Saving spreadsheets

OpenOffice.org 3 Calc Guide

Chapter 1: Introducing Calc

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• Parts of the main Calc window
• Starting and opening spreadsheets
• Saving spreadsheets
• Navigating within spreadsheets
• Selecting items
• Working with columns and rows
• Working with sheets
• Viewing Calc
• Using the Navigator

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Saving spreadsheets

Spreadsheets can be saved in the following three ways.

From the menu bar

Click File and then select Save (or Save All or Save As).

From the toolbar

Click on the Save button on the Function bar. If the file has been saved and no subsequent changes have been made, this button is grayed-out and unselectable.

From the keyboard

Use the key combination Control+S.

If the spreadsheet has not been saved previously, then each of these actions will open the Save As dialog. Here you can specify the spreadsheet name and the location in which to save it.

If the spreadsheet has been previously saved, then saving will overwrite the existing copy without opening the Save As dialog. If you want to save the spreadsheet in a different location or with a different name, then select File > Save As.

Password protection

To protect an entire document from being viewable without a password, use the option on the Save As dialog box to enter a password. This option is only available for files saved in OpenDocument formats or the older OpenOffice.org 1.x formats.

On the Save As dialog box, select the Save with password option, and then click Save. You will receive a prompt to type the same password in two fields. If the passwords match, the OK button becomes active. Click OK to save the document password-protected. If the passwords do not match, you receive the prompt to enter the password again.

Passwords must contain a minimum of 5 characters. Until you have entered 5 characters, the OK button remains inactive.

OOo uses a very strong encryption mechanism that makes it almost impossible to recover the contents of a document in case you lose the password.

Saving a document automatically

You can choose to have Calc save your spreadsheet automatically at regular intervals. Automatic saving, like manual saving, overwrites the last saved state of the file. To set up automatic file saving:

1. Select Tools > Options > Load/Save > General.
2. Click on Save AutoRecovery information every. This enables the box to set the interval. The default value is 30 minutes. Enter the value you want by typing it or by pressing the up or down arrow keys.

Saving as a Microsoft Excel document

If you need to exchange files with users of Microsoft Excel, they may not know how to open and save .ods files. Excel 2007 with Service Pack 2 (SP2) can do this. Users of Excel 2007, 2003, XP, and 2000 can also download and install a free OpenDocument Format (ODF) plugin from Sun Microsystems.

Some users of Microsoft Excel may be unwilling or unable to receive *.ods files. (Perhaps their employer won’t allow them to install the plug-in.) In this case, you can save a document as a Excel file.

1. IMPORTANT—First save your spreadsheet in the file format used by OpenOffice.org, *.ods. If you do not, any changes you made since the last time you saved will only appear in the Microsoft Excel version of the document.
2. Then click File > Save As.
3. On the Save As dialog, in the File type (or Save as type) drop-down menu, select the type of Excel format you need. Click Save.

From this point on, all changes you make to the spreadsheet will occur only in the Microsoft Excel document. You have changed the name and file type of your document. If you want to go back to working with the *.ods version of your spreadsheet, you must open it again.

To have Calc save documents by default in a Microsoft Excel file format, go to Tools > Options > Load/Save > General. In the section named Default file format, under Document type, select Spreadsheet, then under Always save as, select your preferred file format.

Saving a file in Microsoft Excel format

Saving as a CSV file

To save a spreadsheet as a comma separated value (CSV) file:

1. Choose File > Save As.
2. In the File name box, type a name for the file.
3. In the File type list, select Text CSV and click Save.

You may see the message box shown below. Click Keep Current Format.



4. In the Export of text files dialog, select the options you want. Click OK.

Choosing options when exporting to Text CSV

Saving in other formats

Calc can save spreadsheets in a range of formats, including HTML (Web pages), through the Save As dialog. Calc can also export spreadsheets to PDF and XHTML. See Printing, exporting and emailing for more information.