72 Import and Export Sheet Data

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As with all the OpenOffice.org programs, Calc works well with data from similar programs such as Microsoft Office and StarOffice. Most of the time, you can load an Excel spreadsheet directly into Calc and work with the spreadsheet as though you had originally created it in Calc. When you load a spreadsheet from another program into Calc, you are using Calc's automatic import feature to bring that data into Calc's workspace. If you want to use Calc data in another program, you must export the spreadsheet data.

Before You Begin

46 Print a Spreadsheet


See Also

73 About Advanced Spreadsheet Printing


Although Calc imports virtually all Excel spreadsheets, Calc may have problems importing the following Excel items. If your imported spreadsheets contain any of these items, you may need to adjust the imported spreadsheet manually to eliminate the sections with these items or make a note that the items will not be appearing:

  • AutoShapes

  • OLE objects

  • Advanced Office form fields

  • Pivot tables

  • Non-Calc-supported chart types

  • Excel's conditional formatting

  • Esoteric Excel functions and formulas

KEY TERMS

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Import ” To load data from a non-Calc program into Calc.

Export ” To save data from Calc so another program can use the data.


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  1. Import Using Open

    To import an Excel or StarOffice spreadsheet into Calc, simply use File, Open to request the file. Browse the files from the Open dialog box until you find the spreadsheet you want to import and then click OK to import the file into Calc. Almost always, assuming the spreadsheet doesn't contain some advanced or esoteric feature, such as those listed in this task's introduction, the spreadsheet imports perfectly , and you can continue editing and printing it as though you had created the sheet originally in Calc.

    TIP

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    After importing the spreadsheet, save the spreadsheet with File, Save and select the Calc extension .SXC from the Save as type list box to convert the spreadsheet to Calc's native format. This also preserves the file's original Excel or StarOffice format.

  2. Request the Export

    Although Calc's File menu contains an Export command, you should only use this command when you want to export your current spreadsheet data to a PDF file (see 36 Save a Document as a PDF File ).

    To export your spreadsheet in a non-Calc format, select File , Save As .

  3. Select the Export Type

    The Save As dialog box opens, and you select the type of file you want Calc to convert your spreadsheet to in the Save as type list box.

    You can export the file to a Data Interchange Format with the .dif extension, a dBASE file with the .dbf extension, one of several versions of Excel (most commonly, the .xls extension is used for Excel spreadsheets), a StarCalc file with the .sdc extension, a SYLK file with the .slk extension, a text-based comma-separated values file (known as a CSV file) with the .csv or .txt extension, or an HTML document with the .html extension, which you would use if you wanted to display your spreadsheet as a Web page.

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    The dBASE file format is useful when you use Calc as a database, as you learn in 74 About Calc Databases .

    When you click Save , Calc converts the spreadsheet to the format you selected and saves the file under the name you typed in the File name field.

  4. Export as PDF

    Calc's File, Export and File, Export as PDF commands do the very same thing. They both convert your spreadsheet to Adobe's PDF format (see 36 Save a Document as a PDF File ) and save the file with the .PDF filename extension. PDF files are useful for eBooks and for offering to Web page visitors as downloads because PDF files are readable on many kinds of computer systems. A primary advantage of PDF files is that they look the same no matter what kind of system you view them on.

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Sams Teach Yourself OpenOffice.org All In One
Sams Teach Yourself OpenOffice.org All In One
ISBN: 0672326183
EAN: 2147483647
Year: 2003
Pages: 205
Authors: Greg Perry

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