Gnumeric Spreadsheet Tutorials

What are spreadsheets

Spreadsheet is like books

A spreadsheet may contain one or more books known as workbooks

A workbook contains pages known as worksheets

A worksheet contains cells arranged in columns and rows

Cells contain data

The function of a spreadsheet is to collect information, perform calcualtions on the information and then to update calculation results if the original information changes

Internationalization

Gnumeric has been translated into 46 languages, and is being used by people around the globe with the symbols and date/monetary conventions appropriate for their local setting.

File formats that are supported

Can open files from other spreadsheet applications

MS Excel™
Lotus 1-2-3™
Applix™
OpenOffice.org™
Psion™
Sylk™
XBase™
Oleo™
PlanPerfect™
Quattro Pro™ and
HTML

Can save to following formats

MS Excel™ (several versions)
 LaTeX \longtable
HTML and
roff files.

Addition of other formats

Through the use of plug-ins the support for other formats can be added

Creating and saving a workbook

Open Gnumeric

Place any data in any number of cells
Click on the Sheet2 tab ( ) in the lower left bottom

Again enter data as you wish

Open File > Save As (Shift + Ctrl + S)

In the Select a file window ( ), enter a name

Click the black arrow on the right of the Save in folder: field

Select the drive

Click the white arrow on the left of Browse for other folders

Select the folder to save the workbook ( )

Click the Create Folder button on the left, above the right (folder) pane to create a new folder in the selected folder

Press the Add button to add the selected folder to the left pan. This way you wont have to find it every time you wan to save a new workbook

Click the black arrow on the right of the File type: field

Select the option Gnumeric XML (*.gnumeric) ( )

Click the Save button

Selecting cells

To select cells do one of the following things on the cell grid area ( )

Click on any cell to select it

As you will click, the Selection box ( ) will move over the clicked cell

The headers(A and 1) of row and column will become dark grey

The position A1 of the selection box means that it is over the cell which is in column A and in row 1 (or the cell A1 is selected)

The position of the currently selected cell is shown in the box on the left of the Data entry area toolbar ( 

Selecting a whole column or a row

Clicking the header of a column ( ) or a row ( ) will select the whole column or row

Discontinuous Selection

Keep the Ctrl key pressed

Click on each cell that you want to be selected

Background of each selected cell will turn light blue

Moving arround the cell grid area

Press Enter to move the Selection box to the cell below the presently selected cell

Press Tab to move to the next cell on the right

To move the selection box towards the far end of the cell grid area, keep the End key pressed, press one of the arrow keys

Click and drag the mouse to select more than one cell (Shift + Arrow Keys)

Using the cell position

Press Ctrl + G

In the Go to window enter the cell postion ( ) and Press Enter

Click in the box on the left of the Data entry area toolbar (  )

Enter the cell postion

Press Enter

Entering data into the cells

After selecting a cell start typing the data

Edit the data in the Data entry area right to the equal sign on the Data entry area toolbar (  )

Press Enter to move on to other cells

Five type of data can be placed in a cell

• Text
• Numbers
• Formulas
• Boolean values
• Error values

Text if larger than the cell size will span into the cell on the right

Numbers, if larger than the cell size, Gnumeric displays them as hash marks (######)

Dates, time, percentage, fractions and scientific notations are recognized as numbers

Copying, pasting and deleting Cell/s

Select a cell or a group of cells

Open Edit > Copy (Ctrl + C)

Select another cell

Open Edit > Paste (Ctrl + V)

A group of cells will be pasted to the left and below the second selected cell, over the existing cells and their contents

Wrapping long text

Right click on a cell with long data

From the context menu select Format cells

Click on the Alignment tab

Check the option Wrap text

Press OK

Changing the fonts of a cell

You can use the toolbar buttons ( ) to change the fonts in a cell or cells or

Right click on the cell

Select Format cells

In the Format cells window click on the Font tab

Changing the alignment of the data

You can use the text alignment buttons ( ) on the toolbar or

For more alignment options Right click on the cell

Select Format cells

In the Format cells window click on the Alignment tab

Orientation of the text will be usefull only if the size of the cell is larger enough to accomodat the data

Changing the background of a cell

You can use the Background button ( ) on the toolbar

Right click on the cell

Select Format cells

In the Format cells window click on the Background tab

To change the pattern

Click on one of the Syles: ( )

Select a color for the pattern

Click OK

Border around cell/s

Right click on the cell

Select Format cells

In the Format cells window click on the Border tab

There is a button for each line.or

Click on the white area to place a line

Click the None button ( ) to remove all lines

Click on the Outline button ( ) to plase a border (without the cross) around the cell

Choose between 13 different line styles on the left

You can also use the Border button ( ) on the toolbar

Commenting on cells

Select a cell

Right click

Select Edit Comment...

