scrathcyboy
asked on
Sum dollar values in Open office word processor
An endless annoyance in word processors is their inability to sum dollar values in a column. I had this feature available in DOS Wordstar (!!!) over 10 years ago -- just highlight a vertical column, and sum up all the dollar amounts in that column. Hell, modern word processors cant even select a column of text, let alone figure out it is dollar amounts and sum them.
I am using Open Office now, 1.5, and it cannot select just one column and it cannot sum values, as far as I can tell. No, I do not want to convert to a spreadsheet just to make up for a word processors failing. ANY help or unknown or hidden keystrokes on how to do this in OO Writer? Thanks.
I am using Open Office now, 1.5, and it cannot select just one column and it cannot sum values, as far as I can tell. No, I do not want to convert to a spreadsheet just to make up for a word processors failing. ANY help or unknown or hidden keystrokes on how to do this in OO Writer? Thanks.
You can select a column by going slightly above the table, the mouse cursor changes to a down arrow, left click and the column will be selected.
ASKER
As I said in the original question, I am doing this in the wordprocessor -- NOT a spreadsheet.
With a spreadsheet it is easy. I need a column select and column sum mode in the writer. Thanks./
With a spreadsheet it is easy. I need a column select and column sum mode in the writer. Thanks./
Yes, I did read your Q
This is in OpenOffice Write
This is in OpenOffice Write
ASKER
there is no table and there are no cells -- this is a plain Write document, with columns separated by tabs.
One way to do that is to create a table, then get rid of the lines by making them transparent. If text is to be inserted which needs to flow through the structure of the table, cells can be merged and cell margins can be made zero.
SOLUTION
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ASKER
"One way to do that is to create a table, then get rid of the lines by making them transparent. If text is to be inserted which needs to flow through the structure of the table, cells can be merged and cell margins can be made zero."
Just as much hassle as inserting a spreadsheet into a write document. Well, you have pretty much told me that it cannot be done without creating a spreadsheet-like table, and I dont want to do that, because the text around the dollar values are too variable to be bothered messing with splitting and joining cells.
I guess 10-15 year old technology pioneered by the originator of the word processor is totally LOST on these modern windows programs, that force you to do inordinate steps to conform to their single-minded concepts, before you can do simple tasks, like summing some numbers in a document.
If no other comments in the next few days, I will accept your answer, as correct for the limitations of windows word processors. Thanks for your insights.
Just as much hassle as inserting a spreadsheet into a write document. Well, you have pretty much told me that it cannot be done without creating a spreadsheet-like table, and I dont want to do that, because the text around the dollar values are too variable to be bothered messing with splitting and joining cells.
I guess 10-15 year old technology pioneered by the originator of the word processor is totally LOST on these modern windows programs, that force you to do inordinate steps to conform to their single-minded concepts, before you can do simple tasks, like summing some numbers in a document.
If no other comments in the next few days, I will accept your answer, as correct for the limitations of windows word processors. Thanks for your insights.
ASKER CERTIFIED SOLUTION
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=SUM <A2:A10>
If you want $, £ or whatever, once the figures are in the cells, select the column and choose Number Format, Currency.
P.S. I am using OO 2.0