OpenOffice.Org 1.0 Resource Kit

Pointing to Cell References and Errors

Cells can sometimes contain references to a lot of other cells , especially when you use more complex formulas and functions. Also, a single cell can be referenced in a lot of other cells. Calc has a couple of great tools that draw arrows to or from a selected cell, pointing to the other cells that the current cell references, called precedents , or the cells that reference the current cell, called dependents .

Tracing precedents and dependents are great for troubleshooting, because they show you exactly which cells are used in a calculation, making it easier to spot incorrect cell references.

Calc also includes an error tracing tool, which points to the cells causing an error in a particular cell.

1. Select the cell you want to trace.

2. Choose Tools > Detective > (Trace Precedents, Trace Dependents, or Trace Error).

Arrows appear, pointing to the relevant references, as illustrated in Figure 22-14.

You can remove the arrows by choosing Tools > Detective, and selecting the relevant remove item. If you're going to use traces on a regular basis, consider assigning a shortcut key removing traces. See Assigning Shortcut Keys to Menu Items on page 104. Select the Options category, then select the Remove All Traces command.