Spreadsheet Basics Customizing Excel

Excel allows you to create spreadsheets much like paper ledgers that can perform
automatic calculations. Each Excel file is a workbook that can hold many
worksheets. The worksheet is a grid of columns (designated by letters) and rows
(designated by numbers). The letters and numbers of the columns and rows (called
labels) are displayed in gray buttons across the top and left side of the worksheet.
The intersection of a column and a row is called a cell. Each cell on the spreadsheet
has a cell address that is the column letter and the row number. Cells can contain
either text, numbers, or mathematical formulas.

Microsoft Excel 2000 Screen Elements

Adding and Renaming Worksheets

The worksheets in a workbook are accessible by clicking the worksheet tabs just
above the status bar. By default, three worksheets are included in each workbook.
To add a sheet, select Insert|Worksheet from the menu bar. To rename the
worksheet tab, right-click on the tab with the mouse and select Rename from the
shortcut menu. Type the new name and press the ENTER key.

The Standard Toolbar

This toolbar is located just below the menu bar at the top of the screen and allows
you to quickly access basic Excel commands.

New - Select File|New from the menu bar, press CTRL+N, or click
the New button to create a new workbook.

Open - Click File|Open from the menu bar, press CTRL+O, or click
the Open folder button to open an existing workbook.

Save - The first time you save a workbook, select File|Save As and
name the file. After the file is named click File|Save, CTRL+S, or the
Save button on the standard toolbar.

Print - Click the Print button to print the worksheet.

Print Preview - This feature will allow you to preview the worksheet
before it prints.

Spell Check - Use the spell checker to correct spelling errors on the
worksheet.

Cut, Copy, Paste, and Format Painter - These actions are explained
in the Modifying A Worksheet section.

Undo and Redo - Click the backward Undo arrow to cancel the last
action you performed, whether it be entering data into a cell,
formatting a cell, entering a function, etc. Click the forward Redo
arrow to cancel the undo action.

Insert Hyperlink - To insert a hyperlink to a web site on the Internet,

type the text into a cell you want to be the link that can be clicked
with the mouse. Then, click the Insert Hyperlink button and enter the
web address you want the text to link to and click OK.

Autosum, Function Wizard, and Sorting - These features are

discussed in detail in the Functions tutorial.

Zoom - To change the size that the worksheet appears on the screen,
choose a different percentage from the Zoom menu.
 Modifying A Worksheet Formatting Cells

Moving Through Cells

Use the mouse to select a cell you want to begin adding data to and use the
keyboard strokes listed in the table below to move through the cells of a worksheet.

Movement Key stroke

One cell up up arrow key
One cell down down arrow key or ENTER
One cell left left arrow key
One cell right right arrow key or TAB
Top of the worksheet (cell A1) CTRL+HOME
End of the worksheet (last cell
CTRL+END
containing data)
End of the row CTRL+right arrow key
End of the column CTRL+down arrow key
Any cell File|Go To menu bar command

Adding Worksheets, Rows, and Columns

Worksheets - Add a worksheet to a workbook by selecting Insert|

Worksheet from the menu bar.

Row - To add a row to a worksheet, select Insert|Rows from the menu bar,
or highlight the row by clicking on the row label, right-click with the mouse,
and choose Insert.

Column - Add a column by selecting Insert|Columns from the menu bar, or

highlight the column by click on the column label, right-click with the mouse,
and choose Insert.
Resizing Rows and Columns
There are two ways to resize rows and columns.
Resize a row by dragging the line below the label of the row you would like
to resize. Resize a column in a similar manner by dragging the line to the
right of the label corresponding to the column you want to resize.
- OR -

Click the row or column label and select Format|Row|Height or Format|

Column|Width from the menu bar to enter a numerical value for the height
of the row or width of the column.
Selecting Cells
Before a cell can be modified or formatted, it must first be selected (highlighted).
Refer to the table below for selecting groups of cells.
Cells to
Mouse action
select
One cell click once in the cell
Entire row click the row label
 Entire column click the column label
Entire
click the whole sheet button
worksheet
drag mouse over the cells or hold down the SHIFT key while
Cluster of cells
using the arrow keys
To activate the contents of a cell, double-click on the cell or click once and press F2.
Moving and Copying Cells

Moving Cells
To cut cell contents that will be moved to another cell select Edit|Cut
from the menu bar or click the Cut button on the standard toolbar.

