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51. Fill Cells with Data

40 Create a New Spreadsheet

46 Edit Cell Data

53 Enter Calc Functions

Calc often predicts what data you want to enter into a sheet. By spotting trends in your data, Calc uses educated guesses to fill in cell data for you. Calc uses data

fills to copy and extend data from one cell to several additional cells.

KEY TERM

Fills
The automatic placement of values in sheet cells based on a pattern in other cells.

One of the most common data fills you perform is to copy one cell's data to several other cells. You might want to create a pro forma balance sheet for the previous five-year period, for example. You can insert a two-line label across the top of each year's data. The first line would contain five occurrences of the label

Year , and the second line would hold the numbers

2004 through

2008 . After entering all the data in year 2004's column, you only need to select that column and drag to fill in the remaining columns.

Even if the only fill Calc performed was this copying of data across rows and columns, the data fill would still be beneficial. Calc goes an extra step, however: It performs smart fills, too. Calc actually examines and completes data you have entered.

Using Calc's fill capability to enter the years 2004 through 2008 across the top of the sheet requires only that you type 2004 under the first Year title, select the cell, and then drag the fill handle right four more cells. When you release the mouse button, Calc fills in the remaining years.

TIP

Calc fills in not only numbers in sequences but can also determine sequential years and other sequences (such as extending cells containing 3, 6, and 9 to new cells that hold 12, 15, 18, and so on). Calc also extends days of the week and month names. Type Monday in one cell and drag the

fill handle to let Calc finish the days of the week in every cell you drag to.

KEY TERM

Fill handle
A small black box, at the bottom-right corner of a selected cell or range, that you drag to the right (or left or down or up) to fill the range of data with values related to the selected range.