Calc Guide 7.1

Chapter 2
Entering, Editing, and Formatting Data

Copyright

This document is Copyright © 2021 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Contributors are listed below. You may distribute it and/or modify it under the terms of either the GNU General Public License (http://www.gnu.org/licenses/gpl.html), version 3 or later, or the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/), version 4.0 or later.

All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors

To this edition

Felipe Viggiano

Kees Kriek

Jean Hollis Weber

To previous editions

Barbara Duprey

Christian Chenal

Jean Hollis Weber

Shelagh Manton

John A Smith

Peter Schofield

Peter Kupfer

Andy Brown

Stephen Buck

Iain Roberts

Hazel Russman

Barbara M. Tobias

Jared Kobos

Dave Barton

Kees Kriek

Claire Wood

Steve Fanning

Leo Moons

Annie Nguyen

 

 

Feedback

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Note

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Publication date and software version

Published May 2021. Based on LibreOffice 7.1 Community.
Other versions of LibreOffice may differ in appearance and functionality.

Using LibreOffice on macOS

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on macOS from those used in Windows and Linux. The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this book. For a more detailed list, see the application Help and Appendix A (Keyboard Shortcuts) to this guide.

Windows or Linux

macOS equivalent

Effect

Tools > Options menu selection

LibreOffice > Preferences

Access setup options

Right-click

Control+click and/or right-click depending on computer setup

Open a context menu

Ctrl (Control)

⌘ (Command)

Used with other keys

Ctrl+Q

⌘+Q

Exit / quit LibreOffice

F11

⌘+T

Open the Sidebar’s Styles deck

Introduction

You can enter data into Calc in several ways: using the keyboard, the Fill tool, and selection lists, as well as dragging and dropping. Calc also provides the ability to enter data into multiple sheets of the same spreadsheet at the same time. After entering data, you can format and display it in various ways.

Entering data

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

Numbers

Click in the cell and type the number using the number keys on either the main keyboard or the numeric keypad.

Negative 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 is the same; for example, –1234.

Leading zeroes

By default, if a number is entered with leading zeroes, for example 01481, Calc will drop the leading zeroes. To retain both the number format and a minimum number of characters in a cell when entering numbers, for example 1234 and 0012, use one of these methods to add leading zeroes.

Method 1

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

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

3)  In the Leading zeroes field within the Options area, enter the minimum number of characters required. For example, for four characters, enter 4. Any number less than four characters will then have leading zeroes added, for example 12 becomes 0012.

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.

Tip

To format numbers with only decimal places, but without a leading zero, follow steps and above, then in the Format code box type a . (period or full stop) followed by ? (one or more question marks) to represent the number of decimal places required. For example, for 3 decimal places, type .??? and click OK. Any number with only decimal places will then have no zero before the decimal, for example 0.01856 becomes .019.

Figure 1: Format Cells dialog – Numbers tab

Image43

Method 2

1)  Select the cell.

2)  On the Sidebar, go to the Properties deck.

3)  In the Number Format panel (Figure 2), select Number in the drop-down list, and enter 4 in the Leading zeroes field. Formatting is applied immediately.

Figure 2: Set leading zeroes in Sidebar

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Numbers as text

Numbers can also be converted into text using one of the following methods.

Method 1

1)  With the cell selected, open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 1).

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

3)  Click OK. The number is converted to text and, by default, is left-aligned. You can change the formatting and alignment of any text numbers just as you would with normal text.

Method 2

1)  Select the cell.

2)  On the Sidebar, go to the Properties deck.

3)  In the Number Format panel (Figure 2), select Text in the drop-down list. Formatting is applied to the cell immediately.

Tip

If numerical characters do not need to be treated as numbers in calculations (for example when entering zip codes), you can type an apostrophe (') before the number, for example '01481. When you move the cell focus, the apostrophe is removed, the leading zeroes are retained, and the number is converted to left-aligned text.

Text

Click in a cell and type the text. The text is left-aligned by default. Cells can contain several lines of text. If you want to use paragraphs, press Ctrl+Enter to create another paragraph.

On the Formula Bar, you can extend the Input line if you are entering several lines of text. Click on the Expand / Collapse Formula Bar icon located on the right of the Formula Bar and the Input line becomes multi-line, as shown in Figure 3. You can drag the bottom of the Input line up and down to control its exact height. Click the Expand / Collapse Formula Bar icon again to return the Input line to its default single line height.

Figure 3: Expanded Input line on Formula Bar

Image22

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 2020. The date format automatically changes to the selected format used by Calc.

Note

Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages > Formats > Date acceptance patterns defines the date patterns that will be recognized by Calc. In addition, every locale accepts input in an ISO 8601 Y-M-D pattern (for example, 2020-07-26).

When you enter 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:

1)  With the cell selected, open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 1).

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

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

4)  Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

Note

The date format will be influenced by the system or document language settings.

Special characters

A special character is a character not normally found on a standard keyboard; for example, © ¾ æ ç ñ ö ø ¢. To insert a special character:

1)  Select a cell and place the cursor in the cell or in the Input line, at the point where you want the character to appear.

2)  Go to Insert > Special Character on the Menu bar to open the Special Characters dialog (Figure 4).

3)  From the grid of characters, select the required character. The last character selected is shown on the right of the Special Characters dialog along with its numerical code.

4)  Any recently inserted characters are shown below the grid of characters and can be selected in the same way as any other character in the dialog.

5)  At the bottom of the dialog there is provision for building a small collection of Favorite Characters. To add a new character to the collection, select the required character and click the Add to Favorites button. To remove an existing character from the collection, select the character and click the Remove from Favorites button.

6)  Double-click a special character to insert it into the cell, without closing the dialog. Click Insert to insert a selected special character into the cell and close the dialog.

