diff --git a/content/blog/librecalctips.md b/content/blog/librecalctips.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..aab4900 --- /dev/null +++ b/content/blog/librecalctips.md @@ -0,0 +1,84 @@ +--- +title: "LibreOffice Calc Tips" +date: 2021-02-20T12:37:48-05:00 +draft: false +tags: [] +--- + +I've been working with LibreOffice Calc (or Excel) spreadsheets recently and wanted to share some of the things I've learned. + +**Absolute vs Relative Cell References** + +The main difference between referencing a cell relatively vs absolute is that the absolute reference includes a `$` in the front. This is important if you want to drag a formula across multiple cells. + +```excel +$A:$B +``` + +**Referring to a sheet name** + +To refer to cells in another sheet, first begin the reference with the sheet name, then a period, follow by the cells you wish to reference in that sheet. If the sheet name has spaces in it, then you need to wrap it in quotes. + +```excel +'Another Sheet'.A:B +``` + +**Referring to a column** + +To refer to a single column, you need to repeat the column name separated by a colon. + +```excel +B:B +``` + +**Get row that matches a query** + +For this we'll use the `MATCH` function. It takes three parameters: + +1. The value to match +2. The range of cells to query over +3. Which comparison function to use. Use `0` for equality. + +It will then return the first row number that matches the query. + +```excel +MATCH("Bob", B:B, 0) +``` + +**Query a value based on another from that row.** + +To do this, we will need to combine both the `INDEX` function and the `MATCH` function. The `INDEX` function takes three parameters: + +1. The range of cells to reference +2. The row number +3. The column number + +Use the `MATCH` function as the second argument, and you can reference another column of a row based on a query. + +```excel +INDEX(A:B, MATCH("Bob", B:B, 0), 1) +``` + +**Refer to a value in a nearby cell** + +With the `OFFSET` function you can refer to a cell relative to another. Its three parameters are: + +1. Reference Cell +2. Row Offset +3. Column Offset +4. Height +5. Width + +```excel +# To see the value in the row above A5 (A4) +OFFSET(A5, -1, 0, 1, 1) +``` + +**Concatenate Strings** + +Strings separated by `&` are concatenated together. + +```excel +"Hello " & "World." +``` +