LibreOffice 4.

1
Calc Guide
Using Spreadsheets in LibreOffice
Copyright
This document is Copyright 2013 by the LibreOffice Documentation Team. Its contributors are
listed below. You may distribute it 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/3.0/), version 3.0 or later. Note that
Chapter 8, Using the DataPilot, is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike
License, version 3.0. All trademarks within this guide belong to their legitimate owners.

Contributors
John A Smith Jean Hollis Weber Martin J Fox
Andrew Pitonyak Simon Brydon Gabriel Godoy
Barbara Duprey Peter Schofield Kieran Peckett
Mark Morin Christian Chenal Laurent Balland-Poirier
Philippe Clment Pierre-Yves Samyn Shelagh Manton
Martin Saffron Klaus-Jrgen Weghorn Preston Manning Bernstein
Cover art:
Drew Jensen Christoph Noack Klaus-Jrgen Weghorn
Jean Hollis Weber

Feedback
Please direct any comments or suggestions about this document to:
documentation@global.libreoffice.org

Acknowledgments
This book is adapted and updated from Getting Started with OpenOffice.org 3.3. The contributors
to that book are listed on page 12.

Publication date and software version

Published 9 December 2013. Based on LibreOffice 4.1.

Documentation for LibreOffice is available at http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/documentation

Contents
Copyright..................................................................................................................................... 2
Preface..................................................................................................................................7
Who is this book for?................................................................................................................... 8
What's in this book?..................................................................................................................... 8
Where to get more help............................................................................................................... 8
What you see may be different....................................................................................................9
Using LibreOffice on a Mac........................................................................................................10
What are all these things called?...............................................................................................10
Who wrote this book?.................................................................................................................11
Acknowledgements.................................................................................................................... 12
Frequently asked questions.......................................................................................................12
What's new in LibreOffice Calc 4.0?..........................................................................................13
What's new in LibreOffice Calc 4.1?..........................................................................................14
Chapter 1 Introducing Calc...............................................................................................15
What is Calc?............................................................................................................................. 16
Spreadsheets, sheets, and cells................................................................................................16
Calc main dialog........................................................................................................................ 16
Creating, opening and saving spreadsheets..............................................................................21
Password protection.................................................................................................................. 25
Navigating within spreadsheets.................................................................................................25
Selecting items in a sheet or spreadsheet.................................................................................28
Working with columns and rows.................................................................................................31
Working with sheets................................................................................................................... 32
Viewing Calc.............................................................................................................................. 34
Using the Navigator................................................................................................................... 36
Using document properties........................................................................................................38
Chapter 2 Entering, Editing, and Formatting Data.........................................................41
Introduction................................................................................................................................ 42
Using the keyboard.................................................................................................................... 42
Speeding up data entry.............................................................................................................. 46
Merging and splitting cells.......................................................................................................... 49
Sharing content between sheets................................................................................................50
Validating cell contents.............................................................................................................. 50
Editing data................................................................................................................................ 53
Formatting data.......................................................................................................................... 57
AutoFormat of cells and sheets..................................................................................................63
Using themes............................................................................................................................. 64
Value highlighting....................................................................................................................... 65
Using conditional formatting.......................................................................................................65
Hiding and showing data............................................................................................................ 69
Sorting records.......................................................................................................................... 75
Find and replace........................................................................................................................ 77