Copying Cells
To copy the cell contents, select Edit|Copy from the menu bar or click
the Copy button on the standard toolbar.

Pasting Cut and Copied Cells

Highlight the cell you want to paste the cut or copied content into and
select Edit|Paste from the menu bar or click the Paste button on the
standard toolbar.

Drag and Drop

If you are moving the cell contents only a short distance, the drag-
and-drop method may be easier. Simply drag the highlighted border of
the selected cell to the destination cell with the mouse.
Freeze Panes
If you have a large worksheet with column and row headings, those headings will
disappear as the worksheet is scrolled. By using the Freeze Panes feature, the
headings can be visible at all times.
Click the label of the row below the row that should remain frozen at the top
of the worksheet.

Select Window|Freeze Panes from the menu bar.

 To remove the frozen panes, select Window|Unfreeze Panes.

Freeze panes has been added to row 1 in the image above. Notice that the
row numbers skip from 1 to 6. As the worksheet is scrolled, row 1 will remain
stationary while the remaining rows will move.

Formatting Toolbar

The contents of a highlighted cell can be formatted in many ways. Font and cell
attributes can be added from shortcut buttons on the formatting bar. If this toolbar is
not already visible on the screen, select View|Toolbars|Formatting from the menu
bar.

Format Cells Dialog Box

For a complete list of formatting options, right-click on the highlighted cells and
choose Format Cells from the shortcut menu or select Format|Cells from the
menu bar.
 Number tab - The data type can be selected from the options on this tab.
Select General if the cell contains text and number, or another numerical
category if the cell is a number that will be included in functions or formulas.

Alignment tab - These options allow you to change the position and
alignment of the data with the cell.

Font tab - All of the font attributes are displayed in this tab including font
face, size, style, and effects.

Border and Pattern tabs - These tabs allow you to add borders, shading,
and background colors to a cell.
Dates and Times
If you enter the date "January 1, 2001" into a cell on the worksheet, Excel will
automatically recognize the text as a date and change the format to "1-Jan-01". To
change the date format, select the Number tab from the Format Cells window.
Select "Date" from the Category box and choose the format for the date from the
Type box. If the field is a time, select "Time" from the Category box and select the
type in the right box. Date and time combinations are also listed. Press OK when
finished.
Styles
The use of styles in Excel allow you to quickly format your worksheet, provide
consistency, and create a professional look. Select the Styles drop-down box from
the formatting toolbar (it can be added by customizing the toolbar). Excel provides
several preset styles:

Comma - Adds commas to the number and two digits beyond a decimal
point.

Comma [0] - Comma style that rounds to a whole number.

Currency - Formats the number as currency with a dollar sign, commas, and
two digits beyond the decimal point.

Currency [0] - Currency style that rounds to a whole number.

Normal - Reverts any changes to general number format.

Percent - Changes the number to a percent and adds a percent sign.

Style Dialog Box
Create your own styles from the Style Dialog Box.
Highlight the cell(s) you want to add a style to.
 Select Format|Style... from the menu bar.

Modify the attributes by clicking the Modify button.

Check all the items under Style includes that the style should format.

Click Add to preview the formatting changes on the worksheet.

Highlight the style you want to apply to the paragraph and click Apply.
Create a New Style
Select the cell on the worksheet containing the formatting you would like to
set as a new style.

Click the Style box on the Formatting toolbar so the style name is
highlighted.

Delete the text in the Style box and type the name of the new style.

Press ENTER when finished.

Format Painter
A handy feature on the standard toolbar for formatting text is the Format Painter. If
you have formatted a cell with a certain font style, date format, border, and other
formatting options, and you want to format another cell or group of cells the same
way, place the cursor within the cell containing the formatting you want to copy.
Click the Format Painter button in the standard toolbar (notice that your pointer
now has a paintbrush beside it). Highlight the cells you want to add the same
formatting to.

