There are several ways to use this manual depending on what kind of user you are.

- New users

  If you are new to computers or to spreadsheets consider reading , titled "A Quick Introduction", which explains the basics of spreadsheets in general and Gnumeric in particular.

- Users who want specific help

  Quickly finding help for a particular question can be quite hard. We suggest first reading the explanations of the contents of each chapter which are given below to try to figure out where your question might be answered, and then go directly to that section.

The chapters of this version of the Gnumeric manual are organized as follows:

- : A Quick Introduction

  The best way to learn how to use Gnumeric is to begin exploring the program yourself. This chapter will help you get started trying new things and seeing what happens. The chapter explains the fundamentals of spreadsheets in general and of Gnumeric in particular. The chapter attempts to help new users get started with Gnumeric and provides background for the more detailed explanations given in the rest of the manual.

- : Gnumeric Elements

  This chapter describes all of the pieces of Gnumeric which a user can manipulate. The chapter provides explanations for each of the menus, menu entries, toolbar buttons and other elements of the graphical user interface.

- : Working with Data

  This chapter explains the core functionality of Gnumeric including the basic types of data manipulated by Gnumeric, the methods of entering, altering and formatting data, and the basic tools for analysis of these data. More advanced analysis is described in .

- : Advanced Analysis

  This chapter explains many of the advanced analytic tools available in Gnumeric including statistical analysis, linear algebra calculations and simulation analysis.

- : Graphics: Plots, Images, Widgets, and Drawings

  This chapter explains how to add graphical elements to a Gnumeric worksheet, including data graphs to plot worksheet data, images from external files, graphical user interface widgets which interact with worksheet data, and simple drawing elements.

- : Configuring Gnumeric

  This chapter explains how to change the default behaviour of Gnumeric including the startup behaviour and default locale (language and number display).

- : Working with Files

  This chapter explains how to use files in &gnum;. The chapter provides an extensive description of the file formats used by &gnum;. The chapter also explains how to open files, import data from text files, save files, export data to text files, send data to others via electronic mail, and convert files from one format to another.

- : Printing

  This chapter explains how to print spreadsheets, tables and plots from Gnumeric to a printer directly or into Postscript or PDF (both are page description languages).

- : Getting More Help

  This chapter describes other sources of help which are available to users including the Gnumeric web site, the mailing list, and the internet relay chat (IRC) discussion channel. The chapter also explains how to tell the project about a problem with the program.

- : Reporting a Problem

  This chapter explains how to report a problem with Gnumeric so that the problem can be fixed. The same procedure can be used to file a report requesting an enhancement or a new feature.

- : Extending Gnumeric

  This chapter explains how to go about extending Gnumeric to provide extra functionality. Because Gnumeric is Free Software this is quite easy to do.

- : Function Reference

  This appendix provides a list of all the functions which are currently defined in Gnumeric.

- : Keybinding Reference

  This appendix lists the keyboard shortcuts which are defined by default in Gnumeric.