Entering Spreadsheet Data

In the previous chapter, we took a look at the StarOffice Desktop and got our feet wet with StarOffice Calc, concentrating on the Calc window and the various tools that reside in it. In this chapter, we'll buckle down and actually build a spreadsheet.

We've already talked about spreadsheet cells (a cell being the intersection of a column and a row), and getting the correct data and the appropriate type of data into a particular cell is an extremely important aspect of creating spreadsheets. If the data is entered incorrectly, no formula in the world, no matter how well devised, will give you a correct answer. In fact, most errors found in spreadsheets revolve around incorrectly entered data.

You will also find that as we build a simple spreadsheet, two major data types need to be dealt with: text and values. However, before you can actually enter data into a spreadsheet, you must open a new spreadsheet file.

Open the StarOffice Desktop, select the File menu, then select New. On the cascading menu that appears, select Spreadsheet. A new spreadsheet will open on the StarOffice Desktop. Now we're ready to enter information into the blank spreadsheet.