns are identified by letters and rows are identified by numbers. These letters and numbers are printed directly on the column and row headers.
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Resizing col umns and rows:
You can resize columns and rows by clicking and dragging the line that is
in-between two columns or two rows. This line is called a 'Box
Intersection'
Or you can have LibreOffice automatically size your columns or rows by
double-clicking the line that is in-between two columns or rows.
You can also resize a column or row precisely to a fraction of an inch by
right clicking the column or row header and click either 'Column Width' or
'Row Height' respectively
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Cell addr ess:
The cell address is a combination of the column letter and the row
number. Example: B2 or D14
When creating formulas you can calculate the values that are entered into
various cells by referencing each cell by its cell address
The cell address of the currently selected cell is always displayed in the
cell 'Name Box' located at the top left side of the screen.
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Cell Borders:
You can customize cells by changing their borders. This comes in handy when making spreadsheets look more professional or if you intend to print the spreadsheet.
Simply right click a cell or a group of highlighted cells and select 'Format Cells' and then change the border settings to your liking on the 'Borders' tab.
Cell Formatting:
Aside from just borders there are many other cell formatting options available
For instance if you would like to make a cell or a group of cells automatically format
themselves to display currency symbols and a specific number of decimal places, use the 'Numbers' tab
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Formulas:
Formulas automatically calculate and display a value based on the contents of other cells, and is the main purpose for using a spreadsheet vs simply creating a table.
The most commonly used type of formula is SUM() which adds the contents of a set of cells and displays the total.
Other common formulas are: PRODUCT() or * to multiply / to divide
COUNT() is used to count cells that contain numbers
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Formulas Continued:
You can also manually create or modify a formula by editing the formula directly in the 'Input line' box.
You can view the range of selected cells in a formula by double-clicking the cell that contains the formula
Formulas can easily be generated using the 'Function Wizard'
The 'Function Wizard' can be accessed by clicking the 'Function Wizard' button located to the left of the 'Sum' button on the formula toolbar.
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Using SUM():
The easiest way to use SUM() is the 'Sum' button located on the formula toolbar.
To use the 'Sum' button, simply click the cell that you would like to display your cell total, then click the 'Sum' button, then with your mouse select the desired range of cells that will be used to calculate the total (You can also use the Ctrl key on your keyboard to select non-consecutive cells to add to the total).
Once finished selecting cells, press Enter on your keyboard or click the Blue Check-mark icon on the formula toolbar.
The Sum() function can also be used to subtract from the total by adding the minus sign to the number in a cell that is part of the formula, or add the minus sign directly to the formula itself.
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Printi ng a Spreadsheet in Calc: Scaling your spreadsheet:
To make your spreadsheet print on a single page, use the scaling feature
To scale a page click on 'Format' → 'Page', Click the 'Sheet' tab, under 'Scaling mode' click the dropdown box and select 'Fit print range(s) on number of pages' and then make sure the 'Number of pages' box is set to '1' and click 'OK'
Calc – Introduction to LibreOffice
Freezing Columns and Rows:
Freezing a column or a row can be particularly useful when you are trying to view a large spreadsheet and you need to see the row or column header data as you scroll through the spreadsheet.
To freeze a column or a row, select the row below, or the column to the right of the row or column that you want to be in the frozen region. All rows above, or all columns to the left of the selection will become frozen.
To freeze both horizontally and vertically, select the cell that is below the row and to the ri ght of the column that you want to freeze.
Choose 'Window' → 'Freeze' to freeze the column or row. To deactivate choose 'Window' → 'Freeze' again.