Default font in LO calc

*Hi All*

_PLEASE_ can someone tell me how to change the *&%$# Default Font in Calc!!

I have tried many times to do this, Googled lots of suggestions but NOTHING WORKS!! And there are many different sets of instruction on how to do this. It is one of the most frustrating things in LO Calc and there has to be a basic simple way to do this - all I need is for someone to teach me how!!

I'm currently using LO ver 5.3.0.3 on PClinusOS 64-bit.

Thanks a lot

IanW
Pretoris RSA

View > Sidebar
Use top right icon to switch to "Styles and Formatting
Right click "Default" and select "Modify"
Under the Font tab select your desired font.

You might want to save this as a template and use as your default template.

*Thanks Bruce*

BUT that does not work!!

Top Right Icon is 'Properties' not 'Styles and Formatting' and it is showing the Font and Size I want.

But when I select 'New Spreadsheet' the "default" Liberation Sans 10 still comes up!!

I don't want or need a Template I just want the Font and size that I selected to be the Default for all new Spreadsheets!!

IanW
Pretoria RSA

To the right of 'Properties' there is a drop down icon which if you
mouse-over has the tag 'Side bar setting'. Click that icon to select
'Styles and Formatting'. (If someone knows another way please chime-in.)

02/20/2017 02:06 PM, Ian Whitfield wrote:

I just want the Font and size that I selected to be the Default for

all new Spreadsheets!!

Which is precisely why you both want and need to construct, and use a
default template.

jonathon

Ian Whitfield wrote:

> *Thanks Bruce*
>
> BUT that does not work!!
>
> Top Right Icon is 'Properties' not 'Styles and Formatting' and it is
> showing the Font and Size I want.
>
> But when I select 'New Spreadsheet' the "default" Liberation Sans 10
> still comes up!!
>
> I don't want or need a Template I just want the Font and size that I
> selected to be the Default for all new Spreadsheets!!
>
If you want to change the default font, and setting the default template is the way to do it, why would you not want that?

To the right of 'Properties' there is a drop down icon which if you
mouse-over has the tag 'Side bar setting'. Click that icon to select
'Styles and Formatting'. (If someone knows another way please
chime-in.)

I'm using an earlier version of LO (5.2.3.3) so maybe things are
different but...

To the right of Properties (in the Sidebar, which is at the right-hand
side of the window) is the right-hand window border!

but ... (see below ...)

> *Thanks Bruce*
>
> BUT that does not work!!
>
> Top Right Icon is 'Properties' not 'Styles and Formatting' and it is
> showing the Font and Size I want.

Above Properties is Sidebar Settings (three short horizontal lines and
a triangle) and Styles and Formatting is in the sub-menu it brings up,
but ...

The Styles and Formatting icon (a piece of paper and a T-bar) is
immediately below the Properties icon (green and blue) anyway, so just
click on it ...

HTH, Dave

I had this problem years ago, and wrote to the list for help. The solution was to create a separate empty spreadsheet, (and a write document?), then convert? it to a template, and label it somehow, in order to set the default font and size. The Elephant in this Room is: These two settings belong in the Tools->Options section.

One might say that there are many options that can be changed on a default template, but I, for one, only change 2 (coincidently font and size :slight_smile: ). I assume this applies to most people in the world. For those that do complicated set-ups, let them create default documents and make them templates.

By the way, after much help from the list, I finally gave up. I allow LO to start the document with the _wrong_ font and size, then I go to the upper left corner on the sheet to select all cells, then I set the _correct_ font and size there.

John

I'm with Ian on this one. Those changes you suggest work for the current
spreadsheet but as soon as you do :
File > New > Spreadsheet, the new sheet opens with Liberation Sans 10
selected and in place.

If you open the Default style by right-click > modify > Font tab, you
can set the font to anything else you like but one thing that makes me
think the default is set at a deeper level is that on the style modify
dialog, there is a fourth button (at RHS) labeled 'Standard'. Clicking
this sets Liberation Sans 10 again.

According to the help info, the Standard button "Resets the values
visible in the dialog back to the default installation values"

If I prepare a new blank spreadsheet with my preferred font and save it
as a new template, whenever I open a new spreadsheet by File > New >
Templates > Spreadsheets tab > select my new template > click Open, I
get a new blank spreadsheet with my fonts I selected. So this is
available as a workaround but it involves a lot of clicks just to get
what is needed. More clicks than it takes to change the font in the
default spreadsheet.

Moreover, within the new spreadsheet from the new template, if I open
the style modification dialog and click the 'Standard' button, then I'm
again in the Liberation Sans 10 font.

So where to go to change the 'Standard' setting remains a useful
question. Could the answer be in the Tools > Options > LibreOffice >
Advanced and then look at org.openoffice.VCL > DefaultFonts where I see
that the Liberation family gets lots of mentions ?

Perhaps someone more used to modifying these Advanced settings could
comment ?

Philip

I would advise advise anyone against poking around in the "/Advanced/"
options. It's somewhat like messing with the Windows Registry, or
Mozilla's about:config, one wrong move and everything can go "/pear
shaped/".

Not sure what the "/Standard/" button is, but if you mean the
"/Default/" style, you will obviously be "/again in the Liberation Sans
10 font/", because you did not change it to something else before saving
your custom default template.

It's not a "/work-around/". The software has to start with some kind of
default settings. If the user has not customized those settings by
providing their own default preferences in the form of a template, the
software has no option but to use it's inbuilt defaults.

Don't fight templates, use them.

Dave

Je la 20/02/2017 20:32, Philip Jackson skribis :

To the right of 'Properties' there is a drop down icon which if you
mouse-over has the tag 'Side bar setting'. Click that icon to select
'Styles and Formatting'. (If someone knows another way please chime-in.)

I'm with Ian on this one. Those changes you suggest work for the current
spreadsheet but as soon as you do :
File > New > Spreadsheet, the new sheet opens with Liberation Sans 10
selected and in place.

If you open the Default style by right-click > modify > Font tab, you
can set the font to anything else you like but one thing that makes me
think the default is set at a deeper level is that on the style modify
dialog, there is a fourth button (at RHS) labeled 'Standard'. Clicking
this sets Liberation Sans 10 again.

According to the help info, the Standard button "Resets the values
visible in the dialog back to the default installation values"

If I prepare a new blank spreadsheet with my preferred font and save it
as a new template, whenever I open a new spreadsheet by File > New >
Templates > Spreadsheets tab > select my new template > click Open, I
get a new blank spreadsheet with my fonts I selected. So this is
available as a workaround but it involves a lot of clicks just to get
what is needed. More clicks than it takes to change the font in the
default spreadsheet.

Moreover, within the new spreadsheet from the new template, if I open
the style modification dialog and click the 'Standard' button, then I'm
again in the Liberation Sans 10 font.

So where to go to change the 'Standard' setting remains a useful
question. Could the answer be in the Tools > Options > LibreOffice >
Advanced and then look at org.openoffice.VCL > DefaultFonts where I see
that the Liberation family gets lots of mentions ?

Perhaps someone more used to modifying these Advanced settings could
comment ?

Philip

Under Ubuntu 16.10 a command with the entry
libreoffice --calc /home/leleu/.config/libreoffice/4/user/template/essai.ots
does open a unnamed sheet conform to the model essai.ots

Robert Leleu

To the right of 'Properties' there is a drop down icon which if you
mouse-over has the tag 'Side bar setting'. Click that icon to select
'Styles and Formatting'. (If someone knows another way please chime-in.)

I'm with Ian on this one. Those changes you suggest work for the current
spreadsheet but as soon as you do :
File > New > Spreadsheet, the new sheet opens with Liberation Sans 10
selected and in place.

If you open the Default style by right-click > modify > Font tab, you
can set the font to anything else you like but one thing that makes me
think the default is set at a deeper level is that on the style modify
dialog, there is a fourth button (at RHS) labeled 'Standard'. Clicking
this sets Liberation Sans 10 again.