Tip

You can quickly insert one of your recent or favorite special characters by clicking the Insert Special Characters icon on the Standard toolbar and selecting the required character from the drop-down. Click More Characters on this drop-down to open the Special Characters dialog (Figure 4).

Note

Different fonts include different special characters. If you do not find a particular special character you want, try changing the Font and Subset selections.

Figure 4: Special Characters dialog

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AutoCorrect options

Calc automatically applies many changes during data input using AutoCorrect, unless you have deactivated any AutoCorrect changes. You can undo any AutoCorrect changes by selecting Edit > Undo on the Menu bar, pressing the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Z, or manually going back to the change and replacing the autocorrection with what you actually want to see.

To change the AutoCorrect options, go to Tools > AutoCorrect Options on the Menu bar to open the AutoCorrect dialog (Figure 5).

Figure 5: AutoCorrect dialog

Image5

Inserting dashes

Calc provides text shortcuts so that you can quickly insert dashes into a cell and these shortcuts are shown in Table 1.

Table 1: Inserting dashes

Text that you type

Result

A - B (A, space, hyphen, space, B)

A – B (A, space, en-dash, space, B)

A -- B (A, space, hyphen, hyphen, space, B)

A – B (A, space, en-dash, space, B)

A--B (A, hyphen, hyphen, B)

A—B (A, em-dash, B)

A-B (A, hyphen, B)

A-B (unchanged)

A -B (A, space, hyphen, B)

A -B (unchanged)

A --B (A, space, hyphen, hyphen, B)

A –B (A, space, en-dash, B)

Speeding up data entry

Entering data into a spreadsheet can be very labor-intensive, but Calc provides tools for removing some of the drudgery from input. These tools include drag and drop (to move or copy contents of one location to another using a mouse), an AutoInput tool, the Fill tool, and selection lists.

The Fill tool and selection lists automate input of repetitive material into cells. Calc also has the ability to input information into multiple sheets of the same spreadsheet at the same time.

AutoInput tool

The AutoInput function in Calc automatically completes entries, based on other entries in the same column. The column is scanned up to a maximum of 2000 cells or 200 different strings.

When text is highlighted in a cell, AutoInput can be used as follows:

When typing formulas using characters that match function names, a Help tip will appear listing the available functions that start with matching characters.

AutoInput ignores the case sensitivity of any data you enter. If, for example, you have written “Total” in a cell, you cannot then use AutoInput to enter “total” in another cell of the same column without first deactivating AutoInput or entering “total” manually.

By default, AutoInput is activated in Calc. To turn it off, go to Tools on the Menu bar and deselect AutoInput.

Fill tool

You can use the Fill tool in Calc to duplicate existing content or create a series in a range of cells in the spreadsheet as shown by the examples in Figure 6.

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

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

3)  Go to Sheet > Fill Cells on the Menu bar and select the direction in which you want to copy or create data (Down, Right, Up, Left, Sheets, Series, or Random Number). A menu option will be grayed out if it is not available.

Figure 6: Examples of using the Fill tool

Image6

Tip

You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+D as an alternative to selecting Sheet > Fill Cells > Fill Down on the Menu bar.

Alternatively, you can use a shortcut to fill cells:

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

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

3)  Click and drag in the direction you want the cells to be filled, vertical or horizontal. If the original cell contained text, then the text will automatically be copied. If the original cell contained a number or text from a defined list (see “Defining a fill seriesbelow), a series will be created. To duplicate the number or text instead, hold Ctrl while dragging.

Caution

When you are selecting cells so you can use the Fill tool, make sure that none of the cells contain data, except for the cell data you want to use. When you use the Fill tool, any data contained in selected cells is overwritten.

Using a fill series

When you select a series fill from Sheet > Fill Cells > Fill Series on the Menu bar, the Fill Series dialog (Figure 7) opens. Here you can select the type of series you want or create your own list.

Figure 7: Fill Series dialog

Image46

Defining a fill series

To define your own fill series:

1)  Go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > Sort Lists to open the Sort Lists dialog (Figure 8). This dialog shows any previously defined series in the Lists box on the left and the contents of the highlighted list in the Entries box.

2)  Click New and the Entries box is cleared.

3)  Type the series for the new list in the Entries box, with one entry per line (Figure 9).

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

5)  Click OK to save the new list and close the dialog.

Figure 8: Sort Lists dialog

Image7

Figure 9: Creating a new sort list

Image8

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

2)  Right-click and select Selection List in the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Alt+↓. 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)  Click on the text entry you require and it is entered into the selected cell.

Merging and splitting cells

Merging

You can select contiguous cells and merge them into one as follows:

1)  Select the range of contiguous cells you want to merge.

2)  Go to Format > Merge Cells > Merge Cells or Merge and Center Cells on the Menu bar, or click on the Merge and Center Cells icon on the Formatting toolbar, or right-click on the selected cells and select Merge Cells in the context menu. Using Merge and Center Cells will center align any contents in the cells.

3)  If the cells contain any data, the Merge Cells dialog (Figure 10) opens, showing choices for moving or hiding data in the hidden cells.

4)  Make your selection and click OK.

Caution

Merging cells can lead to calculation errors in formulas used in the spreadsheet.

Splitting

You can reverse a merge operation by splitting a cell that was previously created by merging several cells.

1)  Select a merged cell.

2)  Go to Format > Merge Cells > Split Cells on the Menu bar, or click on the Merge and Center Cells icon on the Formatting toolbar, or right-click and select Split Cells in the context menu.

3)  Any data in the cell will remain in the first cell. If the hidden cells did have any contents before the cells were merged, then you may have to manually move the contents to the correct 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 information on each sheet individually, you can enter it in several sheets at the same time.

Figure 11: Select Sheets dialog

Image10

1)  Go to Edit > Select > Select Sheets on the Menu bar to open the Select Sheets dialog (Figure 11).

