Simple Guide to Euro to Dollar Conversion in OpenOffice Spreadsheets

Many users, like yourself, want a straightforward method to automatically update Euro to US Dollar exchange rates in their OpenOffice spreadsheets. You’re not looking to become an expert in web scraping or data integration, just seeking a practical solution to keep your spreadsheets current. The frustration arises when technical explanations overcomplicate what should be a simple task. Let’s break down how to easily link exchange rates, addressing the common issue with MSN Money.

Originally, pulling exchange rates from MSN Money into OpenOffice was a relatively smooth process. However, website updates can sometimes break these connections. A frequent problem encountered is related to changes in the HTML structure of the MSN Money exchange rates page. Specifically, the method that previously worked using “HTML_5” might now be outdated.

The solution is often simpler than it seems. Instead of struggling with complex settings, you might just need to adjust the HTML element OpenOffice is using to fetch the data. Here’s a step-by-step approach to resolve this and ensure your Euro to Dollar conversions are automatically updated:

1. Open your OpenOffice spreadsheet.
2. Navigate to the menu: Edit > Links > Modify. This will open the “Edit Links” dialog box.
3. Locate the link to MSN Money. It will likely resemble the URL http://moneycentral.msn.com/investor/market/exchangerates.aspx.
4. In the “Format” dropdown menu, change the selection from “HTML_5” to “HTML_2”. This adjustment tells OpenOffice to look for data in a slightly different part of the webpage’s code, which is often necessary after website updates.
5. Click “OK” to save the changes.
6. Allow OpenOffice to refresh the link. You might need to manually refresh the links if they don’t update automatically.

By making this simple change from HTML_5 to HTML_2, you can often restore the connection and successfully import the Euro to Dollar exchange rates into your spreadsheet. This avoids unnecessary complexity and gets you back to focusing on your work, without needing to become a technical expert in data importing. This quick fix should help you manage your Euro to Dollar conversions efficiently within OpenOffice.