Directions

Getting started

To get started, you need to select the Spreadsheets button at the top of this screen. This will take you to the list of spreadsheets that you have been granted access to.
If you have been granted access to spreadsheets that have been associated with multiple enterprises, then these spreadsheets will be listed below each of the enterprise names.
There is a "Show/Hide spreadsheets" button below each enterprise name, so if the spreadsheets are not visible, then select this button.

Opening a spreadsheet and starting to work

To open a spreadsheet, you select (click on) the spreadsheet name.
The first worksheet that will be visible will be the tab at far left in the spreadsheet.
You can select the worksheet that you wish to view from the dropdown list(s) at the top left of the screen.
There can be two levels of worksheets, and if the spreadsheet has been developed in this way prior to uploading, then both dropdown lists at the top left of the screen will be operable.
Users can be individually granted view, view and print, or view and edit (including print) access to each worksheet within a spreadsheet. If you do not have access to worksheets within a spreadsheet that you believed you should, then contact your administrator of Red Sky Reports.

Identifying entry cells versus protected cells

Entry cells are all designated with the use of dark blue font with a range of RBG colours from 0-0-200 to 0-0-255 OR soft yellow fill or shading with a range of RBG colours from 255-255-0 to 255-255-220.
Any cell fill can be used with the dark blue font and any font can be used with the soft yellow fill or shading.
It is not relevant whether a cell is protected or unprotected in the actual spreadsheet prior to loading to Red Sky Reports as the cell font colour and fill colour determines whether data can be entered in a cell or not.

Entering (editing) data and saving your work

When you wish to edit a worksheet and add data, then you select the "Start editing" button at the top of the screen. If someone else is already editing the spreadsheet, then they will be identified at the top of the screen as the "Present editor" and you would need to wait until they stop editing.
If you or any user has been editing a worksheet, and then there is a period of four and a half minutes of no activity, then a timeout warning will appear. If editing of data does not recommence within 30 seconds, then editing is automatically stopped with any unsaved changes in data automatically saved.
Unlike with the use of Excel, when you enter data into Red Sky Reports there is no immediate calculation. Once you have finished entering data or just wish to see the impact of the data you have entered, then you need to select the "Save and recalculate" button at the top of the screen. This will then result in all formula calculations being updated.
Once you have finished editing a spreadsheet and saved the data that has been entered, you should select the "Stop editing" button at the top of the screen.

Grouping function to expand or collapse groups of columns or rows

You can utilise the group function and expand/collapse groups of columns or rows by selecting any boxes with "+" or "-" that are above the column letters at the top of a worksheet or to the left of the row numbers at the far left of a worksheet.
You can also expand or collapse all columns or all rows in a worksheet by selecting an option from the dropdown box icon at the very top left of a worksheet.

Checkboxes to hide and unhide columns or rows

There are checkboxes at the top of all columns and at the far left of all rows. These checkboxes allow you to hide any columns or rows of your choosing, which may assist with focusing attention on particular sections of a worksheet and allow you to determine the layout of reports prior to exporting or printing.
To hide or unhide unchecked columns and rows, or to toggle all columns and rows between checked and unchecked, then select the required option from the dropdown box icon at the very top left of a worksheet.

Exporting and printing worksheets

To print a report or export data from a worksheet, select the "Export" button at the top of the screen. This will provide you a list of the worksheets within the spreadsheet that you have access to export to PDF or Excel.
The PDF or Excel document will include whatever is visible within the worksheet(s). Use the expand/collapse (open/close) group function and the hide/unhide checkbox function to add or remove columns and rows from those that are exported.
A PDF document will be produced quickly. An Excel document will take more time to produce.

Importing data into worksheets

You must select "Start editing" for the Import button to become active at the top of the screen.
To import contiguous columns or rows of data into a spreadsheet, including multiple columns or rows, first select the worksheet that will receive the data. Then select the "Import" button.
Next follow the online instructions. This includes identifying the first cell for data importing and then copying the data into the designated area and converting it into a table.
You need to have editing access to the worksheet to utilise the Import function.

Spreadsheet design for uploading to the web app

Although many common Excel formula functions can be utilised within a spreadsheet and uploaded to the web app, some functions are not available. The Excel functions that are supported by Red Sky Reports are listed under the "Functions" button at the top of the screen or click here. Red Sky will progressively be adding more Excel functions over time.
No links to other spreadsheets: there can be no calculations that link to other spreadsheets within a spreadsheet to be uploaded to Red Sky Reports.
Note re fonts: there are a limited number of fonts that can be used within spreadsheets to be uploaded to Red Sky Reports. These include:
Arial, Brush Script MT, Courier New, Garamond, Georgia, Tahoma, Times New Roman, Trebuchet MS, Verdana.
To create two levels of worksheets for a spreadsheet, say to have similar sets of reports for multiple enterprises, then add a letter and full stop at the start of each spreadsheet tab name e.g. "A.First tab name", "B.Second tab name", then "C.Third tab name".
When using two levels of worksheet names, then when the spreadsheet is first loaded to the web app, the first level name will be the designated letter. Your Red Sky Reports administrator can then replace the letter (e.g. A, B, C) with an actual name.
Entry cells are all designated with the use of dark blue font with a range of RBG colours from 0-0-200 to 0-0-255 OR soft yellow fill or shading with a range of RBG colours from 255-255-0 to 255-255-220.
Any cell fill can be used with the dark blue font and any font can be used with the soft yellow fill or shading.
It is not relevant whether a cell is protected or unprotected in the actual spreadsheet prior to loading to Red Sky Reports as the cell font colour and fill colour determines whether data can be entered in a cell or not.

Helpdesk: admin@redskyagri.com