Adjust settings
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Adjust settings

Abstract

Use magnification / zoom tools

Often when working with spreadsheets it is convenient to enlarge or reduce the spreadsheet in the work area.

Suppose the spreadsheet Demog.sxc is loaded.

To change the scale of the spreadsheet:

  1. Click on View, then Zoom.

    This displays the Zoom dialogue.

  2. Click the appropriate radio button to scale the spreadsheet.

    Values less than 100% will reduce the spreadsheet, while values greater than 100% will enlarge it.

  3. Click 150%.

  4. Experiment with the other values in the Zoom dialogue.

Page Width

A useful zoom is Page width. This displays the width of the printed page on the screen. The degree of enlargement or reduction depends on whether the page setup is portrait or landscape. To see the difference follow the instructions below.

Page width in portrait

  1. Click on Format, then Page.

  2. Click the Page tab, then under Orientation click the Portrait radio button.

  3. Click on View, then Zoom.

  4. Click the Page width radio button, then click OK.

Page width in landscape

  1. Click on Format, then Page.

  2. Click the Page tab, then under Orientation click the Landscape radio button.

  3. Click on View, then Zoom.

  4. Click the Page width radio button, then click OK.

Display, hide built-in toolbars

Calc has a number of standard toolbars. Which of these are displayed depends on how your system was et up. You can decide which toolbars you wish to have displayed.

  1. Click on View, then Toolbars.

    A list of toolbars is displayed. The ticked toolbars are visible.

    If you click on a toolbar that is ticked it will be hidden. If you click on an unticked toolbar, it will be displayed.

  2. Click on Function bar.

    The function bar is now hidden. To unhide the function bar:

    1. Click on View, then Toolbars.

    2. Click on Function bar.

An operation such as this is called a toggle. A toggle is a switch which reverses the status. If it is on, the toggle switches it off. If it is off, the toggle switches it on.

A related function is Full screen.

  • Click on View, then Full screen.

To restore the toolbars

  • Click the Full Screen icon in the top left hand corner.

Freeze, unfreeze row and / or column titles

Certain rows and columns are often used as headings. If you scroll down or to the right, these headings will scroll off the screen. To keep headings on the screen will data scrolls off the screen, we can freeze the rows or columns containing our headings.

Consider the spreadsheet shown on the next screen.

Notice the column headings in row 3 and the row headings in column A.

If we were to scroll down and across these headings would disappear off the screen.

We can freeze the headings as follows:

  1. Position the cursor in the cell immediately below the column heading and in the column immediately to the right of the row headings. In this case it is cell B4.

  2. Click on Window, then Freeze.

If we were to scroll down and across, the headings would remain on the screen as shown below.

In this case both rows and columns are frozen.

If you wish to freeze only rows, position the cursor in column A, then Windows->Freeze.

If you wish to freeze only columns, position the cursor in row 1, then Windows->Freeze.

Modify basic options / preferences in the application user name, default directory / folder to open, save spreadsheets

User name and data

The default user data can be set as follows:

  1. Click on Tools, then Options.

  2. Expand OpenOffice.org by clicking on the + symbol.

  3. Click on User Data.

  4. Fill in the user data and Click OK.

[Note] Note

This user information will be used for all the applications in the OpenOffice.org suite.

Default directory

When opening or saving files, Calc will by default look in a certain directory. This can be set as follows:

  1. Click on Tools, then Options.

  2. Expand OpenOffice.org by clicking on the + symbol.

  3. Click on Paths.

  4. Double click on My Documents.

  5. Locate the desired path using the Select path dialogue.

  6. Click Select.

Default spreadsheet type

The default, Calc saves spreadsheets in Calc format. This will have an sxc extension. You may have to share your work with users who use other spreadsheet programs. In this case you could change the default format to that of another product, for example, Microsoft Excel.

  1. Click on Tools, then Options.

  2. Expand Load/save.

  3. Click on General.

  4. Under Document type, select Spreadsheets.

  5. Under Always save as select the format you wish to use.

  6. Click OK.

Other settings

  1. Click on Tools, then Options.

  2. Expand Spreadsheets.

    A number of other important settings can be set in the different sections. For example:

    General: Use to set measurement units and tab stops.

    View: Use to change the colour of gridlines; whether formulas or values are shown.

  3. Scroll through the different options to get a feel of the range of settings.

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