Formatting Numbers
Using formatting options for the values in your spreadsheets is useful for differentiating the different types of values in the spreadsheet. You want to make it easy for anyone viewing the spreadsheet to be able to distinguish between dollar amounts, percentages, and numbers of items (such as the number of shoes or widgets sold).
You can enter each data type as you do your initial data entry into the spreadsheet; for example, you can enter $500,000.00 in one cell or 20% in another cell. However, this means you have to enter the dollar sign, comma, and decimal point in the first example and the percent sign in the latter example.
Calc actually makes it easier for you to format the numerical values in your spreadsheet after you enter the data (negating the need for you to enter dollar signs or percent signs). This allows you to format entire ranges of numbers rather than having to “create” a format as you type. And if you re-enter data or want to change a cell's format, you need only change the current format type rather than actually retyping the data to change the format.
Formatting numbers can also involve the number of decimal places used in a cell or cells. And remember that dates and times are treated as values by Calc. This means that date and time formatting options are also available.
You can format values (numbers, formulas, and functions) in your spreadsheets three ways:
Use the formatting buttons on the Object toolbar.
Invoke the Cell Attributes dialog box. (You can open the Cell Attributes dialog box from the Format menu [select Format, then Format Cells].)
Right-click on a cell or cell range and selectFormat Cells from the context menu.
To Format a Range of Cells
For example, let's say that you want to format a range of cells as currency using the Currency button on the Object toolbar; just follow these steps:
1. |
Use the mouse or keyboard to select the range of cells that you wish to format as currency. |
2. |
Click the Currency button on the Object toolbar (see Figure 3.2). The cells will be formatted for currency. Figure 3.2. Select a range of cells and then click the appropriate formatting shortcut tool on the Object toolbar.
|
3. |
Click anywhere on the spreadsheet to deselect the cell range. |
Note
If you decide that you don't want the cells to be formatted for currency (or any other format you choose), you can click the Undo tool and the cell format will be returned to the Standard number format.
Calc makes it very easy for you to assign the default numerical format to values in your spreadsheets. You can either click Format and then select Default (this will affect the active cell or a selected range of cells), or you can right-click on a cell or range of selected cells and select Default from the context menu that appears.