NOTE: Saving and opening files locally only works if you are running the applet from the CD or a local copy of the applet. Loading sample data sets will work if you are running off the CD or connected to the internet.

Overview

• This applet is a simplified spreadsheet. The applet is provided in case you do not have access to a more complete spreadsheet program or wish to complete the spreadsheet activities while remaining in the world of web browsing. The applet has similar functionality to existing spreadsheet programs such as Excel.
• To enter values into a cell, simply click on the cell or use the cursor keys to select the desired cell and start typing.
• To edit a cell, select the cell and press enter.
• To exit editing the contents of a cell, press enter or click on a new cell.
• To exit editing a cell without changing the contents of the cell press escape.

Calculations and Equations

To perform a calculation, start the contents of the cell with an equals sign ("="). For example: If you enter "=5*6," then the result "30" will be displayed.

Cell References

• The most powerful feature of a spreadsheet is its ability to reference cells.
• To reference a cell simply use the column and row location of the cell such as: A1, D7 or AB65.
• To reference a range of cells use a colon (":") between to cell references such as: A1:C9, D8:D20 or B1:F1.
• When copying cells, it is useful to indicate when a reference is absolute. To make either the column or row an absolute reference, use a dollar sign ("$") before the column or row.
• For example, $A$1 will always refer to the very first cell no matter where the cell contents are copied or moved. The reference $A1 will always refer to column A, but the row may change if the equation is moved or copied.
• You may use the $ with a range of cells.

Functions Available

Many of the standard mathematical functions are available such as sqrt(value) for the square root function and cos(value) for the cosine function. Currently, only the sum, count and mean (or average) functions are available for a list of values or for a range of cells.

sum(list of values, cells or ranges of cells)

count(list of values, cells or ranges of cells)

mean(list of values, cells or ranges of cells)

Copy Cells

• To copy a single cell, first select the cell. Choose copy from the edit menu.
• Second move to the cell where you wish to paste the contents. Choose paste from the edit menu.
• Alternatively you can use the meta key together with 'C' instead of choosing copy from the edit menu. On a mac or pc, use the standard copy keys. Similarly you can use the meta key together with 'V' for paste.

Selecting a range of cells

• Use the shift key while using the cursor keys to select a range of cells.
• You can not use the shift key together with the mouse in this version.

Filling a range of cells

• Select a single or range of cells for copying as above.
• Then select a range of cells into which the copied cells should be pasted.

Sorting

• To sort the entire spreadsheet, select a cell in the column or row you wish to sort by and then choose" sort rows" or "sort columns" from the tools menu.
• To sort a range of cells, select the range of cells and then choose sort. The range will be sorted by the first row or column.

Saving

• Reading and saving files on your local machine only works if you are running the applet locally. For example, you are running off a CD or are running a downloaded version. We are working on creating a signed applet which will fix this problem.
• In this version of the applet, you can only save one file with the a pre-chosen name - typically "DataFile."To load the last saved version, simply choose the open option from the file menu. To save the current version, choose the save option from the file menu.
• The datafile can be imported into other spreadsheet programs such as Excel. Cells are separated by a semicolon (";").