40 Open an Existing Spreadsheet

40 Open an Existing Spreadsheet

Opening an existing spreadsheet to edit in Calc is simple. You tell Calc that you want to open a spreadsheet file and then locate the file. Calc then loads the spreadsheet into the row-and-column-based editing area.

Before You Begin

37 About Sheets and Spreadsheets

39 Create a New Spreadsheet

One important Calc feature is its capability to open documents you create in other spreadsheet programs. Most notably, Calc opens Microsoft Excel spreadsheets (called workbooks in Excel) with ease. Although Calc might not fully support 100% of Microsoft Excel's advanced features, Calc does a super job of loading Excel spreadsheets into Calc's workspace so that you can edit the spreadsheets using Calc's interface.

See Also

45 Edit Cell Data

NOTE

Microsoft Excel uses the .xls file extension. You'll see any Excel spreadsheets that reside in the folder you open from within Calc along with any Calc spreadsheets that also appear in that folder.

1. Request a Spreadsheet
   
   Select Open from the Calc File menu to display the Open dialog box.
   
   
2. Navigate to the Spreadsheet's Location
   
   The spreadsheet that you want to open might not appear at the default location shown in the Open dialog box, so navigate to the folder in which the spreadsheet you're looking for resides using the Look in drop-down list.
   
   

   TIP

   

   You can open spreadsheets from your computer's disk or from elsewhere in the file system. If you want to open a spreadsheet located on the Web, preface the filename with http:// or ftp:// to open spreadsheet files from those sources. For example, you could preface a filename with http://www.SimpleRentHouses.com to open a file from that site ( assuming you have access to that site's files).

3. Locate the File You Want
   
   When you locate the folder that holds the spreadsheet file, select the file you want to open. Then click the Open button to open the selected file in Calc's editing workspace. The Files of type option enables you to select files of a specific type only, such as the Microsoft Excel spreadsheets.
   
   If the default Editing view option on the OpenOffice.org Options page is set, Calc opens the document at the point where it last saved the spreadsheet. For example, if the spreadsheet is large enough to span six screens and you previously made edits to the third screen of the sheet before saving and closing the spreadsheet last week, Calc displays that place on screen 3 where you last quit editing. The Editing view option enables you to get right back to work where you left off.
   
   
4. Edit the Spreadsheet
   
   After the file opens in the Calc workspace, you can edit the file. Navigate to where you wish to make edits (see 45 Edit Cell Data ) or move to the end of the document and add to it (see 41 Enter Simple Data into a Spreadsheet ).
   
   

   TIP

   

   Feel free to open more than one spreadsheet by holding the Ctrl key while clicking multiple filenames. Calc opens each spreadsheet that you select in its own window. Use the Window menu to select an open spreadsheet to edit.

5. Save the Spreadsheet
   
   Once you've made all the changes you wish to make, select File, Save to save your spreadsheet. Your recent changes will be saved in the spreadsheet file for your next editing session.