LibreOffice 4.1 Calc Guide 3

Chapter 3 Creating Charts and Graphs...........................................................................81
Introduction................................................................................................................................ 82
Chart Wizard.............................................................................................................................. 82
Editing charts and graphs.......................................................................................................... 87
Formatting charts and graphs....................................................................................................95
Adding drawing objects to charts.............................................................................................105
Resizing and moving the chart.................................................................................................105
Exporting charts....................................................................................................................... 108
Gallery of chart types............................................................................................................... 108
Chapter 4 Using Styles and Templates in Calc.............................................................121
What is a template?................................................................................................................. 122
What are styles?...................................................................................................................... 122
Styles....................................................................................................................................... 122
Templates................................................................................................................................ 137
Chapter 5 Using Graphics in Calc..................................................................................143
Graphics in Calc...................................................................................................................... 144
Adding graphics (images)........................................................................................................ 144
Modifying images..................................................................................................................... 149
Positioning, resizing and arranging images..............................................................................155
Calc drawing tools................................................................................................................... 160
Additional tools........................................................................................................................ 163
Image maps............................................................................................................................. 165
Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E-mailing...............................................................171
Quick printing........................................................................................................................... 172
Controlling printing................................................................................................................... 172
Using print ranges.................................................................................................................... 175
Page breaks............................................................................................................................. 179
Printing options setup in page styles........................................................................................180
Headers and footers................................................................................................................ 181
Exporting to PDF..................................................................................................................... 184
Exporting to other formats........................................................................................................189
E-mailing spreadsheets........................................................................................................... 189
Digital signing of documents....................................................................................................190
Removing personal data.......................................................................................................... 190
Chapter 7 Using Formulas and Functions....................................................................191
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 192
Setting up a spreadsheet......................................................................................................... 192
Creating formulas.................................................................................................................... 193
Understanding functions.......................................................................................................... 207
Strategies for creating formulas and functions.........................................................................212
Finding and fixing errors.......................................................................................................... 214
Examples of functions.............................................................................................................. 218
Using regular expressions in functions.....................................................................................222
Advanced functions.................................................................................................................. 224

LibreOffice 4.1 Calc Guide 4

Chapter 8 Using Pivot Tables.........................................................................................225
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 226
The Pivot Table dialog.............................................................................................................. 228
Working with the results of the Pivot Table...............................................................................236
Using Pivot Table results elsewhere.........................................................................................245
Chapter 9 Data Analysis..................................................................................................249
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 250
Consolidating data................................................................................................................... 250
Creating subtotals.................................................................................................................... 252
Using what if scenarios.......................................................................................................... 256
Using other what if tools........................................................................................................ 260
Working backwards using Goal Seek.......................................................................................265
Using the Solver...................................................................................................................... 266
Chapter 10 Linking Calc Data.........................................................................................269
Why use multiple sheets?........................................................................................................270
Setting up multiple sheets........................................................................................................270
Referencing other sheets.........................................................................................................273
Referencing other documents..................................................................................................275
Hyperlinks and URLs............................................................................................................... 276
Linking to external data............................................................................................................ 279
Linking to registered data sources...........................................................................................284
Embedding spreadsheets........................................................................................................ 287
Chapter 11 Sharing and Reviewing Documents...........................................................293
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 294
Sharing documents (collaboration)..........................................................................................294
Recording changes.................................................................................................................. 296
Adding comments to changes..................................................................................................298
Adding other comments........................................................................................................... 299
Reviewing changes.................................................................................................................. 301
Merging documents................................................................................................................. 303
Comparing documents............................................................................................................. 303
Saving versions....................................................................................................................... 304
Chapter 12 Calc Macros..................................................................................................307
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 308
Using the macro recorder........................................................................................................ 308
Write your own functions.......................................................................................................... 311
Accessing cells directly............................................................................................................ 317
Sorting..................................................................................................................................... 319
Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 320
Chapter 13 Calc as a Simple Database..........................................................................321
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 322
Associating a range with a name.............................................................................................323
Sorting..................................................................................................................................... 328
Filters....................................................................................................................................... 329

