ELECTRONIC 4

SPREADSHEET

Objectives “It’s a humongous time saver! I did [depreciation

calculations] with spreadsheets before, but
After completing this Chapter, the
student will be able to:
because of tax laws changing so much, you have
to keep track of ACE (adjusted current earnings),
• create, save and open a sheet in AMT (alternative minimum tax) and four or five
a spreadsheet,
other methods of reporting. And updating would
• enter data – text, numbers and take four or five hours. Now, with one button,
formulas in a sheet, the information just rolls over.”
• navigate within a sheet and also Terry Rogers
between different sheets of a Consultant, Datacentrik Solutions, Vancouver.
workbook,
• insert and delete cells, rows and
columns in a sheet,
Introduction
• select, copy, paste and delete cell
data within a worksheet,
In our daily life, we may have come across a list of
• use various formulas and inbuilt items in tabular form several times. For example,
functions provided in the the shopping bills, the school annual report card,
spreadsheet,
or the cricket match scorecard. These tables with
• create error free sheets using rows and columns are called spreadsheets. If we
special tools like spell check and have to tabulate and analyse the data for the
auto correct,
Indian team’s performance in a cricket series and
• setup the page and margins of submit a project as part of our course evaluation,
the worksheets so as to print it in we will perhaps take a chart paper and design the
a paper of desired choice,
project, write a report and submit it. That’s the
• format the data in the worksheet way we have done it all along. The project may
entirely or selectively, completely cover all aspects of the series but we
• define and apply styles and are not happy with it. This is because the project
report is static – we cannot make dynamic analysis
• enhance worksheets using
charts.
using this paper report. How do we then get
attention of our audience? Welcome to the world
of electronic spreadsheets, where we can do all
these, and much more. Let us see how.
Electronic Spreadsheet

4.1 A SPREADSHEET
A spreadsheet is defined as a large sheet which contains data and
information arranged in rows and columns. There are different spreadsheet
programs available; some are proprietary, like Microsoft Excel, Lotus 123,
etc., others are free/open source like, Gnome Office Spreadsheet Gnumeric,
KOffice KSpread, OpenOffic.org Calc. Spreadsheets, also known as
worksheets, allow us to perform detailed analysis on numerical data.
Data is entered in a cell, which represents the intersection of a row and a
column. The most powerful feature of a spreadsheet is that it automatically
recalculates the result of mathematical formulas if the source data changes.
A spreadsheet can help us quickly record and manipulate a large amount
of numerical information and share it with others in a wide variety of
forms. Since MS-Excel, an integral
Title bar Standard Toolbar Formatting
component of MS-Office, is one of the
programs which has all these features
and many more we have taken it as a
spreadsheet program.
Active Cell

4.2 STARTING A
SPREADSHEET
PROGRAM
To start follow the steps given below:

1. Click on button on the

Active
Taskbar.
2. Click on option in
the pop-up window.
Figure 4.1 : A blank spreadsheet
3. Click on

A blank spreadsheet as shown in figure 4.1 is displayed.

4.3 BASIC SPREASDSHEET ELEMENTS

4.3.1 WORKBOOK AND WORKSHEET
Each speadsheet file is known as a workbook and is stored with a default
extension of .xls. Each workbook can contain many sheets, so various
kinds of related information can be organised in a single file. Each
workbook can contain up to 255 worksheets, but by default it displays
only three. Worksheet is the area where the data is stored and work is
performed. Extra worksheets can be added as and when required.
4.3.2 ROWS, COLUMNS AND CELLS
The rows in a worksheet are numbered from top to bottom along the
left column of the worksheet. The columns are labeled from left to 97
right with letters. The total number of rows in Excel are 65536 and the
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total number of columns are 256. Columns are named from A to IV.
The rows are numbered from 1 to 65536.
A cell is the intersection of a row and a column. A cell is identified
by an address that consists of the column name followed by the row
number. For example, the first cell is referred to as A1, which indicates
that it lies at the intersection of the column A and row 1. This is the
active cell. The active cell is ready for accepting any action or input. A
small group of contiguous cells is defined as a range. The range is
referred to by writing the starting address of the cell in the range:
Ending address of the cell in a range or vice versa. For example A1:A10
(can also be referred as A10 : A1).
4.4 NAVIGATING IN A WORKSHEET
The cursor keys, mouse and the scroll bar can be used to navigate
through the worksheet. However, navigating through the 65,536 rows
and 256 columns using these techniques is very inefficient. To move to
any cell directly without scrolling through the entire worksheet, use
any of the following shortcut methods:
Method 1 : Using key combinations

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 CTRL + HOME
(cell A1)
End of the worksheet CTRL + END
(last cell containing data)
End of the row CTRL + right arrow key or END +
right arrow key
End of the column CTRL + down arrow key or END +
down arrow key
Method 2 : Using the name box
1. Type the cell address in the Name Box
2. Press ENTER to reach the desired cell.
For example, to move to cell D6, enter D6 in the Name Box and press
ENTER. The cursor is positioned on the cell in the D column and 6th row.