According to the help info, the Standard button "Resets the values
visible in the dialog back to the default installation values"

If I prepare a new blank spreadsheet with my preferred font and save it
as a new template, whenever I open a new spreadsheet by File > New >
Templates > Spreadsheets tab > select my new template > click Open, I
get a new blank spreadsheet with my fonts I selected. So this is
available as a workaround but it involves a lot of clicks just to get
what is needed. More clicks than it takes to change the font in the
default spreadsheet.

Moreover, within the new spreadsheet from the new template, if I open
the style modification dialog and click the 'Standard' button, then I'm
again in the Liberation Sans 10 font.

So where to go to change the 'Standard' setting remains a useful
question. Could the answer be in the Tools > Options > LibreOffice >
Advanced and then look at org.openoffice.VCL > DefaultFonts where I see
that the Liberation family gets lots of mentions ?

Perhaps someone more used to modifying these Advanced settings could
comment ?

Philip

I would advise advise anyone against poking around in the "/Advanced/"
options. It's somewhat like messing with the Windows Registry, or
Mozilla's about:config, one wrong move and everything can go "/pear
shaped/".

Yes, I tend to agree. That's why I suggested that maybe someone on the
list has experience here that could help us.

Not sure what the "/Standard/" button is, but if you mean the
"/Default/" style, you will obviously be "/again in the Liberation Sans
10 font/", because you did not change it to something else before saving
your custom default template.

I cannot see that you are right here. My new template was prepared
especially with Arial font [just for trials not because I like Arial]
and wherever I look in the template under cell style in this template
the 'Default' style has Arial font specified. So I can always open a new
spreadsheet equipped with Arial by selecting File > New > Templates >
spreadsheet tab > My Templates > select the template > click Open.

That is a lot of clicks and so in practice, it is easier just to do File

New > Spreadsheet and then change the font from Liberation to Arial.

Now if I am inside a new spreadsheet created with my Arial template, all
checks on Default cell style do show Arial but that does not mean that
if I just click File > New > Spreadsheet that I will get another new
spreadsheet with Arial font.
The new one in this case has Liberation font set and that, I think, is
what the OP would like to avoid.

It's not a "/work-around/". The software has to start with some kind of
default settings. If the user has not customized those settings by
providing their own default preferences in the form of a template, the
software has no option but to use it's inbuilt defaults.

I agree that the software has to start from some kind of default
settings. But creating a new template with the user's default
preferences only works if the user is prepared to go through the lengthy
number of clicks I outlined above.

If his only changes are the font settings, it is quicker just to open a
new sheet File > New > Spreadsheet and then change the font from
Liberation to whatever.

I still think the answer the OP is seeking lies within the Advanced
settings, but I am wary of the dragons within.

Philip

OK - I couldn't resist it. After my previous response I tried this :

Tools > Options > LibreOffice > Advanced > Expert Configuration. Within
the Expert Configuration dialog box, I selected
org.openoffice.VCL and double clicked on the little triangle to its
left. This opened up to show three possibilities :
Settings, DefaultFonts, FontSubstitutions.
I double clicked the little triangle to the left of DefaultFonts and
then same for 'en' language. This revealed 22 lines of defaults for
different 'cases'. Looking down the second column 'Property', I
selected the row 'LATIN_SPREADSHEET' where the 4th column shows the
value : "Liberation Sans;Albany AMT;Albany;Arial;Arimo... ...." [15
different fonts in total]

I clicked on the 'Edit' button and typed Arial in the first place of the
list, deleted it from its existing 4th place, taking care not to upset
the semi-colons, and clicked 'OK'

I tried creating new spreadsheets from File > New > Spreadsheet, from
the LibreOffice starter panel, and from inside Writer. In every case,
the new spreadsheet opened with Arial set as default. I think this is
the effect the OP was seeking although Arial may not be his preference.

It would seem that LO creates a spreadsheet using as default, the first
font listed in the Value string of the LATIN_SPREADSHEET property of the
org.openoffice.VCL:LocalizedDefaultFonts['en'] preference.

