Chapter 6. Getting to Know Calc

IN THIS CHAPTER:

37 About Sheets and Spreadsheets

38 Set Calc Options

39 Create a New Spreadsheet

40 Open an Existing Spreadsheet

41 Enter Simple Data into a Spreadsheet

42 About Moving Around Calc

43 About Calc Formulas

44 Copy and Move Formulas

45 Edit Cell Data

46 Print a Spreadsheet

This chapter introduces topics related to Calc, OpenOffice.org's spreadsheet program. A spreadsheet is a collection of one or more sheets . OpenOffice.org's Calc is to numbers what Writer is to text; Calc has been called a "word processor for numbers." With Calc, you can create numerically based proposals, business plans, business forms, accounting spreadsheets, and virtually any other document that contains calculated numbers . If you've heard of, or have seen, Microsoft Excel, OpenOffice.org's Calc is OpenOffice.org's answer to Excel only without the price tag.

KEY TERMS

Spreadsheets ” OpenOffice.org documents that hold one or more sheets (called workbooks in Microsoft Excel).

Sheets ” Numerical information presented in a tabular row and column format with text that labels and discusses the data (also, loosely, called spreadsheets ).

If you are new to electronic spreadsheets, you may have to take a little more time learning Calc's environment than you have to take to learn other programs such as Writer. Calc starts with a grid of cells in which you place information, not unlike Writer's tables (see 23 About Writer Tables ). This chapter orients you to Calc by offering tasks that explain how to enter and edit data in Calc spreadsheets as well as how to navigate them.