To copy the formatting to many groups of cells, double-click the Format Painter
button. The format painter remains active until you press the ESC key to turn it off

Formulas and Functions Sorting and Filling

The distinguishing feature of a spreadsheet program such as Excel is that it allows

you to create mathematical formulas and execute functions. Otherwise, it is not
much more than a large table for displaying text. This page will show you how to
create these calculations.

Formulas

Formulas are entered in the worksheet cell and must begin with an equal sign "=".
The formula then includes the addresses of the cells whose values will be
manipulated with appropriate operands placed in between. After the formula is typed
into the cell, the calculation executes immediately and the formula itself is visible in
the formula bar. See the example below to view the formula for calculating the sub
total for a number of textbooks. The formula multiplies the quantity and price of
each textbook and adds the subtotal for each book.

Linking Worksheets

You may want to use the value from a cell in another worksheet within the same
workbook in a formula. For example, the value of cell A1 in the current worksheet
and cell A2 in the second worksheet can be added using the format "sheetname!
celladdress". The formula for this example would be "=A1+Sheet2!A2" where the
value of cell A1 in the current worksheet is added to the value of cell A2 in the
worksheet named "Sheet2".
Relative, Absolute, and Mixed Referencing

Calling cells by just their column and row labels (such as "A1") is called relative
referencing. When a formula contains relative referencing and it is copied from one
cell to another, Excel does not create an exact copy of the formula. It will change cell
addresses relative to the row and column they are moved to. For example, if a
simple addition formula in cell C1 "=(A1+B1)" is copied to cell C2, the formula would
change to "=(A2+B2)" to reflect the new row. To prevent this change, cells must be
called by absolute referencing and this is accomplished by placing dollar signs "$"
within the cell addresses in the formula. Continuing the previous example, the
formula in cell C1 would read "=($A$1+$B$1)" if the value of cell C2 should be the
sum of cells A1 and B1. Both the column and row of both cells are absolute and will
not change when copied. Mixed referencing can also be used where only the row
OR column fixed. For example, in the formula "=(A$1+$B2)", the row of cell A1 is
fixed and the column of cell B2 is fixed.

Basic Functions

Functions can be a more efficient way of performing mathematical operations than

formulas. For example, if you wanted to add the values of cells D1 through D10, you
would type the formula "=D1+D2+D3+D4+D5+D6+D7+D8+D9+D10". A shorter
way would be to use the SUM function and simply type "=SUM(D1:D10)". Several
other functions and examples are given in the table below:

Function Example Description

SUM =SUM(A1:100) finds the sum of cells A1 through A100
AVERAGE =AVERAGE(B1:B10) finds the average of cells B1 through B10
returns the highest number from cells C1
MAX =MAX(C1:C100)
through C100
returns the lowest number from cells D1
MIN =MIN(D1:D100)
through D100
SQRT =SQRT(D10) finds the square root of the value in cell D10
returns the current date (leave the
TODAY =TODAY()
parentheses empty)

Function Wizard

View all functions available in Excel by using the Function Wizard.

Activate the cell where the function will be placed and click the Function
Wizard button on the standard toolbar.

From the Paste Function dialog box, browse through the functions by
clicking in the Function category menu on the left and select the function
from the Function name choices on the right. As each function name is
 highlighted a description and example of use is provided below the two boxes.

Click OK to select a function.

The next window allows you to choose the cells that will be included in the
function. In the example below, cells B4 and C4 were automatically selected
for the sum function by Excel. The cell values {2, 3} are located to the right
of the Number 1 field where the cell addresses are listed. If another set of
cells, such as B5 and C5, needed to be added to the function, those cells
would be added in the format "B5:C5" to the Number 2 field.

Click OK when all the cells for the function have been selected.
Autosum
Use the Autosum function to add the contents of a cluster of adjacent cells.
Select the cell that the sum will appear in that is outside the cluster of cells
whose values will be added. Cell C2 was used in this example.

Click the Autosum button (Greek letter sigma) on the standard toolbar.

Highlight the group of cells that will be summed (cells A2 through B2 in this
example).
 Press the ENTER key on the keyboard or click the green check mark button
on the formula bar .

Sorting and Filling Graphics

Basic Sorts

To execute a basic descending or ascending sort based on one column, highlight the
cells that will be sorted and click the Sort Ascending (A-Z) button or Sort
Descending (Z-A) button on the standard toolbar.