LibreOffice 4.1 Calc Guide 5

 Calc functions similar to database functions............................................................................336
Database-specific functions.....................................................................................................344
Conclusion............................................................................................................................... 345
Chapter 14 Setting up and Customizing Calc...............................................................347
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 348
LibreOffice options................................................................................................................... 348
Loading and saving documents...............................................................................................353
Calc options............................................................................................................................. 356
Default colors for charts........................................................................................................... 367
AutoCorrect functions.............................................................................................................. 367
Customizing the user interface.................................................................................................368
Adding functionality with extensions........................................................................................375
Appendix A Keyboard Shortcuts....................................................................................377
Introduction.............................................................................................................................. 378
Note for Mac users................................................................................................................... 378
Navigation and selection shortcuts..........................................................................................378
Function key shortcuts............................................................................................................. 380
Arrow key shortcuts................................................................................................................. 381
Cell formatting shortcuts.......................................................................................................... 381
Pivot table shortcuts................................................................................................................. 382
Chart shortcuts........................................................................................................................ 383
Appendix B Description of Functions...........................................................................385
Functions available in Calc......................................................................................................386
Mathematical functions............................................................................................................ 387
Financial analysis functions.....................................................................................................392
Statistical analysis functions....................................................................................................403
Date and time functions........................................................................................................... 412
Logical functions...................................................................................................................... 415
Information functions................................................................................................................ 416
Database functions.................................................................................................................. 418
Array functions......................................................................................................................... 420
Spreadsheet functions............................................................................................................. 422
Text functions........................................................................................................................... 427
Add-in functions....................................................................................................................... 431
Appendix C Calc Error Codes.........................................................................................435
Introduction to Calc error codes...............................................................................................436
Error codes displayed within cells............................................................................................437
General error codes................................................................................................................. 438
Index..................................................................................................................................440

LibreOffice 4.1 Calc Guide 6

Preface
Who is this book for?
This book is for beginners to advanced user of Calc, the spreadsheet component of LibreOffice.
You may be new to spreadsheet software, or you may be familiar with another program. If you
have never used LibreOffice before, or you want an introduction to all of its components, you might
like to read Getting Started with LibreOffice first. If you have never used spreadsheets before, you
might also like to read a book or find some tutorials about the use of spreadsheets.

What's in this book?

This book introduces the features and functions of LibreOffice Calc. It is not a tutorial on using
spreadsheets. Some chapters assume familiarity with basic spreadsheet usage when describing
how to use Calc.
You can enter data (usually numerical) in a spreadsheet and then manipulate this data to produce
certain results. Alternatively, you can enter data and then use Calc in a What if... manner by
changing some of the data and observing the results without having to retype all of the data.
Functions can be used to create formulas to perform complex calculations on data.
Some of the other features provided by Calc include:
Database functions, to arrange, store, and filter data.
Dynamic charts: a wide range of 2D and 3D charts.
Macros, for recording and executing repetitive tasks; scripting languages supported include
LibreOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, and JavaScript.
Ability to open, edit, and save Microsoft Excel and other spreadsheets.
Import of spreadsheets from multiple formats, including HTML, CSV, and PostScript.
Export of spreadsheets into multiple formats, including HTML, CSV, and PDF.

Where to get more help

This guide, the other LibreOffice user guides, the built-in Help system, and user support systems
assume that you are familiar with your computer and basic functions such as starting a program,
opening and saving files.

Help system
LibreOffice comes with an extensive Help system. This is your first line of support for using
LibreOffice Calc.
To display the full Help system, press F1 or go to Help > LibreOffice Help on the main menu bar.
In addition, you can choose whether to activate Tips, Extended tips, and the Help Agent by going
to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > General on the main menu bar.
If Tips are enabled, place the mouse pointer over any of the icons to see a small box (tooltip) with
a brief explanation of the icon function. For a more detailed explanation, select Help > What's
This? On the main menu bar and hold the pointer over the icon.