2)  Select the individual sheets where you want the information to be repeated.

3)  Click OK to select the sheets and the sheet tabs will be highlighted.

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

5)  Deselect the sheets when you have finished entering the information that you want repeated in the sheets.

Tip

You can select sheets with the mouse, as described in the “Selecting sheets” section of Chapter 1, Introduction.

Caution

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 have finished entering the information to be repeated before continuing to enter data into the spreadsheet.

Validating cell contents

When creating spreadsheets for other people to use, you may want to make sure they enter data that is valid or 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. 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, it can also define the range of contents that can be entered, and 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.

Defining validation

To validate any new data entered into a cell:

1)  Select a cell and go to Data > Validity on the Menu bar to open the Validity dialog (Figure 12).

2)  Define the type of contents that can be entered in that cell using the options given on the tabbed pages for Criteria, Input Help, and Error Alert. The options are explained below.

Figure 12: Validity dialog – Criteria tab

Image11

Criteria options

Specify the validation rules for the selected cells using the Criteria tab of the Validity dialog as shown in Figure 12. For example, you can define criteria such as numbers between 1 and 10, or texts that are no more than 20 characters.

The options available on the Criteria tab will depend on what has been selected in the Allow drop-down list.

Input Help options

Enter the message to be displayed when the cell or cell range is selected in the spreadsheet (Figure 13).

Figure 13: Validity dialog – Input Help tab

Image12

Error Alert options

Define the error message that is displayed when invalid data is entered in a cell (Figure 14).

Figure 14: Validity dialog – Error Alert tab

Image13

Calc Detective

The Detective is a tool within Calc that you can use to locate any cells in a spreadsheet that contain invalid data if the cells are set to accept invalid data with a warning.

1)  Go to Tools > Detective > Mark Invalid Data on the Menu bar to locate any cells containing invalid data. The Detective function marks any cells containing invalid data.

2)  Correct the data so that it becomes valid.

3)  Go to Tools > Detective > Remove All Traces on the Menu bar and any cells that were previously marked as containing invalid data have the invalid data mark removed.

Note

A validity rule is considered part of the format for a cell. If you select Delete all on the Delete Contents dialog (Figure 16), then it is removed. If you want to copy a validity rule with the rest of the cell, use Edit > Paste Special > Paste Special to open the Paste Special dialog (Figure 17), then select Paste all or Formats and click OK.

Editing data

Deleting data

Deleting cell data only

Data can be deleted from a cell without deleting any of the cell formatting. Select a cell or a range of cells and then press the Delete key.

Deleting cells

This option completely deletes selected cells, columns, or rows. The cells below or to the right of the deleted cells will fill the space.

1)  Select a cell or a range of cells.

2)  Select Sheet > Delete Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click inside the selected cells and choose Delete in the context menu, or press the Ctrl+ keys.

Figure 15: Delete Cells dialog

Image15

3)  The Delete Cells dialog (Figure 15) provides four options to specify how sheets are displayed after deleting cells:

4)  To confirm the selection, click OK.

Note

The selected delete option is stored and reloaded when the dialog is next opened, until LibreOffice is closed. After opening LibreOffice again the delete option contains the default setting.

Deleting data and formatting

Data and cell formatting can be deleted from a cell at the same time. To do this:

1)  Select a cell or a range of cells.

2)  Select Sheet > Clear Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click inside the selected cells and choose Clear Contents from the context menu, or press the Backspace key.

3)  In the Delete Contents dialog (Figure 16), choose any of the options or choose Delete All. Click OK.

Figure 16: Delete Contents dialog

Image14

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 and will retain the original formatting used in the cell.

Alternatively, click in the Input line on the Formula Bar, 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 a 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)  Click in the cell to select it.

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

3)  Press the Backspace key to delete any data up to the point where you want to enter new data.

4)  Alternatively, use the keyboard arrow keys to reposition the cursor where you want to start entering the new data in the cell, then press the Delete key or Backspace key to delete any unwanted data before typing the new data.

5)  When you have finished editing, press the Enter key to save the changes.

Tip

Each time you select a cell, the contents are displayed in the Input line on the Formula Bar. Using the Input line may be easier when editing data.

Using the mouse

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

2)  Reposition the cursor to where you want to start editing the data in the cell.

3)  Alternatively, single-click to select the cell, then move the cursor to the Input line on the Formula Bar and click at the position where you want to start editing the data in the cell.

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

Paste Special function

You can use the Paste Special function to paste into another cell selected parts of the data in the original cell or cell range, for example its format or the result of its formula.

Paste Special dialog

1)  Select a cell or a cell range.

2)  Go to Edit > Copy on the Menu bar, or click the Copy icon on the Standard toolbar, or right-click and select Copy in the context menu, or press Ctrl+C.

3)  Select the target cell or cell range.

4)  Go to Edit > Paste Special > Paste Special on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Paste Special > Paste Special in the context menu, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+Shift+V, to open the Paste Special dialog (Figure 17).

5)  Select the options for Selection, Operations, Options, and Shift Cells. The Paste Special options are explained below.

6)  Click OK to paste the data into the target cell or range of cells and close the dialog.

Figure 17: Paste Special dialog

Image16

Tip

Instead of steps ) and ) above, you can press one of the three shortcut buttons at the top of the dialog – Values Only, Values & Formats, or Transpose.

Paste Special options

Paste Only options

If you only want to copy text, numbers, or formulas to the target cell or cell range:

1)  Select the source cell or cell range and copy the data.

2)  Select the target cell or cell range.

3)  Right-click on the target cell or cell range and select Paste Special in the context menu, then select Text, Number, or Formula.

4)  Alternatively, use the Paste Only Text, Paste Only Number, or Paste Only Formula options in the Edit > Paste Special menu on the Menu bar.

Insert cell fields

You can insert a field linked to the date, sheet name, or document name in a cell.

