FUNDAMENTALS OF WORKBOOK

 1.1 FUNDAMENTALS OF WORKBOOK

~Concept of workbook

A workbook is a file that contains one or more worksheets to help you organize data. 

You can create a new workbook from a blank workbook or a template.

A spreadsheet or worksheet is a file made of rows and columns that help sort data, 

arrange data easily, and calculate numerical data. A spreadsheet software program has 

ability to calculate values using mathematical formulas and the data in cells.

A spreadsheet is a grid of boxes. Each box is called a cell. Each cell is located in a 

particular row and column in the grid. Each cell is available to store data.

The spreadsheet can contain 32000 rows and 255 columns.

More than one cell is called a range of cells. You can select a range of cells and move 

them, copy them, format them and so on as easily as a single cell.

Spreadsheets are used to store a table or group of tables .A table is a range of cells with 

related data. To store tables that are related you can stack the tables into sheets.

~Apache Open office

Apache Open office is the leading open-source office software suite for word 

processing, spreadsheets, presentations, graphics, databases and more. It is published 

by the non-profit Apache Software Foundation. Open office works on all common 

computers. Open office can work with ODF documents as well as documents from 

other common office software packages. It can be downloaded and used completely 

free of charge for any purpose.

~What are ODF documents?

ODF is an ISO International Standard format for office documents, created in 2006. 

ODF files have the following file extensions:

 *.odt (word processor documents) OpenDocument Text

 *.ods (spreadsheet documents) OpenDocument spreadsheet

 *.odp (presentation documents) OpenDocument presentation

The advantage of ODF is that it is not tied to any one office application suite. It 

is an open standard that any company can implement in their software. Open office uses 

ODF format as its default document format. Most other word processors, of recent 

vintage, also have the ability to import and export ODF

~What is Calc?

Calc is the spreadsheet component of OpenOffice.org (OOo). You can enter data 

(usually numerical) in a spreadsheet and then manipulate this data to produce certain 

results.

~Adding worksheet

Calc provides three sheets in every new spreadsheet document.

Following are the steps to add a sheet :

1 Click a sheet name that is located either before or after where you want to add 
new sheets.

2. Choose Insert->sheet to open insert sheet dialog box.
Or

1. Right click the sheet name 

2. Choose insert from the shortcut menu that appears

3. Mark the box to position the new sheet either before or after the active sheet.

4. Indicate how many sheets you want to add.

5. Provide the name of the sheet.

6. Click on OK.

~Cell Address

A cell reference, or cell address, is an alphanumeric value used to identify a 

specific cell in a spreadsheet. Each cell reference contains one or more letters followed

by a number. The letter or letters identify the column and the number represents 

the row.

In a standard spreadsheet, the first column is A, the second column is B, the third 

column is C, etc. These letters are typically displayed in the column headers at the top 

of the spreadsheet. If there are more than 26 columns, the 26th column is labelled Z, 

followed by AA for column 27, AB for column 28, AC for column 29, etc. Column 55 

is labelled BA. Rows simply increment numerically from top to bottom starting with 

"1" for the first row.

Examples of cell references are listed below:

1. First column, sixth row: A6

2. sixth column, twentieth row: G20

3. Sixty-first column, three hundred forty-second row: BI342

4. One thousand column, two thousandth row: ALL2000

Cell references are helpful in two ways:

1) They provide an easy way to locate a specific value within a spreadsheet

2) They are used in creating formulas.

~ Formula Bar

The Formula Bar is where data or formulas you enter into a worksheet appear for the 

active cell. The Formula Bar can also be used to edit data or formula in the active cell.

The active cell displays the results of its formula while we see the formula itself in 

the Formula Bar.You can also hide the Formula Bar entirely by going to the View menu 

and uncheck the Formula Bar option.

~ Column

A column is a vertical series of cells in a spreadsheet. Columns run vertically 

downward across the worksheet. A column is identified by a column header that is on 

the top of the column, from where the column originates. Column headers (column 

letter) are named as A, B, C, D, E, F, G, and H.

~ Rows

Rows run horizontally across the worksheet. A row is identified by the number that is 

on left side of the row, from where the row originates.

~ Cells

Cells are small boxes in the worksheet where we enter data. A cell is the intersection of 

a row and column. It is identified by row number and column header such as A1, A2.

~ Insert Cell

1. Select a cell

2. Choose Insert->Cells… or right click on cell and select insert… from context menu
or pop up menu.

3. Insert Cells dialog box appears as shown in the figure

4. Shift cells down will move cell down

4. Shift cells right will move cell right

5. Entire row will add a new row

6. Entire column will add a new column

7. Click OK

~ Delete Cell

1. Select at least one cell you want to delete.

2. Choose Edit->Delete Cells… to open the Delete Cells dialog box.

3. Delete Cells dialog box appears as shown in the figure.

 4. Shift cells up will move cells up

5. Shift cells left will move cells left

6. Delete entire row will remove the entire row

7. Delete entire column will remove the entire column

8. Click OK.
Calc then renames all the columns or rows as though the deleted rows never existed.

~ Format cells

1. Select the cell or range of cells that you want to format.

2. Choose Format->Cells or right-click anywhere in the selected area, and choose
Format Cells from the shortcut menu that appears.