Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Basically I want to click ctrl and highlight a few cells then have it tell me how many cells I've highlighted. Should be a basic function of Calc right?

In the status bar there is by default mentioned 'sum=...' Right click on this gives list of other functions. You can choose count() or countA(). This will count the selected cells that are not-empty. I think that it is not possible to 'see' the amount of selected empty cells.

kh92 wrote:I want to click ctrl and highlight a few cells then have it tell me how many cells I've highlighted.

It's not clear if you want the count of the cells or the dimensions of those cells (rows and columns). I will assume the latter because eremmel has suggested a method for the former.

1. If the sheet is unprotected, select an unused cell, type =, select the desired range, note the displayed row/column tool tip, and press Escape. This requires option (OpenOffice.org > Preferences on a Mac; Tools > Options on other platforms) OpenOffice.org > General > Help > Tips.
2. Otherwise, look at name box and do simple mental arithmetic. For example if it shows C121:E226 that's 106 rows and three columns (318 cells). The name box is the area to left of ⨍ₓ Σ = in the formula bar. (View > Formula Bar)
3. If the cells are not empty, right click the status bar area to the left of the zoom slider and select COUNTA. Drag across one column vertically to see row count. Drag across one row horizontally to see column count.
4. If mental arithmetic is too hard for you, the sheet is protected, and the cells are empty see Counting rows for macro approaches.
5. You could check the Extensions site to see if any of them offer that feature. Persist if the site doesn't open.

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Any less complicated ways of doing this? All I want to do is hit Ctrl, select a few cells, and see how many cells I've selected. Sounds like the most basic thing imaginable. Am I to understand Open Office doesn't support something so unbelievably basic like this?

If the cells are not empty, then eremmel's method provides a simple solution. If the cells are empty, then I don't know of a way to display how many are selected. If you are looking for a count of cells regardless of whether they are empty, can you explain why? Maybe there is another way to get where you want to go.

A small macro should do it. It would be a matter of multiplying the number of columns by the number of rows. I don't recall any spreadsheet software which counts the number of cells selected.