CompSci//Media Arts - Pretty Spreadsheets

CompSci//Media Arts

Today's Goal

Continue working with Apple Numbers;
make your spreadsheet pretty.

Completed

Use Apple Pages to complete a document on Safety Symbols
Finish Project Exposition: Location Page
Create Location Hazards Page
Workspace Check Document
Collect data for Phred's Trip

Today

Customize & make your spreadsheet pretty

Upcoming

Learn about Safety Equipment

Typing Practice

Start with typing:
https://shaunwegs.github.io/2024/pit/t/index.html
^^ If this isn't working in Chrome, then try Firefox or Safari

Keep your screenshots, update your log.

More About Spreadsheet Software

The three most widely known spreadsheet applications are probably Microsoft Excel, Google Sheets, and Apple Numbers; and perhaps not exactly in that order. They each have advantages and disadvantages.

These are not the only spreadsheet softwares that exist, just probably the three most known.

Microsoft Excel

Excel is the most powerful of these specific spreadsheet programs. It's widely used by many engineers and scientists in the US due to vast number of built in functions in provides.

Google Sheets

This is the most 'portable' of the three. Due to Google Sheets working in the web browser, it works on just about any computer or device. This makes it a popular choice.

Apple Numbers

Numbers is the prettiest of the three. It has a good amount of power, enough for most people. However, because it only works on Apple computers, its probably the least popular of the 3,

What to do today?

As Numbers is the prettiest of the software, let's lean into it's strength.

Take the document you worked on yesterday, and try to make it pretty. Here on the right are my examples. You can change yours in different ways- these are just my examples.

I've added a map of the flightpath from Houston to Brasilia as a background. I've changed the color palette of my table and the graph to look nicer, and I've switched the graph from the 2D pie graph to the 3D pie graph.

Below, I'll provide some explanation and guidance on how I made these changes.

How did I do that?

The Background

Just like we did in pages, the first thing I did was find the image I wanted to use as the background. I used the flightpath. You don't have to use a flightpath.

I couldn't get a flightpath to Alto Paraíso where the hotel actually is, instead I had to use Brasilia- which is where I'm having Phred fly in anyway.

I started with an overly large screenshot, so I'd have more than I needed. In numbers, I can crop the image as I need to.

After dragging the image into my document, I right clicked on it and sent it to the back.

Next, I double clicked on it to adjust the cropping/masking, as well as made it larger to be the background for my full page.

So, now my document looks something like this.

With the background behind it, we now see that most of my table is transparent. My table is really hard to read, so now I want to fix that.

The Table

So I changed the fill color for the different cells so we can now easily read our data again.

I also used alternating colors for the fills, which makes it easier to read across the lines.

Notice, it's really hard to read the table's title (Phred's Expenses) still though...

Now I've made the title easier to read by changing the font size, making it bold, and giving it a background color.

In the picture here, you can see how. First, I highlighted the title (Phred Expenses). Then, under the Format and Title tabs, I adjust the font size, style, and under advanced options, I gave it a text background.

The Graph/Chart

Lastly, I customized how the chart looks. To do this, click on your chart. You should notice that the panel on the right will change, providing you with different options.

From here, I changed the color palette, and switched the chart type to a 3D chart.

With the 3d Chart, you can also rotate and spin the chart to different angles. You can still also grab individual slices of the pie chart and pull them outward.

Lastly, to make the labels more legible, I added a rectangle from the shape options. I changed the color, and then sent it behind the chart.

It'll go back too far, behind my background. So, I have to resend the background to back again as well.

And that's it- that's how I made these customizations for this specific example.

What to Submit?

Submit a screenshot of your prettier spreadsheet.

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