Instead, advanced filters are entered in a blank area of a sheet, then referenced by the advanced filter tool to apply them. The differences are that advanced filters are not limited to three conditions, and their criteria are not entered in a dialog window. They are useful mainly for numbers.Īdvanced filters are structure similarly to standard filters. Useful in themselves, standard filters take on added values when used to further refine automatic filters. Other conditional operators for standard filters include options to display the largest or smallest values, or a percentage of them. Standard filters are mostly useful for numbers, although a few of the conditional operators, such as = and can also be useful for text. You can set as many as three conditions as a filter, combining them with the Boolean operators AND and OR. Standard filters are more complex than automatic filters. In particular, they do not allow regular expressions, so you cannot display contents that is similar, but not identical by using automatic filters. Their drawback is that they are somewhat limited. In addition to each unique entry, automatic filters include the option to display all entries, the ten highest numerical values, and all cells that are empty or not-empty, as well as a standard filter. They are quick and convenient, and, because the condition includes every unique entry in the selected cells, are almost as useful with text as with numbers. You can set three types of filters from the Data > Filter sub-menu:Īutomatic filters add a drop-down list to the top row of a column that contains commonly used filters. To remove all groups on a sheet, select Data > Outline > Remove.Ī filter is a list of conditions that each entry has to meet in order to be displayed. Should you no longer need a group, place the mouse cursor in any cell in it and select Data > Outline > Ungroup. However, if one or more outline group is nested in another, the controls have numbered buttons for hiding different levels of group. The basic outline controls have plus or minus signs at the start of the group to show or hide hidden cells. They are strictly for on-line use, and do not print. The controls resemble the tree-structure of a file-manager in appearance, and can be hidden by selecting Data > Outline > Hide Details. When you close the window, the outline group controls are visible between either the row or column headers and the edges of the editing window. The Group window gives you a choice of whether to group the selected cells by rows and columns. Otherwise, you can set outline groups manually by selecting the cells for grouping, then choosing Data > Outline > Group from the Calc menus. If the contents of cells falls into a regular pattern, such as four cells followed by a total, then you can use Data > Outline > Autoutline to have Calc add outline controls based on the pattern. However, if you are continually hiding and showing the same cells, you can the processes easier by creating outline groups, which add a set of controls for hiding and showing the cells in the group that are quick to use and always available. Individual cells can be hidden or shown via Format > Cell > Cell Protection. When you need them again, you can reverse the process, and show the elements again. For example, if column B is hidden, it is copied when you select columns A and C. While elements are hidden, they are neither visible or printed, but can still be selected for copying if you select the elements around them. Sheets, rows, and columns can all be hidden or shown through the sub-menus of the Format menu. In Calc, searching, the printing of selected items, and, to a lesser extent, privacy can all be made easier through the use of outline group controls, filters, and customized sorts. However, as the number of list items creeps up into the hundreds and beyond into the lower fringes of database territory, the different ways that you can manipulate lists in spreadsheets starts to give them a distinct advantages. In fact, unless you have a spreadsheet template set up so that cells have word wrap and hyphenation, you might be better off using a word processor if all you have is half a dozen items on the list. However, probably the most common tasks in spreadsheets is manipulating lists.Ĭalc and other spreadsheets have few advantages over a word processor when you are just making a list. And it's true that spreadsheets like Calcs have hundreds of different functions for performing calculations. When asked to explain the purpose of spreadsheets, most people think of calculations first.
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