Tutorials For OpenOffice: Calc Templates
Image by: Sally Peterson

Calc Templates

A template can be used to open a new spreadsheet. That template will determine all the formatting, text, formulas, etc within the newly opened spreadsheet.

Templates can provide the following advantages;

  • save a huge amount of time

  • provide consistency

  • eliminate errors

  • allow a person to do something that he/she could not do without the template

  • can pre-determine just about anything in a spreadsheet.

Steps in using templates

Open a new spreadsheet in OpenOffice 2.0

  1. IF in a OpenOffice 2.0 document, Click File > New > Spreadsheet. (A new spreadsheet appears on the screen that is named Untitled1 - OpenOffice.org Calc)

  2. IF on the desktop, Click Start > All Programs > OpenOffice.org 1.9.122 > OpenOffice.org Calc. (The name of the file Untitled1 - OpenOffice.org Calc appears on the screen)

Sometimes you have to click on the page of a new spreadsheet so that the keyboard and mouse can be used.

Change the spreadsheet as desired

Change any formatting as desired. Add any text, formulas, etc., as desired. For this tutorial the font will be changed.

  1. The fourth line from the top of the screen starts with two pull-down menus. The first menu has the word Arial and the second menu has the word 10.

  2. In the “Apply Style” pull-down menu (the first menu), change “Arial” to Arial Black. In the Font Size pull-down menu, change “10” to 16.

  3. In cell A1 type the word Test. (the word Test will be blacker than other words now see on the screen)

Save the spreadsheet at a template

  1. Click File > Save As. (The Save As window appears.) In the “Save in:” pull-down menu box, select My Documents. In the “file name:” box, type Calc Template. In the “Save as type:” box, select OpenDocument Spreadsheet Template (.ots). Click the Save button. (The file is saved as a template and the spreadsheet is still on the screen.)

  1. Click on the X to close the spreadsheet.

Open a spreadsheet with a template

  1. Click File > Open. (The Open window appears) In the “Look in:” pull-down menu, select My Documents. In the “File of type:” pull-down menu, select All files (*.*). In the list of files, click on Calc Template. (A spreadsheet opens that is formatted and has the same text as determined by the template [same as the original spreadsheet in this tutorial had])

NOTE

Tutorials are improved by input from users. We solicit your constructive criticism.

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Calc_templates            September 1, 2006


Last modified: 2008.04.25 20:33 UTC
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