Introduction

Apache OpenOffice 4.1 Calc Guide

Chapter 7: Formulas and Functions

< Previous Section

Next Section >

• Introduction
• Setting Up a Spreadsheet
  • The Trap of Fixed Values
  • Lack of Documentation
  • Error-checking Formulas
  • Appearance vs. Computation
• Creating Formulas
  • Operators in Formulas
  • Operator Types
    • Arithmetic Operators
    • Comparative Operators
    • Text Operators
    • Reference Operators
      • Range Operator
      • Reference Concatenation Operator
      • Intersection Operator
  • Relative and Absolute References
    • Relative Referencing
    • Absolute Referencing
  • Order of Calculation
  • Calculations Linking Sheets
• Understanding Functions
  • Understanding the Structure of Functions
  • Nested Functions
  • Function Wizard
  • Entering Formulas in Cells or the Input Line
• Strategies for Creating Formulas and Functions
  • Place a Unique Formula in Each Cell
  • Break Formulas into Parts and Combine the Parts
  • Use the Basic Editor to Create Functions
• Finding and Fixing Errors
  • Error Messages
    • Examples of Common Errors
    • Err:532 #DIV/0!
    • #VALUE Non-existent Value and #REF! Incorrect References
  • Color Coding for Input
  • The Detective
• Examples of Functions
  • Basic Arithmetic and Statistic Functions
    • Basic Arithmetic
    • Simple Statistics
  • Rounding off Numbers
    • Rounding Methods
• Using Regular Expressions in Functions
• Advanced Functions

< Previous Page

Next Page >

Introduction

In previous chapters, we have entered one of two basic data into each cell: numbers or text. However, we may not always know what the contents should be. Often, one cell's contents depend on the contents of other cells. To handle this situation, we use a third type of data: the formula. Formulas are equations that use numbers, text, and variables to get a result. In a spreadsheet, the variables are cell locations that hold the data needed for the equation to be completed.

A function is a predefined calculation entered in a cell. Functions help you analyze or manipulate data in a spreadsheet. All you have to do is add the parameters with which the function will work, and the calculation is automatically made for you. Functions help you create the processing needed to get the results that you're looking for.