In the Cell Comment widow type or edit a comment

Press OK

A red triangle will be place on the right upper corner of the cell

Move the pointer over the red triangle

The comment appears in a small box ( )

Inserting row/column

Right click on a header

Select Insert row(s) from the context menu

A row will be added above the row on whose header you right clicked

Select Insert column(s) from the context menu

A column will be added to the right of the column on whose header you right clicked

Changing the width/height of a column/row

Position the mouse ponter between the headers of two columns/rows

Press the left mouse button

Without releasing the button drag ( ) the pointer to increase or decrease the width or height

Changing the way Gnumeric cells handle numbers

The format of data(its presentation and not its value) can be changed for a cell or a group of cell

Select a cell or a group of cells

Right click on the cell

Select Format cells from the menu

Example

Select the Date catogory

Click on m/d/yy

Click OK

From now onwards Gnumeric will not perform methematical calculataions using this entry

To fill the same value in a series of cells

Enter a value in a cell

Press Enter

Reselect the same cell

Move the pointer over the fill Handle at the lower right corner ( ) and drag it to select all the cells that will contain the same value

To fill a sequence of values in a series of cells

Enter a Sunday in a cell

Press Enter

Reselect the same cell

Keep the Ctrl key pressed

Move the pointer over the fill Handle at the lower right corner ( ) and drag it to select all the cells that will contain the names of the days

Filling a sequence of numbers

Enter the Tutorial 3 in cell c1

Enter the Tutorial 5 in cell c2

Select both the cells

Keep the Ctrl key pressed

Move the pointer over the fill Handle at the lower right corner ( ) and drag it to select all the cells that will contain the "Tutorial numbers'

Types of data that can be incremented

Gnumeric is able to increment several types of data beyond simple integers. The procedure is the same as described above but involves different starting values.

Gnumeric can increment:

Integers
1, 2, 3, etc.

Natural Numbers
1.03, 2.05, 3.07, etc.

Weekday Names
Monday, Tuesday, etc.

Weekday Abbreviations
Mon, Tues, etc.

Month Names
January, February, etc.

Month Abbreviations
Jan, Feb, etc.

Strings with Numbers
Item1, Item2, etc

Dates
11/14/2001, 11/15/2001, etc.

Gnumeric supports incrementing the date by month, date, or year.

Note: that, While Gnumeric will increment days of the month, if you do 11/14/2001 and 12/14/2001, it will recognize it as the same day of the month and increment the month so the next value would be to 1/14/2002 instead of the day difference.

Getting the sum of numbers from more than one cell through the use of the sum fuction

Enter some numbers in cells from A1 to A9

Select the cell A10

Press the sum button ( )

In the the data entry area ( ) edit the formula by adding a1:a9 (or a1,a2,a3,a4,a5,a6,a7,a8,a9) between the brackets or

Select the cells A1 to A9

Press Enter

The sum of the numbers in nine cells will be displayed in the cell A10

Using formulas

Select a cell

Type the equal sign (=)

Type a valid formula

Example

Select the cell B2

Type 3 in the cell B2

Select the cell D4

Type the following formula

=B2+2

Press Enter

Cell D4 will show the value 5

Now change the value of cell B2 to 5

Cell D4 will show the value 7 as a result

Using the Function Selector

Functions are used to form all or part of a formula.

Function Selector helps you to build formulas

Enter some numbers in cells from A1 to A9

Select the cell A10

Press the Function Selector button ( )

In the Function Selector window select Statistics from the Category pane

Select the average ( ) function from the function pane

Press Insert

In the Formula Guru window click on the [number] Any feild and type the following text Sheet1!A1:A9 ( ) or

Select cell A1 to A9

Press Ok

In cell A10 you will get the sum of the numbers from the nine cells, divided by nine

Creating charts

Enter the following values in the following manner

Select cells A1 to C3
Open Insert > Chart or press the Insert a chart button ( )

Select Column from the Plot type paneSelect the first Subtype

Press Insert

The mouse pointer will convert to a thin haircross

Click the mouse some where on the cell grid area

Drag the pointer down and on one side

Releasing the left mouse button will show the following chart

Adding A legend to a graph

Right click on the graph

Select Properties

Click on Series1 under PlotBarCol1

Press the Data tab

In the Name: feild enter a name for column number 1 ( )

Repeat the last three steps for Series2 and 3

Now click on Chart 1

Keep the add button pressed ( )

Select Legend from the down drop menu ( )

Press Apply

Adding a title to your chart

Right click on the graph

Select Properties

Press the Add button ( )

Select Title1

Select the Data tab

Enter your title

Press Apply

Changing the name of a worksheet

Double click on the tab ( ) of a sheet

Type the new name

Press the Enter key

Changing the order of the worksheets

Double click a tab of a sheet

Dont release the left mouse button

drag the tab to the desired position among the tabs

Duplicaitng a worksheet

Open Edit > Sheet > Duplicate or

Right click on the worksheet tabs and select Duplicate

The current sheet will be duplicated to its right

Inserting new worksheets

Open Insert > Sheet or

right click on the worksheets tabs and select sheets

A new sheet will be added to the left of the already active sheet

Managing worksheets

Open Edit > Sheet > Manage Sheets...

Use the Up and Down buttons to chantge the order of the sheets

To rename a sheet double click on the empty rectangle ( ) on the right of the sheets name

Click the glasses icon ( ) to make a sheet invisible, the icon disappears

Click the open lock icon ( ) to make lock a sheet, the icon changes to

Click the black arrow on this button to change the background color of the tab

Click the black arrow on this button to change the font color of the tab

Pasting Special

Right click on a cell

Select Copy from the context menu

Right click on some other cell

Select Paste Special from the context menu ( )