FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 · Formulas and named ranges · Intermediate
Create and apply range names in FreeOffice PlanMaker
Generate range names from column headings, apply them to selected formulas, and check which references remain relative in FreeOffice PlanMaker.
FreeOffice-specific documentation reviewed; original fixture arithmetic checked independently; native execution unverified · Editorial standards
Quick answer
Create names from the headings of a small data block, then apply those names only to the summary formulas you intend to change. Check both formula text and results: an unchanged total does not prove that references still have the intended meaning.
This lesson uses the official FreeOffice PlanMaker 2024 help, not paid-edition documentation. Its scope is the English Windows ribbon workflow. No installed application, screenshot or save/reopen test is claimed. The separate PlanMaker–Excel named-range exchange lesson covers a paid-2026 compatibility scenario; it is not evidence that FreeOffice behaves identically during exchange.
Prepare the inputs and a protected starting point
In a new disposable workbook, enter this small expense block at A1. The first row contains headings; rows 2–5 contain numbers.
| Row | A | B |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Travel | Supplies |
| 2 | 18 | 7 |
| 3 | 24 | 11 |
| 4 | 15 | 9 |
| 5 | 33 | 13 |
You can also download the plain input CSV. It contains only A1:B5, with no formulas or named ranges. After importing it, check that the two headers and four numeric rows occupy exactly those cells before continuing. It is not a finished PlanMaker workbook.
Enter these formulas individually, without the Markdown backticks:
| Cell | Starting formula | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| D2 | =SUM($A$2:$A$5) |
90 |
| D3 | =SUM(A2:A5) |
90 |
| D4 | =SUM($B$2:$B$5) |
40 |
| D5 | =SUM(B2:B5) |
40 |
| F2 | =SUM(A2:A5) |
90 |
F2 is deliberately outside the conversion area. It is a control for unintended changes, not an additional expense. Do not add all five displayed results to calculate spending: that would count the same inputs more than once. Actual combined spending is 90 + 40 = 130.
Save an untouched input workbook, then make a separate working copy. Record the five original formula strings above so that you can restore them explicitly. Confirm both Travel and Supplies are unused names before continuing.
Generate names from the headers
Select A1:B5, including the two headings. Choose Formula → Named areas → Create names. Specify Top row only, then confirm. Do not select Left column for this example: column A contains expense values below its header, not row labels.
Inspect the resulting names through Edit names. Travel must refer to A2:A5 and Supplies to B2:B5, excluding row 1. Use the address dropdown to select each name and check its cells. If either name selects the wrong block, stop before converting formulas.
The Create names instructions explain heading-based generation. The name-editing instructions cover permitted names, and the named-range usage guide describes selection through the dropdown. This fixture uses simple letter-only names rather than relying on automatic repair of spaces, duplicates or reference-like headings.
Convert absolute references first
Select D2:D5 explicitly. Open Formula → Named areas → Apply names, select Travel and Supplies, and disable Also apply to relative references. Confirm the dialog.
Inspect each formula, not only its answer:
| Cell | Expected formula after this pass | Expected result |
|---|---|---|
| D2 | =SUM(Travel) |
90 |
| D3 | =SUM(A2:A5) |
90 |
| D4 | =SUM(Supplies) |
40 |
| D5 | =SUM(B2:B5) |
40 |
| F2 | =SUM(A2:A5) |
90 |
Next select D2:D5 again and repeat Apply names with the relative-reference option enabled. D3 should become =SUM(Travel) and D5 =SUM(Supplies); the other formulas should remain as shown. F2 must remain address-based because it is outside the selected area.
The Apply names documentation describes the selection boundary and this option. Named ranges use absolute addressing, so this is more than a cosmetic change when you later copy formulas. Do not convert a relative reference that you intentionally need to shift when copied. No formula-copy experiment or mixed-reference conversion is certified here.
Verify the model with a reversible edit
Change A3 from 24 to 29. D2, D3 and F2 should each become 95, while D4 and D5 remain 40. Combined spending is now 135. Restore A3 to 24 and check that the five outputs return to 90, 90, 40, 40 and 90.
Then change B5 from 13 to 8. D4 and D5 should become 35; the three travel checks remain 90. Combined spending is 125. Restore B5 to 13. These expected numbers were checked independently with arithmetic, not calculated in PlanMaker for this article.
Save the working copy, close it and reopen it yourself. Recheck the two name definitions, all five formulas and both mutation tests before relying on it. Export or opening in another application requires a separate acceptance check.
Troubleshooting and rollback
- Relative formulas did not change: Check the relative-reference option and selected conversion area. This is intentional during the first pass.
- F2 changed to a named formula: The conversion selection was too broad. Return to the untouched input copy and repeat with only D2:D5 selected. The help warns that no selection can affect the whole worksheet.
- Totals are right but the range is wrong: Inspect the names themselves. A missing row containing zero could hide a range error; a total alone is insufficient evidence.
- A name is rejected or already exists: Do not overwrite an unfamiliar definition. Use a clean practice workbook and these simple headings. Names must not resemble cell addresses.
- You want the original formulas back: Restore D2:D5 from the starting-formula table and verify the results before removing any names. Deleting a name is not an inverse conversion: formulas still using it can produce
#NAME?. - Controls differ: Confirm FreeOffice 2024, Windows and ribbon mode. This lesson does not verify mobile, classic-menu or paid-edition behavior.