9988 Method 3 : Using the go to dialog box

1. Press F5 or CTRL + G or choose Go To option from the Edit menu to
Electronic Spreadsheet

invoke the Go To dialog box.

2. Enter the cell coordinates in the Reference textbox.
3. Click OK to move to the desired cell.

4.4.1 NAVIGATING BETWEEN WORKSHEETS

To move between worksheets,
simply click on the sheet number
in the lower left corner of the
screen (Figure 4.2). In case the
number of worksheets is more than
the number which can be displayed
Click on the Sheet
use the tab scrolling buttons, number to open the sheet
located next to the sheet numbers
and then click on the sheet
number to select it. Tab scrolling
buttons
The tab scrolling buttons and Figure 4.2 : Spreadsheet showing different worksheets
their use are given below:

Icon Movement

t| To display the first worksheet

u| To display the last worksheet

t To display adjacent worksheets on the left

u To display adjacent worksheets on the right

4.5 SAVING A WORKBOOK

To save a Workbook:
1. Choose the Save As option from the File menu or Click on the Save
button on the Standard Toolbar or Close the workbook by clicking
on the Close button. The Save As dialog box is displayed as shown
in the figure.
2. Select the directory in which the file is to be saved.
3. Type the name of the file in the File Name text box.
4. Click Save.

4.6 OPENING A WORKBOOK

To open a workbook:
1. Choose Open option from the File menu or Click on the Open button
on the Standard Toolbar.
2. Select directory in which the file has been saved.
3. Type the name of the file in the File Name field or select the name
by clicking on it. 99
4. Click Open.
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4.7 USING FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS

Formulas are entries containing an equation that calculates the value
to be displayed. Please remember, when working with formulas, do not
type in the numbers but type in the equation. This equation will be
automatically updated upon the change or entry of any data that is
referenced in the equation.

4.7.1 ENTERING FORMULAS

Cells in a worksheet can also contain formulas that are helpful in
performing calculations. Formulas are mathematical equations. They
are useful for establishing the relationship between two or more cells.
They contain the coordinates of the
Value displayed in the cell
cells that are used in the formula,
operators and functions. When a
formula is entered, the cell
displays the result of the formula.
Formulas must begin with an =
sign, otherwise it is treated as a
text entry (Figure 4.3).

Whenever any cell value is

changed it automatically
recalculates the values of any
formula and displays it in the
Figure 4.3 : Using formula in a Spreadsheet relevant cell.

Using Arithmetic Operators

When a number is entered into a cell, it is possible to perform
mathematical calculations using them. Spreadsheets have many
mathematical functions built into
them. The most basic operations
used widely are addition,
subtraction, multiplication and
division. Follow the given steps to
perform addition.
1. Move the cursor to cell A1.
Type 1.
2. Press Enter to move to cell A2.
Type 1 in cell A2.
3. Press Enter to move to cell A3.
4. Type =A1+A2 in cell A3.
Place the cursor in cell A3
and look at the Formula bar. Note that the contents of cell
A1 and A2 have been added and
110000 Figure 4.4 : Working with Math Function the result is shown in cell A3
(Figure 4.4).
Electronic Spreadsheet

The same steps can be followed to perform other mathematical

operations by simply changing the formula typed into cell A3.

Using Auto Sum

The addition of numbers is one of the most frequently used actions.

Thus, a toolbar button, AutoSum, has been provided to accomplish
this task. The AutoSum button on the Standard toolbar automatically
adds the values above the destination cell or to the left of the destination
cell. The steps to illustrate this are as follows:

1. Click on the destination cell i.e. the cell in which the result is to be
displayed.
2. Click on the AutoSum button, which is located on the Standard
toolbar. The cells containing the numbers to be added automatically
should now be highlighted.
3. Press Enter to see the result in the destination cell.

