Fill Date Series and Custom Lists in LibreOffice Calc

Use Sheet → Fill Cells → Fill Series when a sequence needs a deliberate step and end point. Use a custom Sort List when the sequence consists of repeated labels. A fill operation can overwrite the selected cells, so select an empty destination block including only the intended seed.

This worked recipe follows Calc Guide 26.2 and current Help labeled 26.8, checked on 19 October 2026. It uses English standard menus. On macOS, application options are under LibreOffice → Preferences. No new native run is claimed; the results below are independently calculated expectations.

Prepare a small dispatch schedule

Start a blank ODS workbook and rename its sheet Schedule. Enter these starting cells; leave the other cells in A2:D7 empty.

Cell	Entry
A1	Dispatch date
A2	=DATE(2026;11;2)
B1	Batch number
C1	Stage
C2	Intake
D1	Planned amount
F1	Unit rate
F2	6

The formula uses English function names and semicolon arguments. Use your configured equivalents if necessary. Format A2:A7 as dates using Format → Cells → Numbers → Date. The DATE function avoids an ambiguous typed date such as 11/2/26.

1. Fill six weekly dates

1. Select A2:A7 using the Name Box to the left of the formula bar.
2. Choose Sheet → Fill Cells → Fill Series.
3. Set Direction to Down, Series Type to Date, Unit of Time to Day, and Increment to 7.
4. Use the starting date corresponding to 2 November 2026 and an End Value corresponding to 7 December 2026. Enter dates in the form accepted by your locale; the seeded A2 gives you a visible reference to check.
5. Confirm with OK. Inspect all six rows, not just the first and last.

The expected dates are 2, 9, 16, 23 and 30 November, then 7 December 2026. Put =A7-A2 in F4 with Number format: expect 35. Put =A3-A2 in F5: expect 7. Check =ISNUMBER(A7) in F6: TRUE. A plausible-looking text date is not a satisfactory result.

These settings are documented in Fill Series. Selecting Date/Day with increment 7 expresses weekly calendar spacing; Weekday is a different option that omits weekend days.

2. Control a numeric step and stop point

Select B2:B7 and reopen Fill Series. Choose Down, Linear, Start Value 100, End Value 150, Increment 10. Expect 100, 110, 120, 130, 140, 150. Their sum is 750. These batch numbers are numeric practice data, not identifiers requiring leading zeros.

Now save a checkpoint and test a deliberately shorter run in the same block. Clear B2:B7’s contents, reselect it, and fill Linear from 100 through 140 in steps of 10. Expect five values ending at B6; B7 should remain empty. Clearing first prevents an old 150 from masquerading as new output. Restore the complete 100–150 sequence and verify all six entries again.

For a second step-size test, use an isolated empty H2:H5 block, Linear Start 2, End 8, Increment 2. Expect 2, 4, 6, 8 and total 20. Changing the step is meaningful only if the selected range is long enough to contain the intended series.

3. Create and repeat a custom stage list

1. Open Tools → Options → LibreOffice Calc → Sort Lists. Note the existing lists; do not edit or remove them.
2. Click New. In Entries type three lines, in this order: Intake, Review, Dispatch.
3. Click Add, then OK. This changes your Calc profile’s available sort/fill lists; do not assume another person’s profile receives the list with your workbook.
4. Ensure C2 contains Intake and C3:C7 is empty. Select C2:C7, open Fill Series, choose Down and AutoFill, then OK.
5. Check C2:C7: Intake, Review, Dispatch, Intake, Review, Dispatch. There must be two of each label, and C7 must be Dispatch.

The Sort Lists options document New, Add/Modify and Delete. If you no longer need the practice list, reopen that options page, select only the three-entry list you just added, and Delete it, confirming the prompt. Existing filled labels are cell contents; removing the list is not a way to erase those cells.

4. Contrast a value sequence with filling a formula

In D2 enter =B2*$F$2. Select D2:D7 and choose Sheet → Fill Cells → Fill Down. The reference to B2 should advance by row, while $F$2 remains fixed. Inspect D3 and D7 in the formula bar: expect =B3*$F$2 and =B7*$F$2.

The six expected amounts are 600, 660, 720, 780, 840 and 900, totaling 4500. Change F2 to 7: amounts should become 700, 770, 840, 910, 980 and 1050, totaling 5250. Restore 6 and verify 4500 again. This change test distinguishes live formulas from accidentally pasted static results. See absolute and relative references and the Fill commands help.

Troubleshooting and final check

• One value repeats: check whether you used Fill Down instead of Fill Series/AutoFill. Fill Down copies the seed; it does not mean “add seven days.”
• The stages do not cycle: check spelling and the custom list’s saved order, then refill an empty block with AutoFill. A list in a different profile is not evidence that this profile has it.
• Only the first formula is right: inspect $F$2. An unfixed rate reference can drift into blank cells.
• The last row is stale: undo immediately or restore the saved checkpoint, clear the exact output block and rerun. Do not clear the headers or F-column controls.
• A date displays as a number: inspect its type and format. Formatting numeric serials as dates changes their display; it does not repair text.

Save as ODS, reopen, and check A7, B7, C7, the D7 formula and the controls. Repeating the custom fill on a second computer requires checking that computer’s list setup separately. The Calc Guide chapter on entering and editing data supplies the broader fill workflow. Native behavior and persistence for this exercise remain to be verified in your installed build.