How to Import Files to OpenOffice Calc
You can type data in any application manually, but this takes some time and is usually rather boring. If data is available in any digital form, it is always quicker to import it.
by
Roger
Updated March 4, 2013
OpenOffice Calc lets users import data from various other systems. It is able to open up files of many other applications and convert them.
A. You can check what types of files OpenOffice Calc is able to convert in the File > Open menu.
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Go to the File menu
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Select Open and click the “files of type” dropdown menu. By scrolling down, you will see the file formats OpenOffice Calc is compatible with.
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If the file format is compatible with OpenOffice Calc, you can open it by double-clicking on the file.
B. If the file format is not compatible with OpenOffice Calc, you can try to export the data to a delimited text file (CSV file) in the source application. Delimited text files can be imported into Calc.
How to import text files into Calc?
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Go to the File menu
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Select Open and when the dialog comes up, choose the file to load. Double-click on the name of the CSV file that contains the data to be imported. The text import screen will appear. Here you can control how the data will be mapped to cells in Calc.
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Check what delimiters separate data fields in the CSV file. These are characters like comma or tab surrounded by either single or double quotes.
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Check the appropriate boxes of the Separator options. The text will split across the columns, you will see the result in the datagrid at the bottom of the screen.
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You can change a column's data type by clicking on the column, and then selecting the required Column type in the pull-down menu. E.g. if a column contains dates, select the column type accordingly.
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If you want to exclude a column of the CSV file from the import process, select the column type Hide. That column will not be imported at all.
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If the result in the datagrid looks fine, click the OK button. The import is ready.
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Should all the text appear in one column, check Separator options. As you change them, you will see the text distributed across the columns differently.
C. Option: You can use the Insert > Sheet from file menu to import the CSV file as a new sheet within a workbook. The data of the CSV file will be entered into a new sheet.
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Go to the Insert menu
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Select Sheet from file and when the dialog comes up, choose the file to import. Click Insert.
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Check the appropriate boxes of the Separator options as discussed before. When it is done, click OK.
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Indicate if you want to insert the new sheet before or after an existing worksheet, and click OK.