4.7.2 FUNCTIONS
This has a set of prewritten formulas called functions. Functions are
special programs that accept data and return a value after processing
the data. Functions differ from regular formulas because they accept
values and not the operators, such as +, -, *, or /. For example, the
SUM function can be used to add numbers in place of the ‘+’ operator.
When using a function, remember the following :
• Use an equal to sign (=) to begin a formula.
• Specify the function name.
• Enclose arguments (data accepted by a function) within parentheses.
• Use a comma to separate arguments.
Some commonly used Functions are listed in Table representing
some commonly used Functions (Appendix 4.1)

4.7.3 COPYING AND PASTING FORMULAS AND FUNCTIONS

Sometimes when working with formulas, the need arises to repeat the
same formula for many different cells. The formulas can be copied
using various methods.
Method 1 : Using the Edit menu
Steps are given below:
1. Click on the cell that contains the formula.
2. Choose the Copy option from the Edit menu.
3. Click on the cell where the formula is to be copied.
4. Choose the Paste option from the Edit menu. Note the change in
the cell reference. 101
5. Press Esc to exit the Copy mode.
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Method 2 : Using the Formatting Toolbar / Keyboard Shortcuts

Steps are given below :
1. Click on the cell that contains the formula.
2. Click on the Copy icon located on the Formatting toolbar or
press Ctrl + C keys.
3. Click on the cell where the formula is to be copied.
4. Click on the Paste icon located on the Formatting toolbar or
press Ctrl + V keys.
5. Press Esc to exit the Copy mode.

If a formula needs to be copied to multiple cells, use the AutoFill

feature discussed later in the lesson.

4.7.4 CELL REFERENCING

Observe that when you copy and paste formulas, they are pasted relative
to the position they are copied from. This is because of the way the
formula treats the cell references. The cell coordinates in the formula
are known as cell references. Two commonly used cell references are –
Absolute and Relative.
Absolute Referencing
Absolute referencing implies that the coordinates of a cell are not
changed when a formula is copied from one cell to another. To make a
cell address an absolute cell address place a dollar sign in front of
both the row and column identifiers. For example, $A$1 implies that
both row and column have been fixed or made absolute. In simple
words this means that while copying this formula to another cell,
neither the column name nor the row number will change.
Relative Referencing
With relative cell referencing, when we copy a formula from one area
of the worksheet to another, it records the position of the cell relative
to the cell that originally contained the formula. This is the default
mode of referencing in a spreadsheet.

The F4 key is used to toggle between the absolute and relative

modes of referencing cells.

4.8 WORKING WITH WORKSHEET RANGES

Each cell is referred to by a cell address. A group of cells are referenced
110022 using a reference operator. There are two types of reference operators,
range and union.
Electronic Spreadsheet

• A range reference refers to all

the cells between and including
the reference (Figure 4.5). A
range reference consists of two
cell addresses separated by a
colon. The range reference
B1:B4 includes cells B1, B2, B3
and B4. The range reference
A1:B3 includes A1, A2, A3, B1,
B2 and B3.
• A union reference includes two Figure 4.5 : Worksheet Range
or more references. A union
reference consists of two or
more cell addresses separated by a comma. For example, the
reference A1, B5, C7 refers to cells A1, B5, and C7. Similarly, the
reference A1:A3,B4:B6 refers to cells A1, A2, A3, B4, B5 and B6.

4.8.1 USING RANGE NAMES IN FORMULAS

When working with large volumes of data in a worksheet, it is frequently
desirable to refer to a range of cells repeatedly. For example, if a column
in the worksheet contains the price of products, it will be required
again and again for calculating the total price of all products or
calculating the average price and so on. In such a case, it is convenient
and efficient to name this range meaningfully and use the name of the
range instead of the cell coordinates. Naming a range of cells has the
following advantages:
• Names are easier to remember than cell coordinates.
• Names make navigation in a worksheet easier.
• Named ranges can be used throughout a workbook easily. This is
very helpful while linking
worksheets in a workbook.

4.8.2 CREATING RANGE

NAMES
Steps to create a named range are:
Type the name
1. Select the cell or range of cells of the Range
to be named.
2. Choose the Name option from
The Range
the Insert menu. reference
3. Choose the Define option from
the Name sub-menu. The Define
Name dialog box is displayed as
in figure 4.6.
Figure 4.6 : To create Range Name from Name Option
4. Type in the name of the range in 103
of the Insert Menu
the Names in a workbook text box.
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5. Click on the Add button to create the name. The name is

immediately added to the existing names in the box.
6. Click on the OK button to close the dialog box.

