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# Naming Cells

## Allowed names

Names in Calc can contain letters, numeric characters, and the underline character. Names must start with a letter or an underline character.

Allowed special characters:

- underline (_)

Names must not be the same as cell references. For example, the name A1 is invalid because A1 is a cell reference to the top left cell.

Names must not start with the letters C or R followed by a number; also single characters C and R are not allowed as names. See the ADDRESS function for more information.

Names for cell ranges must not include blanks. Blanks are allowed within names for sheets and documents.

## Naming cells and ranges

A good way of making the references to cells and cell ranges in formulae legible is to give the ranges names. For example, you can name the range A1:B2 Start. You can then write a formula such as "=SUM(Start)". Even after you insert or delete rows or columns, LibreOffice still correctly assigns the ranges identified by name. Range names must not contain any spaces.

For example, it is much easier to read a formula for value-added tax if you can write "= Amount * VAT_rate" instead of "= A5 * B12". In this case, you would name cell A5 "Amount" and cell B12 "VAT_rate."

Use the Define Names dialogue box to define names for formulae or parts of formulae you need more often. In order to specify range names,

1. Select a cell or range of cells, then choose Sheet - Named Ranges and Expressions - Define. The Define Names dialogue box appears.

2. Type the name of the selected area in the Name field. Click Add. The newly defined name appears in the list below. Click OK to close the dialogue box.

You can also name other cell ranges in this dialogue box by entering the name in the field and then selecting the respective cells.

If you type the name in a formula, after the first few characters entered you will see the entire name as a tip.

- Press the Enter key in order to accept the name from the tip.

- If more than one name starts with the same characters, you can scroll forward through all the names using the Command Ctrl + Tab keys and backward using the Shift + Command Ctrl + Tab keys.

## Naming Formulae

You can assign a simpler or more familiar name to a long or complex formula expression.

1. Choose Sheet - Named Ranges and Expressions - Define. The Define Names dialogue box appears.

2. Enter the name for the formula expression in the Name field.

3. Enter the formula expression in the Range or formula expression box. For example, if you have named your formula HYP, you can enter the expression SQRT(A1*A1 + B1*B1) to compute the distance between two points on a plane. Do not precede the expression with an equal sign (=).

4. Click Add. The newly defined name appears in the list below. Click OK to close the dialogue box.

5. Enter the name of the named formula in the desired cell. The cell value is the result of the formula expression. For example, enter =HYP() to compute the formula above. Note that you cannot directly pass parameters to named formulae.

Naming conventions apply to named formulae. Absolute and relative references are respected. For example, when the named formula is copied and pasted.

Related Topics

Sheet - Named Ranges and Expressions - Define

Applying Goal Seek

Addresses and References, Absolute and Relative

Recognising Names as Addressing

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