1)  Select a cell and double-click to activate edit mode.

2)  Right-click and select Insert Field > Date, Time, Sheet Name or Document Title in the context menu.

3)  Alternatively use the similar options in the Insert > Field menu on the Menu bar.

Note

The Insert Field > Document Title command inserts the name of the spreadsheet and not the title defined on the Description tab of the Properties dialog for the file.

Tip

The fields are refreshed when the spreadsheet is saved or recalculated when using the Ctrl+Shift+F9 shortcut.

Formatting data

Note

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

You can format the data in Calc in several ways, either defined as part of a cell style so that it is automatically applied, or applied manually to the cell. For more control and extra options, select a cell or cell range and use the Format Cells dialog. All of the format options are discussed below.

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)  Select a cell or cell range.

2)  Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells in the context menu, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog.

3)  Click on the Alignment tab (Figure 18).

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

Figure 18: Format Cells dialog – Alignment tab

Image17

Method 2

1)  Select the cell.

2)  On the Properties deck of the Sidebar, open the Alignment panel (Figure 19).

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

Figure 19: Wrap text formatting

Image302

Manual line breaks

To insert a manual line break while typing in a cell, press Ctrl+Enter. When editing text, double-click the cell, then reposition the cursor to where you want the line break. In the Input line of the Formula bar, you can also press Shift+Enter.

When a manual line break is entered, the cell row height changes but the cell width may not change and the text may still overlap the end of the cell. You have to change the cell width manually or reposition the line break.

Shrinking text to fit a cell

The font size of the data in a cell can automatically adjust to fit inside cell borders.

1)  Select a cell or cell range.

2)  Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells in the context menu, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog.

3)  Click on the Alignment tab (Figure 18).

4)  Under Properties, select Shrink to fit cell size and click OK.

Formatting numbers

Several number formats can be applied to cells by using icons on the Formatting toolbar (highlighted in Figure 20). Select the cell, then click the relevant icon to change the number format.

For more control or to select other number formats, use the Numbers tab of the Format Cells dialog (Figure 1):

Figure 20: Number icons on Formatting toolbar

Image18

Formatting fonts

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

1)  Select a cell or cell range.

2)  Click the down arrow on the right of the Font Name box on the Formatting toolbar (highlighted in Figure 21) and select a font in the drop-down list. The font can also be changed using the Font tab on the Format Cells dialog.

3)  Click on the down arrow on the right of the Font Size box on the Formatting toolbar and select a font size from the drop-down list. The font size can also be changed using the Font tab on the Format Cells dialog.

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

5)  To change the paragraph alignment, click on one of the alignment icons (Align Left, Align Center and Align Right). The Format > Align menu also provides these options with addition to the Justified alignment.

Figure 21: Font Name and Size on Formatting toolbar

Image19

Note

To specify the language used in the cell, open the Font tab on the Format Cells dialog. Changing language in a cell allows different languages to exist within the same document. For more changes to font characteristics, see “Font effects” below.

Tip

To choose whether to show the font names in their font or in plain text, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View and select or deselect the Show preview of fonts option in the Font Lists section. For more information, see Chapter 14, Setting up and Customizing.

Font effects

1)  Select a cell or cell range.

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

3)  Click on the Font Effects tab (Figure 22).

4)  Select the font effect you want to use from the options available. The options available are described in Chapter 4, Using Styles and Templates.

5)  Click OK to apply the font effects and close the dialog.

Any font effect changes are applied to the current selection, or to the entire word that contains the cursor, or to any new text that you type.

Figure 22: Format Cells dialog – Font Effects tab

Image20

Text orientation

To change the text direction within a cell, use the Alignment tab on the Format Cells dialog (Figure 18).

1)  On the Alignment tab of the Format Cells dialog, select the Reference edge from which to rotate the text as follows:

2)  Click on the small indicator at the edge of the text orientation dial and rotate it until you reach the required degrees.

3)  Alternatively, enter the number of degrees to rotate the text in the Degrees box.

4)  Select Vertically stacked to make the text appear vertically in the cell.

An Asian layout mode checkbox is available on the Alignment tab of the Format Cells dialog when Asian language support is enabled and the text direction is set to vertical. This option aligns Asian characters one below the other in the selected cell(s). If the cell contains more than one line of text, the lines are converted to text columns that are arranged from right to left. Western characters in the converted text are rotated 90 degrees to the right. Asian characters are not rotated.

Using the icons on the Formatting toolbar

The icons on the Formatting toolbar can be used as follows after the cell has been selected:

The text direction icons can only be made available if the Asian and Complex text layout options are checked under Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages > Default Language for Documents. If it is necessary to make the buttons visible, right-click on the toolbar and select Visible Buttons in the context menu, then click on the icon you require and it will be placed on the Formatting toolbar.

Asian typography

If Asian language support is enabled through Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages > Default Languages for Documents > Asian, an Asian Typography tab is included on the Format Cells dialog (Figure 23). This tab enables setting of typographic options for cells in Asian language documents.

Figure 23: Format Cells dialog - Asian Typography tab

Image9

The following options are provided:

Formatting cell borders

To format the borders of a cell or a group of selected cells, you can use the border icons on the Formatting toolbar to apply the default styles to borders, or the Format Cells dialog for greater control. See Chapter 4, Using Styles and Templates, for more information on the options.

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, even though it appears to be the bottom border for cell C2.

1)  Select a cell or a range of cells.

2)  Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells in the context menu, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog.

3)  On the Borders tab (Figure 24), select the options required.

4)  Click OK to close the dialog and save the changes.

Alternatively, use the icons on the Formatting toolbar to apply default styles to borders:

1)  Click the Borders icon and select one of the options displayed in the Borders palette.

2)  Click the Border Style icon and select one of the line styles from the Border Style palette.

