Use array formulas without corrupting the result range

Select the complete output rectangle before entering an array formula, then confirm with Ctrl+Shift+Enter on Windows/Linux. To change the calculation later, select the entire array again. These are fixed-range array formulas, not Excel-style dynamic spills.

Scope and fixture

This exercise uses Apache OpenOffice Calc 4.1 desktop, with Windows/Linux key conventions. The array controls are grounded in the AOO 4.1.16-tagged help source. macOS key substitutions are outside this keyboard-specific exercise. No native execution is claimed.

In a disposable ODS workbook enter the following numeric block in A1:B3:

A	B
2	5
4	7
6	9

Put a label such as “Tenfold result” in D5, outside the intended output D1:E3. Keep the output rectangle empty. The result must have three rows and two columns because the source has three rows and two columns.

Enter one formula for six results

1. Select D1:E3 as a single rectangle.
2. Type =10*A1:B3 into the input line.
3. Press Ctrl+Shift+Enter, not ordinary Enter.
4. Inspect the formula display. Calc adds surrounding array braces automatically; do not type braces yourself to create an array formula.

The expected result is:

D	E
20	50
40	70
60	90

The selected output cells belong to one array calculation. They are not six unrelated formulas that you can patch independently. The help also documents an Array checkbox in the Function Wizard, but direct entry is sufficient for this fixture.

Change source B2 from 7 to 8. E2 should become 80, while the other five results remain unchanged. Restore B2 to 7. This check proves which source cell feeds that position and helps detect a transposed or mis-sized selection.

Change the complete array safely

Select all of D1:E3 again. You can select it directly with the mouse. The help also documents Ctrl plus the numeric-keypad division key to select the entire array from a cell inside it; a laptop without that key can use the known rectangle instead.

Press F2 or click in the input line, change the formula to =12*A1:B3, and confirm with Ctrl+Shift+Enter. Expected results are now 24/60, 48/84 and 72/108 by row. Only the multiplier changed; the source range and output dimensions did not.

If you try to replace only E2, Calc protects the array against partial changes. Cancel the attempted edit and select the whole array rather than trying to defeat the restriction. Formatting an individual result cell is different: the help permits separate formatting within the array, so a bold result does not imply an independent formula.

Handle range growth deliberately

Suppose you add a fourth source row A4=8 and B4=11. The existing formula still references A1:B3, and the existing output remains D1:E3. No new result row should be assumed to appear automatically.

The help warns that adjusting an output array range does not automatically adjust its formula. For a safe first exercise, leave the working array intact and create a separate array in G1:H4 using =12*A1:B4 and Ctrl+Shift+Enter. The new fourth row should be 96 and 132. Compare the first three rows with D1:E3 before deciding which result block your final workbook needs.

Save and recover

Use Undo immediately after a mistaken full-array change, or return to the saved disposable copy. Do not delete nearby cells merely to make room for a larger result. Save as ODS, close and reopen, and verify the array formula, dimensions and changed multiplier.

If only one number appears, check whether ordinary Enter was used or whether only one output cell was selected. Manually typing braces around a normal formula is not the repair. Re-enter the expression over the correct empty rectangle using the array-confirmation keys.

Official references

Apache OpenOffice array-formula help, AOO 4.1.16 source, Creating, Editing and Adjusting Array Formulas, captured 20 October 2026; Calc Guide, Chapter 7. Documentation and arithmetic checks do not constitute native application testing.