Complex Sorts

To sort by multiple columns, follow these steps:

Highlight the cells, rows, or columns that will be sorted.

Select Data|Sort from the menu bar.

From the Sort dialog box, select the first column for sorting from the Sort By
drop-down menu and choose either ascending or descending.

Select the second column and, if necessary, the third sort column from the
Then By drop-down menus.

If the cells you highlighted included the text headings in the first row, mark
My list has...Header row and the first row will remain at the top of the
worksheet.
 Click the Options button for special non-alphabetic or numeric sorts such as
months of the year and days of the week.

Click OK to execute the sort.

Autofill
The Autofill feature allows you to quickly fill cells with repetitive or sequential data
such as chronological dates or numbers, and repeated text.
Type the beginning number or date of an incrementing series or the text that
will be repeated into a cell.

Select the handle at the bottom, right corner of the cell with the left mouse
button and drag it down as many cells as you want to fill.

Release the mouse button.

If you want to autofill a column with cells displaying the same number or date you
must enter identical data to two adjacent cells in a column. Highlight the two cells
and drag the handle of the selection with the mouse.
Alternating Text and Numbers with Autofill
The Autofill feature can also be used for alternating text or numbers. For example, to
make a repeating list of the days of the week, type the seven days into seven
adjacent cells in a column. Highlight the seven cells and drag down with the mouse.
Autofilling Functions
Autofill can also be used to copy functions. In the example below, column A and
column B each contain lists of numbers and column C contains the sums of columns
A and B for each row. The function in cell C2 would be "=SUM(A2:B2)". This function
can then be copied to the remaining cells of column C by activating cell C2 and
dragging the handle down to fill in the remaining cells. The autofill feature will
automatically update the row numbers as shown below if the cells are reference
relatively.
 Graphics Charts

Adding Clip Art

To add a clip art image to the worksheet, follow these steps:

Select Insert|Picture|Clip Art from the menu bar.

To find an image, click in the white box following Search for clips. Delete
the words "Type one or more words. . ." and enter keywords describing the
image you want to use.
- OR -
Click one of the category icons.
 Click once on the image you want to add to the worksheet and the following
popup menu will appear:

Insert Clip to add the image to the worksheet.

Preview Clip to view the image full-size before adding it to the

worksheet. Drag the bottom, right corner of the preview window to
resize the image and click the "x" close button to end the preview.

Add Clip to Favorites will add the selected image to your favorites
directory that can be chosen from the Insert ClipArt dialog box.

Find Similar Clips will retrieve images similar to the one you have
chosen.

Continue selecting images to add to the worksheet and click the Close button
in the top, right corner of the Insert ClipArt window to stop adding clip art
to the worksheet.
Add An Image from a File
Follow these steps to add a photo or graphic from an existing file:
Select Insert|Picture|From File on the menu bar.

Click the down arrow button on the right of the Look in: window to find the
image on your computer.
 Highlight the file name from the list and click the Insert button.

Editing A Graphic
Activate the image you wish to edit by clicking on it once with the mouse. Nine
handles will appear around the graphic. Click and drag these handles to resize the
image. The handles on the corners will resize proportionally while the handles on the
straight lines will stretch the image. More picture effects can be changed using the
Picture toolbar. The Picture toolbar should appear when you click on the image.
Otherwise, select View|Toolbars|Picture from the menu bar to activate it.

Insert Picture will display the image selection window and allows you to
change the image.

Image Control allows to to make the image gray scale, black and white, or a
watermark.

More/Less Contrast modifies the contrast between the colors of the image.

More/Less Brightness will darken or brighten the image.

 Click Crop and drag the handles on the activated image to delete outer
portions of the image.

Line Style will add a variety of borders to the graphic.

Text Wrapping will modify the way the worksheet text wraps around the
graphic.

Format Picture displays all the image properties in a separate window.

Reset Picture will delete all the modifications made to the image.
AutoShapes
The AutoShapes toolbar will allow you to draw a number of geometrical shapes,
arrows, flow chart elements, stars, and more on the worksheet. Activate the
AutoShapes toolbar by selecting Insert|Picture|AutoShapes or View|Toolbars|
AutoShapes from the menu bar. Click the button on the toolbar to view the options
for drawing the shape.