3)  Click the Border Color icon to apply the most recently selected color. Click the down arrow to the right of the Border Color icon to select another color from the Border Color palette.

Note

When entering borders with the border icons on the Formatting toolbar, you have two choices: click the required icon to add a border to the present borders or Shift-click to add a border and remove the present borders.

Figure 24: Format Cells dialog – Borders tab

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Formatting cell backgrounds

To format the background color for a cell or a group of cells (see Chapter 4, Using Styles and Templates, for more information):

1)  Select a cell or a range of cells.

2)  Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells in the context menu, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog.

3)  On the Background tab, click the Color button and select a color from the color palette.

4)  Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

Alternatively, click on the Background Color icon on the Formatting toolbar to apply the most recently selected color. Click the down arrow to the right of the Background Color icon to select a different color from the Background Color palette.

AutoFormat of cells and sheets

Using AutoFormat

You can use AutoFormat to format a group of cells.

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

2)  Go to Format > AutoFormat Styles on the Menu bar to open the AutoFormat dialog (Figure 25).

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

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

5)  Click OK to apply the changes and close the dialog.

Figure 25: AutoFormat dialog

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Defining a new AutoFormat

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

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

2)  Select a cell range of at least 4x4 cells.

3)  Go to Format > AutoFormat Styles to open the AutoFormat dialog. The Add button is now active (if a range smaller than 4x4 cells is selected, the Add button will be unavailable).

4)  Click Add.

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

6)  The new AutoFormat is now available in the Format list on the AutoFormat dialog. Click OK to close 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 new themes to Calc and the predefined styles cannot be modified. You can modify styles after you apply them to a spreadsheet, but the modified styles are only available for use for that spreadsheet.

To apply a theme to a spreadsheet:

1)  Go to Format > Spreadsheet Theme on the Menu bar, or click the Spreadsheet Theme icon on the Tools toolbar, to open the Theme Selection dialog (Figure 26), which lists the available themes for the whole spreadsheet.

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)  Click OK.

Figure 26: Theme Selection dialog

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If you wish, you can now use the Styles deck on the Sidebar to modify specific styles. These modifications do not modify the theme; they only change the appearance of the style in the spreadsheet you are creating. For more about modifying styles, see Chapter 4, Using Styles and Templates.

Value highlighting

Value highlighting displays cell contents in different colors depending on the type of content. An example of value highlighting is shown in Figure 27.

Figure 27: Example of value highlighting

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The value highlighting colors override any colors used in formatting. This color change applies only to the colors seen on a display. When a spreadsheet is printed, the original colors used for formatting are printed.

Go to View > Value Highlighting on the Menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F8, to turn the function on or off. When value highlighting is switched off, the original formatting colors are used for display.

You can make value highlighting the default when opening a spreadsheet in Calc, by selecting Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > View > Display > Value highlighting. This default mode for value highlighting may not be what you want if you are going to format the cells for printing.

Using conditional formatting

You can set up cell formats to change depending on conditions that you specify. Conditional formatting is used to highlight data that is outside the specifications that you have set. It is recommended not to overuse conditional formatting as this could reduce the impact of data that falls outside those specifications.

See “Conditional formatting examplebelow for an example of how to use conditional formatting.

Note

Conditional formatting depends upon the use of styles and the AutoCalculate feature must be enabled. If you are not familiar with styles, see Chapter 4, Using Styles and Templates, for more information.

Setting up conditional formatting

1)  Ensure that AutoCalculate is enabled: Data > Calculate > AutoCalculate.

2)  Select the cells where you want to apply conditional formatting.

3)  Go to Format > Conditional > Condition (Figure 28), Color Scale (Figure 29), Data Bar (Figure 30), Icon Set (Figure 31), or Date (Figure 32), on the Menu bar to open the Conditional Formatting dialog. Any conditions already defined are displayed.

4)  Click Add to create and define a new condition. Repeat this step as necessary.

5)  Select a style from the styles already defined in the Apply Style drop-down list. Repeat this step as necessary.

6)  Alternatively, select New Style to open the Cell Style dialog (Figure 33) and create a new cell style. Repeat this step as necessary.

7)  Click OK to save the conditions and close the dialog. The selected cells are now set to apply a result using conditional formatting.

Figure 28: Conditional Formatting dialog – Condition

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Figure 29: Conditional Formatting dialog – Color Scale

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Figure 30: Conditional Formatting dialog – Data Bar

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Figure 31: Conditional Formatting dialog – Icon Set

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Figure 32: Conditional Formatting dialog - Date

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Figure 33: Cell Style dialog

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Types of conditional formatting

Condition

Condition is the starting point when using conditional formatting. Here you can define what formats to use to highlight any data in the spreadsheet that falls outside the specifications that you have defined.

Color scale

Use color scale to set the background color of cells depending on the values of the data in those cells. Color scale can only be used when All Cells has been selected for the condition. You can use either two or three colors for the color scale.

Data bar

Data bars provide a graphical representation of data in the spreadsheet. The graphical representation is based on the values of data in a selected range. Click on More Options in the Conditional Formatting dialog to define how the data bars will look. Data bars can only be used when All Cells has been selected for the condition.

Icon set

Icon sets display an icon next to the data in each selected cell to give a visual representation of where the cell data falls within the defined range that you set. The icon sets available include colored arrows, gray arrows, colored flags, colored signs, symbols, bar ratings, and quarters. Icon sets can only be accessed when the Conditional Formatting dialog has been opened and All Cells has been selected for the condition.

Date

Date applies a defined style depending on a data range that you choose in the drop-down menu. Examples include Tomorrow, Last 7 days, This week, Next month, Last year.

