Table, charts, and functions

Tables and charts are the heart of any spreadsheet. Here’s how they work

USING TEMPLATES IS a great way to get to grips with Numbers, but very soon you’ll find yourself wanting to hack them to work with your own data sets, or to create spreadsheets yourself from scratch.

To do that, you’ll need to create your own formulas using the functions Numbers understands. There are hundreds of these and they range from the very basic, such as adding up a column of numbers or calculating an average, to complex statements with conditions and boolean operators. Thankfully, Numbers provides detailed descriptions and examples of how each function works so you know which ones to opt for.

To see them, click in an empty cell in a table, press the Insert button in the toolbar, and choose New Formula. You will see the Functions browser appear on the right of the screen with a library of functions, descriptions, and examples. Use the categories on the left to find the function you want to know more about or use, or search for it.

HOW TO… Add a table

1 Add a table

When you open a new blank document in Numbers, it has one table in it. To add another one, click the Table icon in the toolbar. Use the arrows to scroll through the style options, then click on one to choose it.

2 Add rows and columns

To add more columns, click on the “||” icon to the right of the header row, and drag it right. To add more rows, click on the arrow next to the number at the bottom and Add Row Above or Below.

3 Fill out the table

Use the Table tab in the Format sidebar to style the table and double– click over the default title to type your own. You can now start typing data or formulas into cells on the table, or paste data from another spreadsheet.

HOW TO… Create a chart

1 Add a chart

Identify the data you want to chart and decide what type of chart it suits. Click on the chart button on the toolbar and choose a chart type. Press Add Chart data to define the cells you want to use to populate the chart.

2 Add data to the chart

Click the bottom left of the sheet and choose Plot Columns as Series or Plot Rows as Series. Click in the first cell whose contents you want to plot, then the next, and so on. Click Done.

3 Style the chart

Use the Format sidebar to style the chart by selecting a preset, or manually making adjustments. You can drag the chart and key anywhere. To add or delete data, select the chart and choose Edit Data References.

HOW TO… Use functions

1 Add a simple function

To add a simple function, such as Sum or Average, click and drag over the cells you want the formula to act on. Choose Insert in the toolbar. Select the particular function you want. It will then be added to the first empty cell.

2 Add a complex formula

Click in the cell where you want to add the formula. Click Insert and choose New Formula. You’ll see a list of formulas in the Functions browser; search the list and choose one. Click Insert Function.

3 Complete the formula

When the formula appears, click on the first cell you want it to act on and drag over the rest of the cells. If necessary, click on the second parameter in the formula and give it a value. When done, click the green tick.