<p class="Paragraph">If you mark a cell range and then click the small box in the bottom right-hand corner with the mouse and drag it down or to the right, the contents of the cells are automatically filled.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">Here are a few examples of how the automatic fill sequence works: The sequence 1, 2 <text:s text:c="" xmlns:text="http://openoffice.org/2000/text"/>becomes 1, 2, 3, 4, etc., the sequence 1, 3 becomes <text:s text:c="" xmlns:text="http://openoffice.org/2000/text"/>1, 3, 5, 7, etc., the cell content "Quarter 1" becomes Quarter 1, Quarter 2, Quarter 3, etc., the cell content "Department 1" becomes <text:s text:c="" xmlns:text="http://openoffice.org/2000/text"/>Department 1, Department 2, Department 3, <text:s text:c="" xmlns:text="http://openoffice.org/2000/text"/>and so forth.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">Numbers are modified but not text. An exception is text that is entered in a sorted list (Choose <span class="T1">Tools - Options - Spreadsheet - Sort Lists</span>). For example, when you drag open the sequence Jan Feb, it will continue with the abbreviations of the names of the month.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">If you just want to to copy the area without the values being changed, hold down the <help:switch select="System" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"><help:case select="MAC">(Command)</help:case><help:default>(Ctrl)</help:default></help:switch> key while dragging.</p>
<p class="Head3">In a spreadsheet document, how does one automatically advance a specific date field by one month in a column?</p>
<p class="Paragraph">1. Enter 01.01.00 in cell A1</p>
<p class="Paragraph">2. Enter 01.02.00 in cell A2.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">3. Select the two fields using the mouse (so that both are field shaded).</p>
<p class="Paragraph">4. In the lower right-hand corner of cell A2 you will see a small square. Place the mouse cursor on this square, until it turns into a target cross.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">5. Press the left mouse button and hold it down. Now drag the mouse down (so that several fields in the column are selected). If you now release the mouse button, the fields in the column will be filled with the date, advanced by one month in each case.</p>