4.8.3 USING RANGE NAMES

Simply type the name in the formula in place of the cell coordinates.
For example, to find the maximum of a range of marks named Maths,
the formula will be =MAX(Maths).

4.9 WORKING WITH ROWS AND COLUMNS

To add extra information to a
worksheet, it may sometimes be
desirable to insert new rows and
columns. To insert a new row/
column, execute the following steps:

4.9.1 INSERTING A ROW

1. Click on the Row Number (or any
cell in that row) above which
the new row is to be added.
2. Choose the Rows option from
the Insert menu. A row is
inserted above the selected row
(Figure 4.7).
3. Click any where in the
Figure 4.7 : Inserting a row spreadsheet to remove the
selection.

4.9.2 INSERTING A COLUMN

1. Click on the Column name (or
any cell in that column).
2. Choose the Columns option from
the Insert menu. A column is
inserted to the left of the
selected column (Figure 4.8).
3. Click anywhere in the
spreadsheet to remove the
selection.
Blank
4.9.3 DELETING ROWS AND
COLUMNS
Figure 4.8 : Inserting a column
When the contents of an entire row
or column are to be deleted, perform the following steps:
110044
1. Click on the Row Number/Column Name to be deleted.
Electronic Spreadsheet

2. Choose the Delete option from the Edit menu or right click and
select Delete option from the pop-up menus.
3. Click anywhere in the spreadsheet to remove the selection.

4.9.4 INSERTING AND DELETING CELLS

We can insert or delete individual cells also, rather than the entire
row or column.
Inserting a Cell
1. Click on the cell where new cell(s) is to be inserted.
2. Choose the Cells option from the Insert menu.
The Insert dialog box is displayed (Figure 4.9).
3. Choose the appropriate option. The result of
each option is explained as under:
(a) Shift cells right – adds a blank cell to the
left of the selected cell.
(b) Shift cells down – adds a blank cell above
the selected cell.
(c) Entire row – adds a new row above the
selected cell.
(d) Entire column – adds a new column to the
left of the selected cell. Figure 4.9 : Insert dialog box

4. Click on OK button.
Deleting a Cell
1. Click on the cell which is to be deleted.
2. Choose the Delete option from the Edit menu.
The Delete dialog box is displayed as shown
in figure 4.10.
3. Choose the appropriate option. The result of
each option is explained as under:
(a) Shift cells left – the cells to the right of
the deleted cell are moved left.
(b) Shift cells up – the cells below the deleted
cell are moved up.
(c) Entire row – deletes the entire row and
moves the row below upwards.
(d) Entire column – deletes the entire column
and moves the row to the right leftwards.
Fiugre 4.10 : Delete dialog box
4. Click on OK button.
Note: If there is any data at the extreme right or at the end of the worksheet, it
does not allow us to insert cells or rows. This is because, it does not delete
existing contents from the worksheet while inserting cells. For example, if there 105
is data in row number 16,384, then inserting a row will result in an error.
 Computers and Communication Technology

4.9.5 CLEARING DATA

To delete an entry in a cell or a group of cells, place the cursor in the
cell or highlight the group of cells and press the Delete key. Note that
this method only clears the cell contents and
not the cell formats or comments.
Alternatively, use the Edit menu that allows
an option of what to delete.
Steps for clearing data using Edit menu are
as under:
1. Click on the cell or select the cell range whose
contents are to be deleted.
2. Choose the Clear option from the Edit menu.
3. Choose the relevant option from the Clear
sub-menu.
The Clear sub-menu offers four choices
(Figure 4.11) explained as below:

Figure 4.11 : Clear data using Edit Menu • All – to delete all formats, contents and
comments.
• Formats – to delete formats only.
• Contents – to delete contents only.
• Comments – to delete comments only.

4.10 SELECTING CELLS

To perform a function on any particular cell or a group of cells, the cell
or cells need to be first selected. Selecting a single cell is as simple as
clicking on it.

4.10.1 SELECT A ROW

To select an entire row, click on the row number to be selected on the
left hand side of the spreadsheet.

4.10.2 SELECT A COLUMN

To select an entire column, click on the column label at the top of the
spreadsheet.

4.10.3 SELECT ALL CELLS IN A WORKSHEET

Click on the empty grey box in the left corner between A and 1. This
area is called the Select All button.