Free online support

The LibreOffice community not only develops software, but provides free, volunteer-based support.
See Table 1 and this web page: http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/

Preface 8
Users can get comprehensive online support from the community through mailing lists and the Ask
LibreOffice website, http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/. Other websites run by users also offer
free tips and tutorials.
This forum provides community support for LibreOffice: http://en.libreofficeforum.org/
This site provides support for LibreOffice, among other programs:
http://forum.openoffice.org/en/forum/

Table 1: Free support for LibreOffice users

Free LibreOffice support
Questions and answers from the LibreOffice community
Ask LibreOffice
http://ask.libreoffice.org/en/questions/
User guides, how-tos, and other documentation
Documentation http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/documentation/
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications
Answers to frequently asked questions
FAQs
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Faq
Free community support is provided by a network of experienced users
Mailing lists
http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/mailing-lists/
The LibreOffice website in your language
http://www.libreoffice.org/international-sites/
International support
International mailing lists
http://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Local_Mailing_Lists
Information about available accessibility options
Accessibility options
http://www.libreoffice.org/get-help/accessibility/

Paid support and training

Alternatively, you can pay for support services. Service contracts can be purchased from a vendor
or consulting firm specializing in LibreOffice.

What you see may be different

Illustrations
LibreOffice runs on Windows, Linux, and Mac OS X operating systems, each of which has several
versions and can be customized by users (fonts, colors, themes, window managers). The
illustrations in this guide were taken from a variety of computers and operating systems. Therefore,
some illustrations will not look exactly like what you see on your computer display.
Also, some of the dialogs may be different because of the settings selected in LibreOffice. You can
either use dialogs from your computer system (default) or dialogs provided by LibreOffice. To
change to using LibreOffice dialogs:
1) On Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice >
General on the main menu bar to open the dialog for general options.
On a Mac operating system, go to LibreOffice > Preferences > General on the main
menu bar to open the dialog for general options.

Preface 9
 2) Select Use LibreOffice dialogs in Open/Save dialogs and, in Linux and Mac OS X operating
systems only, in Print dialogs to display the LibreOffice dialogs on your computer display.
3) Click OK to save your settings and close the dialog.

Icons
The icons used to illustrate some of the many tools available in LibreOffice may differ from the
ones used in this guide. The icons in this guide have been taken from a LibreOffice installation that
has been set to display the Galaxy set of icons.
If you wish, you can change your LibreOffice software package to display Galaxy icons as follows:
1) On Linux and Windows operating systems, go to Tools > Options > LibreOffice > View on
the main menu bar to open the dialog for view options.
On a Mac operating system, go to LibreOffice > Preferences > View on the main menu
bar to open the dialog for view options.
2) In User interface > Icon size and style select Galaxy from the options available in the drop-
down list.
3) Click OK to save your settings and close the dialog.

Some Linux operating systems, for example Ubuntu, include LibreOffice as part of
the installation and may not include the Galaxy set of icons. You should be able to
Note download the Galaxy icon set from the software repository for your Linux operating
system.

Using LibreOffice on a Mac

Some keystrokes and menu items are different on a Mac from those used in Windows and Linux.
The table below gives some common substitutions for the instructions in this chapter. For a more
detailed list, see the application Help.

Windows or Linux Mac equivalent Effect

Tools > Options LibreOffice > Preferences Access setup options
menu selection
Right-click Control+click or right-click Open a context menu
depending on computer setup
Ctrl (Control) (Command) Used with other keys
F5 Shift++F5 Open the Navigator
F11 +T Open the Styles and Formatting window

What are all these things called?

The terms used in LibreOffice for most parts of the user interface (the parts of the program you see
and use, in contrast to the behind-the-scenes code that actually makes it work) are the same as for
most other programs.
A dialog is a special type of window. Its purpose is to inform you of something, or request input
from you, or both. It provides controls for you to use to specify how to carry out an action. The
technical names for common controls are shown in Figure 1. In most cases we do not use the

Preface 10
technical terms in this book, but it is useful to know them because the Help and other sources of
information often use them.

Figure 1: Dialog showing common controls

1) Tabbed page (not strictly speaking a control).
2) Radio buttons (only one can be selected at a time).
3) Checkbox (more than one can be selected at a time).
4) Spin box (click the up and down arrows to change the number shown in the text box next to
it, or type in the text box).
5) Thumbnail or preview.
6) Drop-down list from which to select an item.
7) Push buttons.
In most cases, you can interact only with the dialog (not the document itself) as long as the dialog
remains open. When you close the dialog after use (usually, clicking OK or another button saves
your changes and closes the dialog), then you can again work with your document.
Some dialogs can be left open as you work, so you can switch back and forth between the dialog
and your document. An example of this type is the Find & Replace dialog.

