Build and check your first PlanMaker workbook

Quick answer

Enter labels and numbers into a small grid, calculate each line with an equals-sign formula, and save a native working copy. Check one changed quantity and then reopen the file. The useful outcome is not merely a worksheet that looks finished: it is a saved workbook whose inputs and formulas produce the expected result.

Start with a small, disposable purchase list

These instructions target paid PlanMaker 2024 on Windows with the English ribbon. They do not claim that every control is identical in FreeOffice, mobile, or a later PlanMaker version. Open a new blank workbook in that version. The active cell is indicated by its cell frame; typing changes that cell, so check the column letter and row number before entering each value.

This exercise uses a two-item stationery list. It contains no real payment, supplier or personal information. Keep it separate from an existing budget so that editing and recovery practice cannot damage useful records.

Enter the following into A1:D4. The decimal point shown assumes a locale that accepts it; if your installation uses a decimal comma, enter the same numeric values using its separator.

Cell	Entry
A1	Item
B1	Quantity
C1	Unit price
D1	Line total
A2	Notebook
B2	2
C2	4.50
A3	Pen
B3	3
C3	1.25
A4	Grand total

Leave D2:D4 empty for the moment. Move to each cell with the mouse or arrow keys, type, and press Enter to commit. If you notice a mistake before committing, press Esc instead; the existing content is restored rather than replaced by the unfinished entry.

Enter formulas rather than typed answers

Select D2 and type =B2*C2, then press Enter. Select D3 and enter =B3*C3. In D4 enter =D2+D3. The initial results are 9, 3.75 and 12.75 respectively.

The equals sign tells PlanMaker that your entry is a formula. Without it, the characters can be stored as text instead of calculated. You can also build references with the mouse while entering a formula, but typing these short references makes the first exercise easy to audit.

Check the arithmetic independently: two notebooks at 4.50 cost 9.00; three pens at 1.25 cost 3.75; together they cost 12.75. A cell showing 12.75 is not by itself proof that D4 contains a formula. Select D4 and inspect its content in the edit area. It should still be =D2+D3, not the number 12.75 typed manually.

For later reference, distinguish the roles in this model. B2:C3 are inputs, D2:D3 are calculated line totals, and D4 is the summary. You should change an input when the order changes, not overwrite its calculated consequence.

Edit one quantity and reconcile the difference

Navigate to B2 and press F2, or double-click the cell, to edit the existing content. Change 2 to 3 and commit. D2 should become 13.50, D3 should remain 3.75, and D4 should become 17.25. The total increase is exactly one notebook price, 4.50.

If D4 stays at 12.75, inspect the formulas before changing calculation settings. Did D4 contain a typed value? Does D2 refer to B2 and C2? Is the new quantity numeric? Resolving these small fixture errors is more useful than repeatedly re-entering the answer you expect.

Now test cancellation: select B2, begin replacing 3 with 30, but press Esc before committing. B2 should remain 3 and the total should remain 17.25. Finally restore B2 to 2 and verify that the three calculated results return to 9, 3.75 and 12.75.

Save a working file you can find again

Choose File > Save. For an unnamed workbook, PlanMaker asks for a filename. Use a clear practice name such as Stationery practice.pmdx and save it in a folder you control. Check the selected file type instead of relying only on a filename extension.

Use File > Save as when you want a separate checkpoint or a different folder, and inspect Save as type when choosing a format. Keep a native working copy before trying an Excel or other exchange format. A file-format conversion is not evidence that all future features will survive unchanged.

Close the workbook only after saving, reopen the exact saved file, and inspect B2, D2, D3 and D4. The final restored values should be 2, 9, 3.75 and 12.75. Inspect D4’s formula again. This catches reopening an older copy or accidentally saving only a display-oriented export instead of the editable workbook.

Troubleshooting and next steps

If a decimal price is treated as text, correct it using the installation’s numeric conventions. If a formula appears literally, inspect the leading equals sign and cell entry rather than typing over the result. If a label looks truncated, widening its column is a presentation fix, not a change to the underlying calculation.

After the model passes its checks, continue with the separate cell-formatting guide or fixed and mixed references. Those pages may have their own version scope; they do not expand the 2024 evidence used here.

This manuscript describes reader checks, not a native PlanMaker run.

Official references

Official references: first steps, data entry, formula entry, and saving.