Note
Like the rest of KDE, KSpread is highly configurable, which can
cause problems for readers trying to compare the text in a document such as
this with what they see on the version of KSpread running on their desktop.
To cut down on some of the possibilities for confusion, it it suggested that
when you first start to use KSpread you set the default options in all pages
of the KSpread configuration dialog (obtained by selecting
->
) except for
Completion mode:
in the
page, which should be set to
.
You may also find it helpful to globally
Enable tooltips
in
KDE Control Center in
->
on the
Style
page.
Spreadsheets for Beginners
This section attempts to explain by example what a spreadsheet program
such as KSpread actually does, and why it is such a useful tool in any
situation where you have to deal with numbers. If you have already used a
spreadsheet program you may wish to skip to the next section.
The first thing to do is to start up KSpread. You can do this by
left clicking on a KSpread icon if there is one
on your desktop or panel, or you can select
->
from the K menu.
When it has started you will be given the choice of opening a recent
document, creating a new document from a template (with templates categories) or
opening an existing document . Select the
General
category
on the left and choose the
Blank Worksheet
template. Then
click the
Use This Template
button.
Looking at KSpread once it has started up, you will see a sheet of
empty rectangular cells arranged in numbered rows and lettered columns. This
is where you enter data or formula, text or charts.
Now, enter the text and values shown in the first 5 rows of the above
screenshot into the same cells of your spreadsheet. Ignore what is in row 7
for the moment. To enter anything into a cell first select the cell by
left clicking inside it, then type whatever you
want, then press
Enter
or use the arrow keys to move the
selection point to another cell.
What we have entered so far could be a simple budget for the next two
months, listing how much we think we will be spending for Food, Shelter,
Clothing and any Other expenditure. Now select cell B7 (column B, row 7),
type in
=B2+B3+B4+B5
and press
Enter
.
Because it begins with a
=
symbol KSpread sees this as a
formula, something it has to calculate, in this case by adding together the
values in the 4 cells B2 to B5, and what is shown in the cell B7 is the result
of that calculation.
You could enter a similar formula into cell C7, except that in this case
it would have to be
=C2+C3+C4+C5
, but there is an
easier way which is to Copy cell B7 and Paste it into C7. KSpread will
automatically adjust the cell references from B.. to C.. when the Paste is
done.
At this point you may think that KSpread is doing no more than you
could manage with pencil, paper and a calculator, and you could be right, but
remember that this is a very small example of a spreadsheet, doing simple
calculations on only a few numbers. For any reasonably amount of values or data
using a spreadsheet to do the calculations is much quicker and more accurate
than doing them manually.
Also, a spreadsheet lets you play the “What if?” game.
Because each formula is automatically recalculated whenever any of the values
it refers to are changed, you can quickly see what happens if you alter any of
them. Using our example you can see the effect of reducing the amount spent on
food in December by just entering a new value into cell C2. If you had a
spreadsheet that modelled the greenhouse effect accurately you could perhaps
see the effect of a 50 percent reduction in the amount of methane released
into the atmosphere.