Caution must be used when tampering with these configuration settings
and anybody who does so, does it at his own risk.

Philip

Yes it does under. And if the OP creates his template and modifies the
command line above accordingly, he will be able to make a small script
tied to a keyboard shortcut which would make it very simple to create a
new spreadsheet.

Philip

I can always open a new spreadsheet equipped with Arial by selecting File >
New > Templates > spreadsheet tab > My Templates > select the template >
click Open. That is a lot of clicks and so in practice, it is easier just
to do File

New > Spreadsheet and then change the font from Liberation to Arial.

You can use:
Ctrl+Shift+n to open the Templates window.
Then double click the desired template.

Philip Jackson wrote:
[...]
> If I prepare a new blank spreadsheet with my preferred font and save it
> as a new template, whenever I open a new spreadsheet by File > New >
> Templates > Spreadsheets tab > select my new template > click Open, I
> get a new blank spreadsheet with my fonts I selected. So this is
> available as a workaround but it involves a lot of clicks just to get
> what is needed. More clicks than it takes to change the font in the
> default spreadsheet.

If that template is set as default template then all that is not necessary. Just File > New > Spreadsheet will create a new spreadsheet based upon the template.

Thanks All

But still no joy!! Why does this have to be so difficult!!?? None of the ideas about using the Side-Bar do anything that makes any sense.

So I thought I would try Paul's idea and try and edit the Default Template but I can find no reference in the Drop-Down options in the Menu Bar for Templates or Edit Templates. So where do you find this and edit it??

This should be as easy to do as it is in Scribus!!! Why make things so difficult??

Thanks all

Ian Whitfield wrote:

> Thanks All
>
> But still no joy!! Why does this have to be so difficult!!?? None of the
> ideas about using the Side-Bar do anything that makes any sense.
>
> So I thought I would try Paul's idea and try and edit the Default
> Template but I can find no reference in the Drop-Down options in the
> Menu Bar for Templates or Edit Templates. So where do you find this and
> edit it??
>
> This should be as easy to do as it is in Scribus!!! Why make things so
> difficult??
>

It had been posted before, but I'll repeat:
(This is LO 5.3.0.3 on Mac)
File > New > Spreadsheet
Side Bar > Styles and Formatting (or Format > Styles > Styles and Formatting)

Cell Styles (icon) > Default

Right Click Modify..
Set your font and font size > OK
File > Templates > Save as Template
Enter a name (e.g. Default), select category "My Templates",
check "Set as default template" > Save
In other versions you might have to do
File > Templates < Manage Templates, Filter Spreadsheets, to set the template as default.

Hi Piet,

Ian Whitfield wrote:

  > Thanks All
  >
  > But still no joy!! Why does this have to be so difficult!!?? None of the
  > ideas about using the Side-Bar do anything that makes any sense.
  >
  > So I thought I would try Paul's idea and try and edit the Default
  > Template but I can find no reference in the Drop-Down options in the
  > Menu Bar for Templates or Edit Templates. So where do you find this and
  > edit it??
  >
  > This should be as easy to do as it is in Scribus!!! Why make things so
  > difficult??
  >

It had been posted before, but I'll repeat:
(This is LO 5.3.0.3 on Mac)
File > New > Spreadsheet
Side Bar > Styles and Formatting (or Format > Styles > Styles and Formatting)

Cell Styles (icon) > Default

Right Click Modify..
Set your font and font size > OK
File > Templates > Save as Template
Enter a name (e.g. Default), select category "My Templates",
check "Set as default template" > Save
In other versions you might have to do
File > Templates < Manage Templates, Filter Spreadsheets, to set the template as default.
  

  just beat me to it. Quite straight forward but not easily found with this explanation.
For me in writer I also change the default margins as well as font and have custom named paragraph styles (to avoid issues copy/pasting between documents with the same named but different styles).
steve

I hadn't seen Piet's post below until Steve responded to it, but Piet's process is what I used to change my default font. Worked just fine.

Virgil