in libreoffice calc I need simply to sum the selected terms in column a
If I use sum(a3:a9) to define the selection, why does’nt it work???
Does it read =SUM(a3:a9)?
That = sign is kinda important
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You don’t even have to type the formula, just select the column (or row) you want to sum, with an empty cell at the end of the column (or row) - then hit the big SIGMA symbol on the toolbar and it will create the formula for you… It’s almost too easy… and identical to Microsoft Excel too, I might add 
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thanks cliff and daniel. BUT it does’nt work with $ ’ s in the file, ie dollar format.
Is ther an option for that?
Don’t use currency symbols in numerical fields - numbers (integer, or float) need to be JUST numbers…
Remove any currency symbols from the numerical values…
If you want to display currency symbols, that’s a formatting function, if you put any sort of symbol next to a number, it will change to a string, not a number…
I guess sometimes dates can be an exception to this “rule” - e.g. :
“25/12/2022” is a string which in some cases, might get interpreted as a date, depending where you live and your locale date format (e.g. dd/mm/yyyy), but :
=25/12/2022 will be interpreted as a formula (i.e. 25 div by 12 div. by 2022)… and if your default locale is e.g. USA, where people bizarrely have the date values arse about, you might need to type “12/25/2022” for Xmas day…
To have currency displayed - right click on the cell (or range of selected cells), then select “Format Cells”, then Numbers, and select Currency in the left “pane” :
and select whatever currency you want displayed (and this maybe be specific to your region / locale, e… someone in France might get Euro, someone in UK pound, but in Australia, Canada or USA, “$”… Once formatted with a currency setting, if you go back into the cell and change the value, you won’t see the currrency symbol, but it will (or should) re-appear, once you finished editing that cell.
I suggest you go to your local library and grab a book about using computer application packages, as both of your questions are related more to “how do I use a spreadsheet application” than anything specific to Free and Open Source Software, as both your questions could equally apply to Microsoft Excel, or another free spreadsheet application like Gnumeric…
I am an old EXCEL user recently changing from microsoft to linux hece to libreoffice.
I now see the simple solution.
- in lireoffice select eg a1:a22
- copy to a suitable spot eg b1
3 paste special using $ as separator
3 sum(b1:b22}
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I’m a bit confused about the dollar sign. Is there a dollar sign embedded in the numbers? I can see why that wouldn’t be treated as a number when trying to sum or use any other numeric operation.
You may already know this, but you can still use Excel from Linux by using it via a web browser. There is more than one way to get there, but I think you can hit https://www.office.com and use Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and other MS Office apps.
There is some free storage too, but it isn’t a lot. I have an Office subscription and that includes 1TB I think.