An automated version of the accountant’s ledger, divided into columns and rows.

What are the advantages of using an electronic spreadsheet?

Values can be formatted to display dollar signs, percent signs, and a specified number of decimals.

Text can be aligned within the cells.

Columns and rows can be inserted or deleted.

Column widths can be changed.

WYSIWYG allows you to change the type style and size, bold and italicize entries, add a variety of underlines and borders, and add shading to emphasize areas.

You can perform "what-if" sensitivity analysis by changing values to see how related entries change.

A variety of graphs can be created to illustrate the relationship among the values in the worksheet, and can be enhanced with a 3-D effect, descriptive text, lines and arrows.

You can open and use multiple spreadsheets at one time (3-D spreadsheet); you can link formulas from one spreadsheet to another and when one changes the others are automatically updated.

Workspace - occupies the largest area of the screen, currently displays a workbook window (workbook is a grid of columns and rows into which you type information).

Title Bar - displays the program name and the filename (initially Book 1).

Menu Bar - displays Excel program menu options.

Toolbars - the Standard and Formatting toolbars provide shortcut "button" icons.

Formula Bar - displays your current location in the worksheet and current worksheet entries

Status Bar - at the bottom of the window, displays various program conditions and keys that might be in effect.

MOVING AROUND THE WORKSHEET

The basic part of the worksheet is as follows:

Row numbers label each row in a worksheet

Column letters label each column in a worksheet

A cell is formed by the intersection of a column and a row

The cell containing a border or cell selector is called the active cell and is the cell that will be affected by the next action you perform.

The name box at the left edge of the formula bar, displays the current location of the active cell by its cell reference.

A workbook is divided into 16 worksheets, labeled by sheet tabns at the bottom of the window.

Tab scroll buttons let you scroll left and right through the worksheets

USING THE FUNCTION KEYS - used as shortcut keys for several menu commands. For example,

F5 - go to- same as Edit, Go To

F2 - Edit

ENTERING DATA- Two basic types of entries: text and number

text entries - letters, numbers or special characters; left-aligned by default

number entries - digits 0-9 and special characters that define an entry as numeric; right aligned by default

(+, -, ., (), /,$ and %)

When you begin to type:

the mode changes from Ready to Enter

An insertion point appears in the active cell to show you where the next character will appear

The formula bar contains three new buttons:

X-icon for Esc- used to cancel an entry

Ö - used to complete an entry

f_x- used to select a function (Predefined formula)

CHANGING COLUMN WIDTHS - each column width in Excel, by default, is 8.43 characters; you can adjust the column width for one column or for a range of columns to be smaller or larger.

To adjust column width: Use Format, Column, Width OR

Move to the column divider until it changes to a 4 headed arrow

Adjust to right or left for desired width

To adjust the width for a range of columns:

Drag a range of column letters to select

Move to any column divider in the range

Adjust width and all widths in the range will adjust

DELETING AN ENTRY - Delete key or Edit, Clear

EDITING AN ENTRY - Click on cell and make changes or press F2

CLOSING A WORKBOOK - File, Close

USING HELP - Use help button (icon) ? if you are in something and it will display help; otherwise Search or use Contents.

OPENING A FILE - File, Open

COPYING or MOVING DATA

source cell - copying from

destination cell - copying to

Right-clicking and using the pop-up menu really comes in handy in Excel

copying a group of cells is copying a range

Edit, Cut or CLICK cut icon

Edit, Copy or CLICK copy icon

Edit, Paste or icon

ENTERING FORMULAS - must use = sign first

=A3+A4

=A3/A4

from left to right but uses order of precedence

order of precedence - exponentiation, division/mult, add/subtraction

ENTERING FORMULAS USING POINT MODE - instead of typing cell references into a formula, you can move to the cells you want to refer to as you are entering the formula. By selecting references in this manner you are less likely to refer to an incorrect cell because you "point" it out yourself.

To enter a formula using this method:

Move to the cell that will contain the formula

Type an equal sign (=)

Click on the first cell you want to use in the formula (cell is surrounded by a moving border)

Type an arithmetic operator (+) (moving border disappears)

Click on the next cell reference

Click the check mark on the formula bar or press ENTER

 

COPYING FORMULAS - you can copy formulas as well as text or numeric entries. When a formula is copied, the cell references adjust to their new locations because a formula, by default, uses a relative cell reference.

You can use the Edit, Fill command to quickly copy a formula to an adjacent range of cells:

Move to the source cell

Preselect the range of cells including the source

Select Edit, Fill, Right or Down

You can quickly copy a formula to a preselected range of cells:

Move to the source cell

Preselect the range of cells including the source and destination cells

Enter the formula for the source cell

Press CNRL + ENTER

 

ENTERING FUNCTIONS – use the toolbar icon for the sum function.

FORMATTING THE WORKSHEET – see the following:

CENTERING WORKSHEET DATA - Use Alignment Icon or Format, Cells, Alignment Tab

To center across columns:

Select range of columns including title

Select Center Across Columns icon or Format,Cells Alignment Tab, Center Across Columns

CHANGING FONTS AND TYPESTYLES - Use Formatting Toolbar and drop-down boxes

CHANGING CELL ALIGNMENT - use icons, center, left or right or Format Cells, Alignment

FORMATTING NUMBERS - by default, numbers are entered into an Excel worksheet in a General format. You can change the format to display commas or percents, etc.

To change format:

Use icons on the Formatting toolbar (use the 0.00 <-- or --> to increase or decrease the number of decimals)

or

Select Format, Cells or use right mouse quick menu

Select the Number tab if not diplayed

Select the format you want

Select OK

ENTERING THE DATE - Insert, Function, Today

# of days since January 1, 1990

By default, excel formats this number in mm/dd/yy format

ADDING COLOR - Use font color and fill color icons on formatting and drawing toolbars

INSERTING GRAPHICS – you can insert pictures into your spreadsheets

DOCUMENTING A WORKBOOK - File, Summary Info

SAVING - File, Save As initially. File, Save or disk icon subsequently.

PRINTING - File, Print Preview first to check for accuracy. Then File, Print.

EXITING EXCEL - File, Exit or CLICK the close icon on the title bar.