Tip

Although each can be accessed using a different option in the Format > Conditional menu of the Menu bar, the five variants of the Conditional Formatting dialog shown in Figures Figure 28 to Figure 32 are not distinct. Once the dialog is open you can create conditions of all types without interacting with the Menu bar. For example, you might create Condition 1 to select a cell style to be used if the cell takes a certain value (Condition 1 is of type “Condition”). You might then press the Add button to create Condition 2 by selecting All Cells in the condition’s upper left drop-down and then selecting Data Bar in the adjacent drop-down (Condition 2 is of type “Data Bar”). You might then press the Add button to create Condition 3 by selecting Date is in the condition’s upper left drop-down (Condition 3 is of type “Date”). In this way you can create many conditions of different types to control the conditional formatting of the selected cells.

Conditional formatting management

To see all the conditional formatting defined in the spreadsheet and any styles used:

1)  Go to Format > Conditional > Manage on the Menu bar to open the Manage Conditional Formatting dialog (Figure 34).

2)  Select a range in the Range list and click Edit to redefine the conditional formatting.

3)  Select a range in the Range list and click Remove to delete the conditional formatting. The deletion is immediate with no confirmation.

4)  Select Add to create a new definition of conditional formatting.

5)  Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

Figure 34: Manage Conditional Formatting dialog

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Copying cell styles

To apply the style used for conditional formatting to other cells later:

1)  Click one of the cells that has been assigned conditional formatting and copy the cell to the clipboard.

2)  Select the cells that are to receive the same formatting as the copied cell.

3)  Go to Edit > Paste Special > Paste Special on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Paste Special > Paste Special in the context menu, or press Crtl+Shift+V, to open the Paste Special dialog (Figure 17).

4)  Make sure that only Formats is selected and click OK to paste the conditional formatting into the cell.

Conditional formatting example

One use case for conditional formatting is highlighting the totals that exceed the average value of all totals. If the totals change, the formatting changes correspondingly, without having to apply other styles manually. It is recommended that the Styles deck on the Sidebar is open and visible before proceeding.

Defining conditions

1)  Select the cells where you want to apply a conditional style.

2)  Go to Format > Conditional > Condition, Color Scale, Data Bar, Icon Set, or Date from the Menu bar to open the Conditional Formatting dialog.

3)  Enter the conditions you want to use for conditional formatting.

Generating number values

You may want to give certain values in your tables particular emphasis. For example, in a table of turnovers, you can show all the values above the average in green and all those below the average in red. This is possible with conditional formatting.

1)  Create a table in which a few different values occur. For your test, you can create tables with any random numbers. In one of the cells, enter the formula =RAND(), and you will obtain a random number between 0 and 1. If you want integers of between 0 and 50, enter the formula =INT(RAND()*50).

2)  Copy the formula to create a row of random numbers.

3)  Click the bottom right corner of the selected cell, and drag to the right and downward until the desired cell range is selected.

Defining cell styles

The next step is to apply a cell style to all values that represent above-average turnover and one to cells that are below the average.

1)  Right-click in a blank cell and select Format Cells in the context menu to open the Format Cells dialog.

2)  Click the Background tab, press the Color button, and select a background color, then click OK.

3)  In the Conditional Formatting dialog, select New Style in the Apply Style drop-down list to open the Cell Style dialog.

4)  Enter a name of the new style. For this example, name the style Above.

5)  Define a second style, click again in a blank cell and proceed as described above. Assign a different background color to the cell and assign a name. For this example, name the style Below.

Calculating average

In our particular example, we are calculating the average of the random values. The result is placed in a cell:

1)  Click in a blank cell, for example, J14, and go to Insert > Function on the Menu bar, or click the Function Wizard icon on the Formula Bar, or press Ctrl+F2, to open the Function Wizard dialog.

2)  Select AVERAGE in the Functions list.

3)  Use the cursor to select all your random numbers.

4)  Click OK to close the Function Wizard.

Applying cell styles

Now you can apply the conditional formatting to the sheet:

1)  Select all cells containing the random numbers.

2)  Go to the Format > Conditional > Condition on the Menu bar to open the Conditional Formatting dialog.

3)  Define the condition for each cell as follows: if cell value is less than J14, format with cell style Below OR if cell value is greater than or equal to J14, format with cell style Above.

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 to copy columns A to C. When you require a hidden element again, you can reverse the process and show the element.

Hiding data

Sheets

Select Sheet > Hide Sheet on the Menu bar, or right-click on the sheet tab for the sheet to be hidden and select Hide Sheet in the context menu. There must always be one sheet that is not hidden.

Rows and columns

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

2)  Go to Format on the Menu bar and select Rows or Columns.

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

4)  Alternatively, right-click on the row or column header and select Hide Rows or Hide Columns in the context menu.

Cells

Hiding individual cells is more complicated. First, you need to define the cells as protected and hidden; then you need to protect the sheet.

1)  Select the cells you want to hide.

2)  Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, or right-click and select Format Cells in the context menu, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 35).

3)  Click the Cell Protection tab and select an option for hiding and printing the cells.

4)  Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

5)  Go to Tools > Protect Sheet on the Menu bar, or right-click on the sheet tab and select Protect Sheet in the context menu, to open the Protect Sheet dialog (Figure 36).

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

7)  Create a password and then confirm the password.

8)  Select or deselect the options in the Allow all users of this sheet to area so that users can select protected or unprotected cells.

9)  Click OK to save the changes and close the dialog.

Figure 35: Format Cells dialog – Cell Protection tab

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Note

When content in cells is hidden, it is only the content contained in the cells that is hidden and the protected cells cannot be modified. The blank cells remain visible in the spreadsheet.

Figure 36: Protect Sheet dialog

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Showing data

Sheets

Select Sheet > Show Sheet on the Menu bar, or right-click on any sheet tab and select Show Sheet in the context menu. Choose which hidden sheets to show from the list on the Show Sheet dialog. If there are no hidden sheets, the Show Sheet option will not appear in the context menu and will be grayed on the Menu bar.