Who wrote this book?

This book was written by volunteers from the LibreOffice community. Profits from sales of the
printed edition will be used to benefit the community.

Preface 11
Acknowledgements
This book is adapted from OpenOffice.org 3.3 Calc Guide. The contributors to that book are:
Rick Barnes Peter Kupfer Martin Fox
James Andrew Krishna Aradhi Andy Brown
Stephen Buck Bruce Byfield Nicole Cairns
T. J. Frazier Stigant Fyrwitful Ingrid Halama
Spencer E. Harpe Regina Henschel Peter Hillier-Brook
John Kane Kirk Abbott Emma Kirsopp
Jared Kobos Sigrid Kronenberger Shelagh Manton
Alexandre Martins Kashmira Patel Anthony Petrillo
Andrew Pitonyak Iain Roberts Hazel Russman
Gary Schnabl Rob Scott Jacob Starr
Sowbhagya Sundaresan Nikita Telang Barbara M Tobias
John Viestenz Jean Hollis Weber Stefan Weigel
Sharon Whiston Claire Wood Linda Worthington
Michele Zarri Magnus Adielsson Sandeep Samuel Medikonda

Frequently asked questions

How is LibreOffice licensed?
LibreOffice is distributed under the Open Source Initiative (OSI) approved Lesser General
Public License (LGPL). The LGPL license is available from the LibreOffice website:
http://www.libreoffice.org/download/license/

May I distribute LibreOffice to anyone?

Yes.

How many computers may I install it on?

As many as you like.

May I sell it?

Yes.

May I use LibreOffice in my business?

Yes.

Is LibreOffice available in my language?

LibreOffice has been translated (localized) into over 40 languages, so your language probably
is supported. Additionally, there are over 70 spelling, hyphenation, and thesaurus dictionaries
available for languages and dialects that do not have a localized program interface. The
dictionaries are available from the LibreOffice website at www.libreoffice.org.

How can I contribute to LibreOffice?

You can help with the development and user support of LibreOffice in many ways, and you do
not need to be a programmer. For example, you can help with producing and maintaining
written user documentation, producing video tutorials, and other user support services. To start,
see http://www.documentfoundation.org/contribution/
You can also contribute by donating money, either when downloading the program or at any
other time. See http://donate.libreoffice.org/

Preface 12
May I distribute the PDF of this book, or print and sell copies?
Yes, as long as you meet the requirements of one of the licenses in the copyright statement at
the beginning of this book. You do not have to request special permission. In addition, we
request that you share with the project some of the profits you make from sales of books, in
consideration of all the work we have put into producing them.

What's new in LibreOffice Calc 4.0?

General
Improved performance of ODS (OpenDocument Spreadsheet) document import.
When opening ODS and XLSX files, the values of formulas can optionally be shown as
they were saved in the files without recalculating the formula. This option is found in Tools
> Options > LibreOffice Calc > Formula > Recalculation on file load. This makes
opening of larger files faster, and showing the values as they were last edited may be an
advantage when opening spreadsheets saved in Excel.
Automatically rotate chart axis labels if they are overlapping. This fix also improves
detection of overlap while rotating labels
Save settings of Text Import Dialog for Text to Columns and Paste Unformatted Text from
Clipboard (in addition to Text File Import).
Export color scales and data bars to XLSX (also supports Excel 2010+ extensions for
databars).
Increased size limit on (uncompressed) ODF documents from 2Gb to 4Gb.
Support "type-ahead" search in the autofilter popup. It is now possible to search for specific
entry using key input.
Enhanced chart visualisation: better quality rendering for printing and PDF export of charts.
New conditional formats: date formats, top/bottom rules, string rules.
Improved conditional format dialogs.
Overlapping conditional formats.
Exporting a single chart as an image (PNG, JPG).
XML Source dialog to quickly import arbitrary XML content.