4.10.4 TO SELECT A CONTIGUOUS GROUP OF CELLS

110066
To select adjacent cells, use any of the following methods.
Electronic Spreadsheet

Method 1 : Using the Name Box

1. Click on the Name Box.
2. Type the cell reference of the
starting cell and the ending cell
separated by a colon in the
Name Box. For example, to
select cells A3 to A10, type
A3:A10 in the Name Box.
3. Press Enter to select the cells.
For example, as shown in the
figure 4.12, typing A1:D1 in the
Name Box selects the cells in the
specified range i.e. A1,B1,C1,D1.
Method 2 : By Dragging Figure 4.12 : Selecting Contiguous Group of Cells using
Name Box
1. Place the cursor in the starting cell.
2. Holding down the left mouse
button, drag the mouse over the area which is to be selected.

4.10.5 TO SELECT NON–CONTINUOUS GROUP OF CELLS

1. Place the cursor in cell A1.
2. Press the left mouse button.
3. While holding down the CTRL key and left mouse button, move
mouse from starting cell to ending cell. Holding down the Ctrl key
enables one to select non–contiguous areas of the worksheet.
4. Perform the desired operation or Press Esc and click anywhere on
the worksheet to remove the highlighting.

4.11 EDITING CELL CONTENTS

After entering data into a cell, changes can be made to it using any of
the following methods:
Method 1 : Using the F2 Key
1. Move the cursor to the desired
cell whose contents have to be
edited.
2. Press F2. Make the necessary
changes.
3. Press Enter.
Method 2 : Using the Formula Bar
Formula Bar
1. Move the cursor to the desired cell
whose contents have to be edited.
2. Click in the formula area of the Figure 4.13 : Editing Cell Content 107
Formula Bar. (Figure 4.13)
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3. Make the necessary changes.

4. Press Enter.
Method 3 : Double-click in the Cell
1. Move the cursor to the desired cell whose contents have to be edited.
2. Double-click in the cell.
3. Make the necessary changes.
4. Press Enter.

4.12 FORMATTING WORKSHEETS

4.12.1 ALIGNING CELL CONTENT
By default, text entries are left aligned and formulas and numbers are
also left aligned. These alignments can be changed. Apart from the
Left, Right and Center alignment options, the entries can be aligned
vertically also. There are two methods for changing the horizontal cell
alignment as explained below.
Method 1 : Using the Menu
1. Click on the cell to be aligned.
2. Choose the Cell option from the Format menu. The Format cells
dialog box appears.
3. Choose the alignment tab.
4. Click to open the drop-down box associated with the horizontal
field. After the drop-down box is opened, select the desired alignment
as Right, Left or Center.
5. Click OK to close the dialog box.
Method 2 : Using the Format Toolbar
1. Click on the cell to be aligned.
2. Click on the appropriate alignment button in the Format toolbar to
change the alignment.

Icon Effect

Left aligns the selected text

Centers the selected text

Right aligns the selected text

To change the vertical alignment select the desired alignment as

Center or Bottom from the Vertical drop-down box in the Format Cells
dialog box displayed above.

110088 Note : To make the line of data fit evenly within the height of a cell,
choose the justify option.
Electronic Spreadsheet

4.12.2 CHANGING COLUMN WIDTH

There are two methods to change the column width.
Method 1 : Using the Menu Bar
1. Place the cursor anywhere in the column whose width is to be
changed.
2. Choose the Column option from the Format menu. A dialog box
opens.
3. Type in the required Column width in the dialog box and
click on OK.
Method 2 : By Dragging
1. Place the cursor on the line between the B and C column headings.
The cursor with two arrows appears.
2. Move the mouse to the right while holding down the left mouse
button. The width indicator appears on the screen.
3. Release the left mouse button when the width indicator shows the
desired width.

4.12.3 CHANGING ROW HEIGHT

There are two methods to change the row height.
Method 1 : Using the Menubar
1. Place the cursor anywhere in the row whose height is to be changed.
2. Choose the Row option from the Format menu. A dialog box opens.
3. Type in the required Row Height in the dialog box and click on OK.
Method 2 : By Dragging
1. Place the cursor on the line between the 1 and 2 row headings. The
cursor should look like the one displayed above, with two arrows.
2. Move the mouse downwards or upwards while holding down the left
mouse button. The height indicator appears on the screen.
3. Release the left mouse button when the height indicator shows the
desired height.