Lines - After clicking the Lines button on the AutoShapes toolbar, draw a
straight line, arrow, or double-ended arrow from the first row of options
by clicking the respective button. Click in the worksheet where you would like
the line to begin and click again where it should end. To draw a curved line
or freeform shape, select curved lines from the menu (first and second
buttons of second row), click in the worksheet where the line should appear,
and click the mouse every time a curve should begin. End creating the
graphic by clicking on the starting end or pressing the ESC key. To scribble,
click the last button in the second row, click the mouse in the worksheet and
hold down the left button while you draw the design. Let go of the mouse
button to stop drawing.

Connectors - Draw these lines to connect flow chart elements.

Basic Shapes - Click the Basic Shapes button on the AutoShapes toolbar to
select from many two- and three-dimensional shapes, icons, braces,
and brackets. Use the drag-and-drop method to draw the shape in the
worksheet. When the shape has been made, it can be resized using the open
box handles and other adjustments specific to each shape can be modified
 using the yellow diamond handles.

Block Arrows - Select Block Arrows to choose from many types of two- and
three-dimensional arrows. Drag-and-drop the arrow in the worksheet and
use the open box and yellow diamond handles to adjust the arrowheads. Each
AutoShape can also be rotated by first clicking the Free Rotate button on the
drawing toolbar . Click and drag the green handles around the image to
rotate it. The tree image below was created from an arrow rotated 90
degrees.

Flow Chart - Choose from the flow chart menu to add flow chart elements
to the worksheet and use the line menu to draw connections between the
elements.

Stars and Banners - Click the button to select stars, bursts, banners, and
scrolls.

Call Outs - Select from the speech and thought bubbles, and line call
outs. Enter the call out text in the text box that is made.

More AutoShapes - Click this button to choose from a list of clip art
categories.
Each of the submenus on the AutoShapes toolbar can become a separate toolbar.
Just click and drag the gray bar across the top of the submenus off of the toolbar
and it will become a separate floating toolbar.

Charts allow you to present data entered into the worksheet in a visual format using
a variety of graph types. Before you can make a chart you must first enter data into
a worksheet. This page explains how you can create simple charts from the data.
Chart Wizard

The Chart Wizard brings you through the process of creating a chart by displaying a
series of dialog boxes.

Enter the data into the worksheet and highlight all the cells that will be
included in the chart including headers.

Click the Chart Wizard button on the standard toolbar to view the first Chart
Wizard dialog box.

Chart Type - Choose the Chart type and the Chart subtype if necessary.
Click Next.
 Chart Source Data - Select the data range (if different from the area
highlighted in step 1) and click Next.

Chart Options - Enter the name of the chart and titles for the X- and Y-axes.
Other options for the axes, grid lines, legend, data labels, and data table can
be changed by clicking on the tabs. Press Next to move to the next set of
options.

Chart Location - Click As new sheet if the chart should be placed on a new,
blank worksheet or select As object in if the chart should be embedded in an
 existing sheet and select the worksheet from the drop-down menu.

Click Finish to create the chart.

Resizing the Chart

To resize the chart, click on its border and drag any of the nine black handles to
change the size. Handles on the corners will resize the chart proportionally while
handles along the lines will stretch the chart.
Moving the Chart
Select the border of the chart, hold down the left mouse button, and drag the chart
to a new location. Elements within the chart such as the title and labels may also be
moved within the chart. Click on the element to activate it, and use the mouse to
drag the element to move it.
Chart Formatting Toolbar
 Chart Objects List - To select an object on the chart to format, click
the object on the chart or select the object from the Chart Objects
List and click the Format button. A window containing the properties
of that object will then appear to make formatting changes.

Chart Type - Click the arrowhead on the chart type button to select a
different type of chart.

Legend Toggle - Show or hide the chart legend by clicking this toggle
button.

Data Table view - Display the data table instead of the chart by
clicking the Data Table toggle button.

Display Data by Column or Row - Charts the data by columns or

rows according to the data sheet.

Angle Text - Select the category or value axis and click the Angle
Downward or Angle Upward button to angle the the selected by +/-
45 degrees.