Rows and columns

1)  Select the rows or columns on each side of the hidden row or column.

2)  Go to Format on the Menu bar and select Rows or Columns. Select Show in the menu and the row or column will be displayed and can be printed.

3)  Alternatively, right-click on a row or column header and select Show Rows or Show Columns in the context menu.

Cells

1)  Go to Tools > Protect Sheet on the Menu bar, or right-click on the sheet tab and select Protect Sheet in the context menu, to open the Protect Sheet dialog (Figure 36).

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

3)  Go to Format > Cells on the Menu bar, right-click and select Format Cells in the context menu, or press Ctrl+1, to open the Format Cells dialog (Figure 35).

4)  Click the Cell Protection tab and deselect the hide options for the cells. Click OK.

Note

When protecting a sheet using the Protect Sheet dialog, you can leave the password fields blank. In this case, the Protect Sheet dialog is not presented at step ) above and step ) is not necessary.

Group and outline

If you are continually hiding and showing the same cells, you can create an outline of your data and group rows or columns together so that you can collapse a group to hide it or expand a group to show it using a single click.

The basic controls for grouping and outlining show plus (+) or minus (-) signs on the group indicator to show or hide rows or columns. However, if there are groups nested within each other, the basic controls have numbered buttons so you can hide the different levels of nested groups.

Grouping

To group rows or columns:

1)  Select the cells you want to group in the spreadsheet.

2)  Go to Data > Group and Outline > Group on the Menu bar, or press the F12 key.

3)  On the Group dialog that opens, select either Rows or Columns and click OK. A group indicator appears to the left of any rows grouped or above any columns grouped. Figure 37 shows a group indicator on the left of the first two rows of the spreadsheet showing that they have been grouped.

Figure 37: Group indicator

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Hiding details

To hide the details of any group of rows or columns:

1)  Click on the minus (–) sign on the group indicator.

2)  Alternatively, select a cell within the group and go to Data > Group and Outline > Hide Details on the Menu bar.

3)  The rows or columns are hidden and the minus (–) sign becomes a plus (+) sign on the group indicator.

Showing details

To show the details of any hidden groups of rows or columns:

1)  Click on the plus (+) sign on the group indicator.

2)  Alternatively, select a cell on each side of the hidden group and go to Data > Group and Outline > Show Details on the Menu bar.

3)  The hidden rows or columns are displayed and the plus (+) sign becomes a minus (–) sign on the group indicator.

Ungrouping

To ungroup any groups of rows or columns:

1)  Make sure the grouped rows or columns are displayed and click on a cell within the group.

2)  Go to Data > Group and Outline > Ungroup on the Menu bar, or use the keyboard combination Ctrl+F12.

3)  If only rows or only columns are grouped, they are ungrouped. If both rows and columns are grouped, select either Rows or Columns on the Ungroup dialog and click OK.

Caution

Any hidden groups of rows or columns must be displayed. If they are hidden, then the grouped rows or columns are deleted from the spreadsheet.

Note

If there are nested groups, only the last group of rows or columns created is ungrouped.

AutoOutline

If a selected cell range contains formulas or references, Calc can automatically outline the selection. For example, in Figure 38 the cells for the 1st and 2nd quarters each contain a sum formula for the three cells to their left. If you apply the AutoOutline command, the columns are grouped into two quarters.

To apply the AutoOutline function, go to Data > Group and Outline > AutoOutline on the Menu bar. Calc will then check for cells that contain formulas or references and automatically group the cells as necessary.

Figure 38: Example of AutoOutline

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Removing

To remove any cell groups of rows or columns, go to Data > Group and Outline > Remove Outline on the Menu bar and any groups are removed.

For any cell group of rows or columns that are hidden, the grouping is removed from the cells and the cells are displayed in the spreadsheet.

Filtering

A filter is a list of conditions that each entry has to meet to be displayed. Calc provides three types of filters:

Applying a standard filter

A standard filter is more complex than the AutoFilter. You can set as many as eight conditions as a filter, combining them with the operators AND or OR. Standard filters are mostly useful for numbers, although a few of the conditional operators can also be used for text.

1)  Select a cell range in the spreadsheet.

2)  Go to Data > More Filters > Standard Filter on the Menu bar to open the Standard Filter dialog (Figure 39).

3)  Specify the filter criteria and filtering options that you want to use.

4)  Click OK to carry out standard filtering and close the dialog. Any records that match the filter criteria and options that you specified are shown.

Figure 39: Standard Filter dialog

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Use the Standard Filter dialog to define the filter conditions to be combined to form the overall filter criteria. Each filter condition is specified by indicating the type of logical operator, the name of a field, a logical condition, and a value.

Applying an AutoFilter

An AutoFilter adds a drop-down list to the top row of one or more data columns which lets you select the rows to be displayed. The list includes every unique entry in the selected cells sorted into lexical order (see https://www.dictionary.com/browse/lexical-order for an explanation of lexical order). AutoFilter can be used on multiple sheets without first defining a database range.

1)  Click in a cell range on the spreadsheet. If you want to apply multiple AutoFilters to the same sheet, you must first define database ranges, then apply the AutoFilters to the database ranges.

2)  Go to Data > AutoFilter on the Menu bar, or click the AutoFilter icon on the Standard toolbar. An arrow button is added to the head of each column in the database range.

3)  Click the arrow or small triangle in the column that contains the value or string that you want to set as the filter criteria (shown in Figure 40).

4)  Select the value or string that you want to use as the filter criteria. The records that match the filter criteria that you selected are then shown.

Figure 40: AutoFilter example

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Applying an advanced filter

An advanced filter has a structure similar to a standard filter. The difference is that the advanced filter arguments are not entered in a dialog. Instead, filters can be entered in a blank area of a spreadsheet, then referenced by the filter dialog to apply the filters.

1)  Select a cell range in the spreadsheet.

