saving a calc spreadsheet as template with its functions?

users
#1

I have a question which I can't find an answer to, how can I save a calc spreadsheet as a template with all cells being blank, but still retaining the functions within it please?

Thanks
Sharon.

#2

Hi :slight_smile:
I just click on the save button or on;

File - Save As

Job done.

I'm not sure what the problem is. Is it that someone using Microsoft
Office can't see the file you have created? Microsoft is usually blind and
unable to cope with standards, even 'standards' of it's own devising.
Using LibreOffice, Google-docs, OpenOffice or any other office program you
should be able to easily see the file you created.

With the File - Save As route a dialogue box pops up. Near the bottom of
the dialogue-box, just above it's own Save button, there is an option to
choose format. By default it says "All formats" but actually just saves it
in native .Ods format. Amongst the other formats it offers are the
unreliable, ever changing Microsoft formats such as .Xlsx and their older
format .Xls. There is also a format specifically for proper Templates, and
an equivalent for Microsoft Office templates.

My old boss used to talk about making a template but he really meant just a
normal file, in an MS format, that he would then overwrite and forget to
keep an unfilled copy of anywhere. Having an actual proper template would
confuse him and he'd delete it.

In much the same way he kept using the term "double entry" to mean a
mistake where someone had entered the same thing twice instead of using it
the way accountants and bookkeepers have been using it for the last several
hundred years. Presumably he thought an advert for a "double-entry
bookkeeper" was because companies were really keen to employ someone who
made a LOT of mistakes!

If you really mean a proper template then Chapter 3 of the "Getting Started
Guide";
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/Documentation/Publications
(or scroll down further to Chapter 4 of the "Calc Guide") might help.
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/images/8/83/GS6003-StylesAndTemplates.pdf
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/images/e/e8/CG4104-StylesAndTemplates.pdf

There are pre-made templates at;
https://extensions.libreoffice.org/templates
which you can adapt and use, or just use as they are, for free.

Here's an extremely brief bit of help about templates;
https://help.libreoffice.org/Writer/Creating_a_Document_Template
but it's probably better to go with one (or both) of the chapters above
because they have a lot more information to skim through.

Good luck and many regards from
a Tom :slight_smile:

#3

Tom Davies <tomcecf@gmail.com> writes:

Hi :slight_smile:
I just click on the save button or on;

File - Save As

Job done.

To clarify ...

I have a spreadsheet of 5 tabs called 'word-count-antonine.ods' which I would like to use as
a word-count template for future books that I intend to write. WCA starts at Saturday July 28 2018
with initial word counts which are then updated manually whenever I do more writing.

I would like to have this as a template with blank cells except they have kept the functions from
the original spreadsheet, so that I can start with a new date and work onwards from there and show
exactly the same information as in my original spreadsheet, but the new one is now named for another
project.

I have saved the WCA spreadsheet as a template, but it is still showing exactly the same information in each cell as the original one was, whereas I was hoping that the functions would remain but the cells appear blank.

Does my original question make sense now please?

Thanks
Sharon.

#4

Hello,
A template contains the starting point of a document (or spreadsheet):
anything in the template will be copied to the new document (or
spreadsheet) when you create it - this is why you see the WCA numbers
in new spreadsheets created from that template. You should update your
template to have zeros instead of the numbers in your existing WCA
spreadsheet. This way, when you create a new spreadsheet from the
template, you will have a spreadsheet with no existing word count in
it. You could also update the cell formats to show blank on zero or use
conditional formatting to display the word count on the dates only when
a date is defined. This way, the spreadsheet will only show values when
a combination of date/count has been entered.
I hope this helps.
Rémy.

#5

Hi :slight_smile:
Ahah! I knew I was missing something! :slight_smile:

Is there any chance of sending the spreadsheet to me? If there is a
confidentiality issue then just say no.

I'm not clear about the exact details but it sounds similar to something
I've used for something completely different. In my case a cash-book to
keep track of cash (weirdly) instead of number of words.

If I am correct then you have some numbers typed in somewhere; either in
hidden(?) columns or rows or in a hidden tab or in an external
data-source. The formulas then display notes, figures, totals or whatnot
based on those typed figures.

If you just delete the hard-coded (typed in) figures then the formulae
should remain.

Since it's a spreadsheet, rather than a database, some individual cells
might not be exactly what they were meant to be but looking at the cells
around will hopefully help you mend them. Copy&paste or dragging the little
black cross from a neighbouring cell often fixes things neatly and Ctrl Z
undoes if it just made things worse (or Edit - Undo etc).

Somewhere in the menus there's an option to "display formulae". I suspect
it's somewhere in;
Tools - Options - Calc ?

Am I getting warmer or am I further off on a different wild tangent? The
mailing-list strips attachments off emails before sending the email off to
everyone so if you just "reply to all", or whatever you did last time, then
only I will get your attached spreadsheet.

Regards from
a Tom :slight_smile: