Apache OpenOffice Community Forum

Hello - I'm new so hope this is ok and hope there is someone out there who can point me in the right direction - there must be an easier way to do what I want! I don't have MS Access but do have OpenOffice.

I do some work for an electrical contractor which consists of entering information into a form. I have set up a template in Excel, one worksheet with 70 separate forms representing one room each. Once completed the spreadsheet prints out to one form per sheet with headers and footers. The form has 23 columns and 18 rows, and there are 14 cells into which I need to enter information. Some cells are merged (either because they span a number of columns, or because they contain vertical text). With the exception of the 14 cells I compete, the others are either changed at the beginning of each set of work or are static.

I've been able to isolate the cells into which I need to enter information through Tools, Protect Cells, which has been a big help. However the cells where I enter information changes from report to report (I've so far done 12 of these are there are going to be at least another 30-40), and it's a right pain locking and unlocking different cells x 70 each time.

Ideally I would like to be able to set up one form, and once it's completed, I just hit enter or next. (Even better if I could import the existing form into Base and go from there!)

I am new to database programs so please be gentle with me! (and If I'm searching for the holy grail, please let me down softly!)

Thanks for reading

No way. Database development is for experts. If you already had a database rather than a spreadsheet, then you could connect a Base document to this database and use that database with OpenOffice forms, text documents and spreadsheets. There is no easy way to convert spreadsheet projects into databases. You would start from zero with a way more abstract set of tools.

Ah thanks - thought it was worth a punt! I was under the impression that you could design a form and then enter info into it. Is this not the case then?
Thanks

I was under the impression that you could design a form and then enter info into it.

Yes, but it's not that simple. Before you design a form you must first design tables to store the information entered on the form so it can be retrieved when needed.
Here is a link to a tutorial on designing databases
https://wiki.documentfoundation.org/ima ... torial.pdf

Thank you. Some light reading! Guess I'll just have to plug away as it is for the time being.