2)  Go to Data > More Filters > Advanced Filter on the Menu bar to open the Advanced Filter dialog (Figure 41).

3)  In Read Filter Criteria From, select the named range, or enter the cell range that contains the filter criteria that you want to use.

4)  Click OK to carry out advanced filtering and close the dialog. Any records that match the filter criteria and options that you specified are shown.

Note

The options for advanced filtering are the same as those used for standard filtering, see “Applying a standard filterabove for more information.

Figure 41: Advanced Filter dialog

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For an example of an advanced filter, see the Help page entitled “Filter: Applying Advanced Filters”.

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 a 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 can then sort the records to update the spreadsheet.

Sort dialog

To sort cells in a spreadsheet using the Sort dialog:

1)  Select the cells, rows, or columns to be sorted.

2)  Go to Data > Sort on the Menu bar, or click the Sort icon on the Standard toolbar, to open the Sort dialog.

3)  On the Options tab (Figure 42), choose options including whether to sort on rows or columns. See “Sort optionsbelow for details.

4)  On the Sort Criteria tab (Figure 43), select the criteria in the drop-down lists. The selection lists are populated from the selected cells.

5)  Select either Ascending order (A-Z, 0-9) or Descending order (Z-A, 9-0).

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

Note

If any of the cells that you select for sorting are protected and the sheet is protected, then Calc cannot modify those cells and the sort will not be executed. An error message will be displayed to indicate that protected cells cannot be modified. However, it is possible to sort a range containing a row of column labels that are protected, since these are not modified by the sort.

Figure 42: Sort dialog – Options tab

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Figure 43: Sort dialog – Sort Criteria tab

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Sort options

On the Options tab of the Sort dialog (Figure 42), you can set these options:

Note

For Asian languages, select Case sensitive to apply multi-level collation. With multi-level collation, entries are first compared in their primitive forms with their cases and diacritics ignored. If they evaluate as the same, their diacritics are taken into account for the second-level comparison. If they still evaluate as the same, their cases, character widths, and Japanese Kana difference are considered for the third-level comparison.

Quick sort

If the columns in the spreadsheet have a header with a text format, you can use a quick sort.

1)  Select a cell or a cell range to be sorted.

2)  Select Data > Sort Ascending or Data > Sort Descending on the Menu bar, or click the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending icon on the Standard toolbar.

Find and replace

Calc has two ways to find text within a document: the Find toolbar and the Find and Replace dialog. The toolbar is quick and easy to use, but its functions are more limited than using the dialog.

Find toolbar

Figure 44: Find toolbar

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1)  Go to View > Toolbars > Find or Edit > Find on the Menu bar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+F, to open the Find toolbar (Figure 44). By default this toolbar is docked in the lower left of the Calc window. You can undock the toolbar and move it.

2)  Type a search term in the Find text box.

3)  To refine the search, you can select the Match Case option. For example, if Owner is the search term, selecting Match Case will find Owner but not owner. You can also select the Find All or Formatted Display options.

4)  Click the Find Next or Find Previous icon. To find other occurrences of the same term, continue clicking the icon.

Find and Replace dialog

To open the Find and Replace dialog (Figure 45), go to Edit > Find and Replace on the Menu bar, or click the Find and Replace icon on the Standard toolbar or the Find toolbar, or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl+H.

Finding

1)  In the Find and Replace dialog (Figure 45), enter the search criteria in the Find box.

2)  Select basic options from those located directly under the Find box.

3)  If necessary, click on Other options to increase the number of search filters.

4)  Click Find Next to locate the first instance of the search criteria.

5)  Click Find Next again to locate the next instance of the search criteria. Repeat as needed.

6)  Or, click Find All to locate all cells containing the search criteria. These cells will be highlighted in the spreadsheet. A Search Results dialog will pop up, listing the cell locations.

Replacing

1)  In the Find and Replace dialog (Figure 45), enter the search criteria in the Find box.

2)  Select basic options from those located directly under the Find box.

3)  Enter the replacement contents in the Replace box.

4)  If necessary, click on Other options to increase the number of search filters.

5)  To step through the cells and choose whether to replace the contents:

6)  Click Find Next to locate the first instance of the search criteria.

7)  If necessary, click Replace to replace the search criteria with the contents of the Replace box.

8)  Repeat as required.

9)  Or, to locate and replace all instances of the search criteria without stopping at each one, click Replace All. A Search Results dialog will pop up, listing the affected cells.

Tip

To replace the first instance of the search criteria you can simply press Replace without pressing Find Next first.

Caution

Use Replace All with caution; otherwise, you may end up with some highly embarrassing mistakes. A mistake with Replace All might require a manual, word-by-word search to fix, if it is not discovered in time to undo it.

Figure 45: Find and Replace dialog

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Find and Replace options

The options available to refine your find and replace are as follows:

Other options may appear depending on your language settings on the Tools > Options > Language Settings > Languages page (for example, Match character width, Sounds like (Japanese), Kashida-sensitive). See the Help system for more information about these options.

Note

The Wildcards, Regular expressions, and Similarity search options are mutually exclusive; only one can be selected.

Search Results dialog

After you select Find All on the Find toolbar, or Find All or Replace All on the Find and Replace dialog, Calc’s initial default behavior is to display the Search Results dialog (Figure 46) after it has completed the operation. This dialog summarizes the results. In addition, affected cells are highlighted in the spreadsheet.

The Search Results dialog lists the affected cells and their current content (after any replacement). It also states the number of affected cells. If you deselect the Show this dialog checkbox on the Search Results dialog before pressing the Close button, then the dialog will not be displayed after future uses of Find All or Replace All. The display of the Search Results dialog can also be controlled by enabling or disabling the Tools > Options > LibreOffice Calc > View > Window > Summary on search option.

Figure 46: Search Results dialog

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