Opening and Saving a Workbook

1What is a spreadsheet?

A spreadsheet program arranges information in a grid of rows and columns and can do calculations with it. Examples are LibreOffice Calc, Microsoft Excel and Google Sheets.

A spreadsheet file is called a workbook. A workbook contains one or more worksheets (sheets), and each sheet is made of cells.

The steps in this unit work in LibreOffice (free to install on school computers) and in Microsoft Office. Where the two programs differ, both ways are given.

2The parts of the spreadsheet window

• Menu bar and toolbars at the top, with commands and buttons.
• Name Box: shows which cell you are in, for example A1.
• Formula bar (Input line): shows what is really inside the selected cell.
• Column headers (A, B, C...) across the top and row headers (1, 2, 3...) down the side.
• The active cell: the cell with a thick border, where your typing will go.
• Sheet tabs at the bottom, one for each worksheet.
• The status bar along the very bottom.

3Opening a new workbook

• Start the program from the Start menu or desktop. In LibreOffice, click Calc Spreadsheet in the Start Center.
• If the program is already open, choose File > New (in LibreOffice, File > New > Spreadsheet), or press Ctrl + N.

4Opening an existing workbook

• Choose File > Open or press Ctrl + O, find the right folder, click the file and click Open.
• Or simply double-click the file in its folder.

5Saving your work

The first time you save: choose File > Save As. (In LibreOffice the shortcut is Ctrl + Shift + S; in Microsoft Office press F12.)

1. Choose the folder where the file should go.
2. Type a clear file name.
3. Check the file type, then click Save.

After that: press Ctrl + S (or click the Save button) every few minutes. The file keeps the same name and place.

Save or Save As? Save updates the file you already have. Save As lets you choose a new name, a new folder or a new file type, which makes a new copy.

File types. LibreOffice saves spreadsheets as .ods and text documents as .odt. Microsoft Excel uses .xlsx and Word uses .docx. In the Save As box you can choose to save in the other program's type so a friend can open your file.

6Choosing a good file name

• Say what the file is: P6B Science marks Term 1, not "document1" or "aaa".
• Keep it short and clear.
• Do not use these characters: / \ : * ? " < > |
• Save it in your own folder so that you can find it again.

7Closing

Choose File > Close or click the X. If you have unsaved changes, the program asks whether you want to save them. Choose Save unless you really want to throw the changes away.

All of these steps work in the same way for a word-processing document.

Try it yourself

Do these on a computer if you can, or answer in your book.