Copying the Chart to Microsoft Word

A finished chart can be copied into a Microsoft Word document. Select the chart and
click Copy. Open the destination document in Word and click Paste.

Page Properties and Printing Keyboard Shortcuts

Page Breaks

To set page breaks within the worksheet, select the row you want to appear just
below the page break by clicking the row's label. Then choose Insert|Page Break
from the menu bar. You may need to click the double down arrow at the bottom of
the menu list to view this option.

Page Setup
Select File|Page Setup from the menu bar to format the page, set margins, and
add headers and footers.

Page
Select the Orientation under the Page tab in the Page Setup window to
make the page Landscape or Portrait. The size of the worksheet on the page
can also be formatting under Scaling. To force a worksheet to print only one
page wide so all the columns appear on the same page, select Fit to 1
page(s) wide.

Margins
Change the top, bottom, left, and right margins under the Margins tab. Enter
values in the header and footer fields to indicate how far from the edge of the
page this text should appear. Check the boxes for centering horizontally or
 vertically on the page.

Header/Footer
Add preset headers and footers to the page by clicking the drop-down menus
under the Header/Footer tab.

To modify a preset header or footer, or to make your own, click the Custom
Header and Custom Footer buttons. A new window will open allowing you
to enter text in the left, center, or right on the page.
 Format Text - Click this button after highlighting the text to change the font,
size, and style.
Page Number - Insert the page number of each page.
Total Number of Pages - Use this feature along with the page number to
create strings such as "page 1 of 15".
Date - Add the current date.
Time - Add the current time.
File Name - Add the name of the workbook file.
Tab Name - Add the name of the worksheet's tab.

Sheet
Check Gridlines if you want the gridlines dividing the cells to be printed on
the page. If the worksheet is several pages long and only the first page
includes titles for the columns, select Rows to repeat at top to choose a
title row that will be printed at the top of each page.

Print Preview
Select File|Print Preview from the menu bar to view how the worksheet will print.
Click the Next and Previous buttons at the top of the window to display the pages
and click the Zoom button to view the pages closer. Make page layout modifications
needed by clicking the Page Setup button. Click Close to return to the worksheet or
Print to continue printing.
Print
To print the worksheet, select File|Print from the menu bar.
 Print Range - Select either all pages or a range of pages to print.

Print What - Select selection of cells highlighted on the worksheet, the active
worksheet, or all the worksheets in the entire workbook.

Copies - Choose the number of copies that should be printed. Check the
Collate box if the pages should remain in order.
Click OK to print.

Keyboard shortcuts can save time and the effort of switching from the keyboard to
the mouse to execute simple commands. Print this list of Excel keyboard shortcuts
and keep it by your computer for a quick reference.

Note: A plus sign indicates that the keys need to be pressed at the same time.

Action Keystroke Action Keystroke

Document actions Selecting Cells

Open a file CTRL+O All cells left of current
SHIFT+left arrow
New file CTRL+N cell

Save As F12 All cells right of current SHIFT+right

cell arrow
Save CTRL+S
Entire column CTRL+Spacebar
Print CTRL+P
Entire row SHIFT+Spacebar
Find CTRL+F
Entire worksheet CTRL+A
Replace CTRL+H
Go to F5
Text Style
Bold CTRL+B
 Cursor Movement Italics CTRL+I
One cell up up arrow Underline CTRL+U
One cell down down arrow Strikethrough CTRL+5
One cell right Tab
One cell left SHIFT+Tab Formatting
Top of worksheet (cell Edit active cell F2
CTRL+Home
A1) Format as currency
SHIFT+CTRL+$
End of worksheet with 2 decimal places
CTRL+End
(last cell with data) Format as percent with
SHIFT+CTRL+%
End of row Home no decimal places
End of column CTRL+left arrow Cut CTRL+X
Move to next Copy CTRL+C
CTRL+PageDown
worksheet Paste CTRL+V
Undo CTRL+Z
Formulas Redo CTRL+Y
Apply AutoSum ALT+= Format cells dialog box CTRL+1
Current date CTRL+;
Current time CTRL+:
Spelling F7
Help F1
Macros ALT+F8