Formula engine
New configuration option to toggle handling of empty strings when used in arithmetic
expressions.
New pricing add-In containing spreadsheet functions for option pricing, in particular barrier
(OPT_BARRIER(...)) and touch (OPT_TOUCH(...)) options.
New spreadsheet functions XOR, AVERAGEIF, SUMIFS, AVERAGEIFS and COUNTIFS as
defined in ODF OpenFormula.
Re-implemented RAND() function with better random number generation algorithm.
New spreadsheet functions IFERROR and IFNA as defined in ODF OpenFormula.

Pivot table
Support for multiple selections in the page field of a pivot table.

Preface 13
What's new in LibreOffice Calc 4.1?

General
Embedding fonts in a Calc spreadsheet.
Added a stepped lines type to Line and XY (Scatter) graphs.
Counting the number of selected cells.

Formula engine
New spreadsheet function NUMBERVALUE as defined in ODF OpenFormula.
New spreadsheet function SKEWP as defined in ODF OpenFormula.
Import/export functions new in Excel 2013 for ODF OpenFormula compatibility.
The following functions are handled, name specialties are given as (in parentheses the
Calc en-US UI name) [in brackets the ODFF name]
ACOT, ACOTH, ARABIC, BASE, BINOM.DIST.RANGE (B) [BINOM.DIST.RANGE],
BITAND, BITLSHIFT, BITOR, BITRSHIFT, BITXOR, COMBINA, COT, COTH, CSC, CSCH,
DAYS, DECIMAL, FORMULATEXT (FORMULA) [FORMULA], GAMMA, GAUSS, IFNA,
IMCOSH, IMCOT, IMCSC, IMCSCH, IMSEC, IMSECH, IMSINH, IMTAN, ISFORMULA,
MUNIT, NUMBERVALUE, PDURATION (DURATION) [PDURATION], PERMUTATIONA,
PHI, RRI, SEC, SECH, SHEET, SHEETS, SKEW.P (SKEWP) [SKEWP], UNICHAR,
UNICODE, XOR

Preface 14
Chapter 1
Introducing Calc
Using Spreadsheets in LibreOffice
What is Calc?
Calc is the spreadsheet component of LibreOffice. You can enter data (usually numerical) in a
spreadsheet and then manipulate this data to produce certain results.
Alternatively, you can enter data and then use Calc in a What if... manner by changing some of
the data and observing the results without having to retype the entire spreadsheet or sheet.
Other features provided by Calc include:
Functions, which can be used to create formulas to perform complex calculations on data.
Database functions to arrange, store, and filter data.
Dynamic charts giving a wide range of 2D and 3D charts.
Macros for recording and executing repetitive tasks; scripting languages supported include
LibreOffice Basic, Python, BeanShell, and JavaScript.
Ability to open, edit, and save Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
Import and export of spreadsheets in multiple formats, including HTML, CSV, PDF, and
PostScript.

If you want to use macros written in Microsoft Excel using the VBA macro code in
LibreOffice, you must first edit the code in the LibreOffice Basic IDE editor. For
Note more information, see Chapter 12 Calc Macros in this guide or Getting Started
Guide Chapter 13 Getting Started with Macros.

Spreadsheets, sheets, and cells

Calc works with elements called spreadsheets. Spreadsheets consist of a number of individual
sheets, each sheet containing cells arranged in rows and columns. A particular cell is identified by
its row number and column letter.
Cells hold the individual elements text, numbers, formulas, and so on that make up the data to
display and manipulate.
Each spreadsheet can have many sheets, and each sheet can have many individual cells. In Calc,
each sheet can have a maximum of 1,048,576 rows and a maximum of 1024 columns.

Calc main dialog

When Calc is started, the main window opens and the various parts of this dialog are explained
below (Figure 2).

