Spreadsheet Columns -- How to Name?

"I want to make a chart with Author, Title, Comments, Date Finished and keep track of these entries by numbers on the left side of page. HOW ? 🙂"

Hi Nan,

Welcome to the discussions and the AppleWorks forum.

Although it's probably easier to start this type of list in a spreadsheet, the task is one more suited to the database, particularly if you're going to add anything beyond short comments.

Looking over the "Wine List" database included in Starting Points > Templates will give you some ideas toward creating a Book list database. In "List" (near the top of the Layout menu), a database file displays in a manner very similar to a spreadsheet (but with the field names at the top of each column. The Wine List db also includes a "List View" layout (this one near the bottom of the Layout menu) which is similar, but 'prettier', and offers more control of the display. It was created using Columnar report, found in the New layout... item in the Layout menu.

If you decide to stick with the spreadsheet for now, it's fairly easy to transfer the data to a database later.


Adding to Ed's comments regarding the spreadsheet:

You can remove the column and row headers using the Display item in the Options menu. Before you do that, make the changes described below.

Leave Column A free for numbering the items, then enter your headings into the first cell in each column, starting with "Author" in B1.

In A2, enter =ROW()-1

Select cells A2..A500 (or as far as you wish to enter item numbers).

Go (to the) Calculate (menu and choose) Fill Down. AppleWorks will fill the formula in A2 into the selected cells, and will calculate numbers 1..499 to display in these cells.)

With the cells still selected, go Edit > Copy.

Then go Edit > Paste special... Values only. (These two steps replace the formulas you entered with the values calculated by the formulas. This keeps the numbers fixed if the spreadsheet is sorted, allowing a sort on column A to restore the original order.)

Regards,
Barry

If I understand you correctly: You can't. Sorry.

Thinking of it this way may help: The Column and Row labels (A,B,C… and 1, 2, 3…) are not 'in' the spreadsheet, and that's where anything you control has to be. If they were in the spread sheet they'd also get sorted, calculated and formatted along with your data. Then how would you name/point to a cell?

To make up for this rigid behaviour, AppleWorks does allow you to hide these stiffnecked rebel items using Options>Display…, and, if you use those first cells for titles, the small price you pay is only that you must remember 'real' data starts in the second cells. Locking Title Postion was made for this as it effectively excludes those title cells from sorting shuffles even if you spec a sort from A1 to whatever.