If any part of the Calc window in Figure 2 is not shown, you can display it using the
View menu. For example, View > Status Bar on the main menu bar will toggle (show
Note or hide) the Status Bar. It is not always necessary to display all the parts, as shown;
you can show or hide any of them as desired.

Title bar
The Title bar, located at the top, shows the name of the current spreadsheet. When the
spreadsheet is newly created, its name is Untitled X, where X is a number. When you save a
spreadsheet for the first time, you are prompted to enter a name of your choice.

Chapter 1 Introducing Calc 16

Figure 2: Calc main dialog

Menu bar
Under the Title bar is the Menu bar. When you choose one of the menus, a sub-menu appears with
other options. You can also modify Menu bar, see Chapter 14 Setting Up and Customizing Calc in
this guide and Getting Started Guide Chapter 14 Customizing LibreOffice for more information.
File contains commands that apply to the entire document; for example Open, Save,
Wizards, Export as PDF, Print, Digital Signatures and so on.
Edit contains commands for editing the document; for example Undo, Copy, Changes,
Fill, Plug-in and so on.
View contains commands for modifying how the Calc user interface looks; for example
Toolbars, Column & Row Headers, Full Screen, Zoom and so on.
Insert contains commands for inserting elements into a spreadsheet; for example Cells,
Rows, Columns, Sheets, Picture and so on.
Format contains commands for modifying the layout of a spreadsheet; for example Cells,
Page, Styles and Formatting, Alignment and so on.
Tools contains various functions to help you check and customize your spreadsheet, for
example Spelling, Share Document, Gallery, Macros and so on.
Data contains commands for manipulating data in your spreadsheet; for example Define
Range, Sort, Consolidate and so on.
Window contains commands for the display window; for example New Window, Split and
so on.
Help contains links to the help system included with the software and other
miscellaneous functions; for example Help, License Information, Check for Updates and so
on.

Chapter 1 Introducing Calc 17

Toolbars
The default setting when Calc opens is for the Standard and Formatting toolbars to be docked at
the top of the workspace (Figure 2).
Calc toolbars can be either docked and fixed in place, or floating allowing you to move a toolbar
into a more convenient position on your workspace. Docked toolbars can be undocked and moved
to different docked position on the workspace or undocked to become a floating toolbar. Toolbars
that are floating when opened can be docked into a fixed position on your workspace.
To display, hide, move, create floating toolbars and for more information on toolbars, see the
Getting Started Guide Chapter 1 Introducing LibreOffice.
The default set of icons (sometimes called buttons) on toolbars provide a wide range of common
commands and functions. You can also remove or add icons to toolbars, see the Chapter 14,
Setting Up and Customizing Calc in this guide and the Getting Started Guide Chapter 14
Customizing LibreOffice for more information.
Placing the mouse cursor over any of the icons displays a small box called a tooltip. It gives a brief
explanation of the icon function. For a more detailed explanation, go to Help > Whats This? on
the main menu bar and hover the mouse pointer over the icon. To close a tooltip, click once away
from the icon or press the Esc key. Tips and extended tips can be turned on or off from Tools >
Options > LibreOffice > General on the main menu bar.

Formula Bar
The Formula Bar is located at the top of the sheet in your Calc workspace. The Formula Bar is
permanently docked in this position and cannot be used as a floating toolbar. If the Formula Bar is
not visible, go to View > Formula Bar on the main menu bar.

Figure 3: Formula Bar

Going from left to right and referring to Figure 3, the Formula Bar consists of the following:
Name Box gives the cell reference using a combination of a letter and number, for
example A1. The letter indicates the column and the number indicates the row of the
selected cell.

Function Wizard opens a dialog from which you can search through a list of
available functions. This can be very useful because it also shows how the functions are
formatted.
Sum clicking on the Sum icon totals the numbers in the cells above the selected cell
and then places the total in the selected cell. If there are no numbers above the selected
cell, then the cells to the left are totaled.
Function clicking on the Function icon inserts an equals (=) sign into the selected cell
and the Input line allowing a formula to be entered.
Input line displays the contents of the selected cell (data, formula, or function) and
allows you to edit the cell contents. To edit inside the Input line area, click in the area, then
type your changes. To edit within the current cell, just double-click in the cell.
You can also edit the contents of a cell directly in the cell itself by double-clicking on the
cell. When you enter new data into a cell, the Sum and Function icons change to Cancel
and Accept icons .

Chapter 1 Introducing Calc 18

 In a spreadsheet the term function covers much more than just mathematical
Note functions. See Chapter 7 Using Formulas and Functions in this guide for more
information.

Spreadsheet layout

Individual cells
The main section of the screen displays the cells in the form of a grid, with each cell being at the
intersection of a column and a row.
At the top of the columns and the left end of the rows are a series of header boxes containing
letters and numbers. The column headers use an alpha character starting at A and go on to the
right. The row headers use a numerical character starting at 1 and go down.
These column and row headers form the cell references that appear in the Name Box on the
Formula Bar (Figure 3). If the headers are not visible on your spreadsheet, go to View > Column &
Row Headers on the main menu bar.

Sheet tabs
In Calc you can have more than one sheet in a spreadsheet. At the bottom of the grid of cells in a
spreadsheet are sheet tabs indicating how many sheets there are in your spreadsheet. Clicking on
a tab enables access to each individual sheet and displays that sheet. An active sheet is indicated
with a white tab (default Calc setup). You can also select multiple sheet by holding down the Ctrl
key while you click on the sheet tabs.
To change the default name for a sheet (Sheet1, Sheet2, and so on):
1) Right-click on the sheet tab and select Rename Sheet from the context menu. A dialog
opens allowing you to type in a new name for the sheet.
2) Click OK when finished to close the dialog.
To change the color of a sheet tab:
1) Right-click on the sheet tab and select Tab Color from the context menu to open the Tab
Color dialog (Figure 4).
2) Select your color and click OK when finished to close the dialog.

Figure 4: Tab Color dialog

Chapter 1 Introducing Calc 19

 3) To add new colors to this color palette, see the Getting Started Guide Chapter 14
Customizing LibreOffice for more information.

Status bar
The Calc status bar (Figure 5) provides information about the spreadsheet and convenient ways to
quickly change some of its features. Most of the fields are similar to those in other components of
LibreOffice; see Chapter 1 Introducing LibreOffice in this guide and the Calc Guide Chapter 1
Introducing Calc for more information.

Figure 5: Calc status bar

The various fields on the Status Bar, from left to right, are as follows.
Sheet sequence number
Shows the sequence number of the current sheet and the total number of sheets in the
spreadsheet. The sequence number may not be the same as the name on the sheet tab if
sheets have been moved. Double-click on this zone to open the Navigator.
Page style
Shows the page style of the current sheet. To edit the page style, double-click on this field and
the Page Style dialog opens.
Insert mode
Shows the type of insert mode the program is in. Press the Ins key to change modes. This field
is blank if the program is in insert mode and Overwrite shows when in overwrite mode.
Selection mode
Click to open a context menu and toggle between Standard selection, Extended selection,
Adding selection or Block selection. The icon does not change when different selection modes
are selected, but the tooltip shows the current status.
Standard selection click in text or cell where you want to position the cursor and make the
cell active. Any other selection is then deselected.
Extend selection clicking in the text either extends or crops the current selection.
Adding selection a new selection is added to an existing selection. The result is a multiple
selection.
Block selection a block of text can be selected.
Unsaved changes
This icon indicates if there are any unsaved changes that have not been saved. Double-click
this icon or use File > Save to save the spreadsheet.
Digital signature
If the document has been digitally signed, an icon shows here. You can double-click the icon to
view the certificate. See Chapter 6 Printing, Exporting, and E-mailing in this guide for more
information about digital signatures. A document can only be digitally signed after it has been
saved.

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