4.12.4 CHANGING FONT ATTRIBUTES

The Font style, size and colo ur can be easily changed in a
spreadsheet to dress it up a little. To set the Font properties perform
the following steps.
1. Click on the cell whose font properties are to be changed.
2. Choose the Cell option from the Format menu. The Format cells
dialog box appears.
3. Choose the Font tab.
4. Change the Font type, style, size and colour using the appropriate options. 109
5. Click on OK.
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Alternatively use the formatting tools available on the Formatting

tool bar for changing the type, size and colour of the text.

4.12.5 MAKING FORMAT CHANGES

Auto Formatting Worksheets
The Auto Format is a tool for creating pleasing worksheets with various
formats quickly and easily. To Auto format a worksheet, follow the
given steps:
1. Choose the Auto Format option from the Format menu.
2. Select the format to apply.
3. Click on OK.

Modifying Styles
The worksheet allows users to
create, store and use individual
formatting styles. A style can be
defined as a collection of formats
such as font size, patterns, and
alignment that can be defined and
saved as a group. To add or modify
styles perform the following steps :
1. Choose Style option from the
Format menu.
Figure 4.14 : Style option dialog box 2. In the Style name box, type a
name for a new style (Figure 4.14).
3. To change formats for an existing style, click the style you want to change.
4. Click Modify.
5. On any of the tabs in the dialog box, select the formats you want,
and then click OK.
6. Clear the check box for any type of formats that are not to be included
in the style.
7. To define and apply the style to the selected cells, click OK.
8. To define the style without applying it, click Add, and then click Close.
Additional Formatting Options
Special Cell Borders
Another formatting feature, which can improve the readability of a
spreadsheet, is to add borders around cells. This is especially useful if
spreadsheet needs to be printed, because, by default, the light grey
cell gridlines don’t appear when a spreadsheet document is printed.
To set borders, the steps are:
111100
1. First select the cells on which you want to put borders.
Electronic Spreadsheet

2. Then click the Borders button on the toolbar at the

top of the screen .
3. Select a border style from the options that are
displayed in figure 4.15. In the example below, the All
Borders options is selected – this places a single line
around all sides of all of the selected cells.
It is also possible to give different borders on different
sides of a cell or have coloured borders around cells. Use
the Draw borders option for this purpose. For this, follow
the given steps:
1. Click on the down arrow next to the borders
Figure 4.15 : Choose Border
button on the formatting Toolbar. Options
2. Select the Draw Borders option
from the drop-down menu. The
Borders toolbar is displayed as
shown in figure 4.16.
3. Choose the colour of the border
and the type of the border and Click to choose
draw borders or grids. border type
Click to toggle
between drawing
Special Cell Shades borders and grids

Cells can be filled with various

colours or shading effects. For
Click to choose
achieving this, use the Patterns tab border colour
of the Format cells menu. The steps
to be followed are given below: Figure 4.16 : Draw Border Options
1. Select the cells to which cell
shading is to be applied.
2. Choose the Cells option from
the Format menu.
3. Click on the Patterns tab.
4. Choose the desired colour and/
or pattern from the available list.
5. Click on OK.
Figure 4.17 : Format cell window for protecting cells
Protecting Cells
It allows us to set Protection options to prevent editing (or even viewing)
of all or parts of a workbook. This can be very useful while sharing a
spreadsheet with others or even to prevent accidental altering of labels
and formulas once they are all completed.
It is necessary to set an option to unlock cells that may still require
change after a worksheet is protected. By default every cell has its
Locked property set to true. For unlocking cells :
111
1. Select the block of cells to be unlocked.
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2. Choose the Cells option from the Format menu.

The Format Cells window appears as shown in
figure 4.18.
3. Click on the Protection tab.
4. Click in the box next to Locked to remove the check
mark.
5. Click OK. The Locked property for these cells is
now disabled.
Conditional Formatting
This feature allows the user to apply formats to cells
that satisfy a predefined criterion. To apply
conditional formatting, perform the following steps:
Figure 4.18: Protect sheet 1. Choose Conditional Formatting option from the
dialog box Format menu.
2. In the Conditional Formatting dialog box
(Figure 4.19) specify criteria using the various options.
3. Click Format.
4. Select the font styles, borders,
shading and other options to be
applied.
5. Click OK to apply the formats
to cells that meet the specified
criterion.
Tab Colours
To separate out worksheets from
one another, it is possible to give
Figure 4.19 : Conditional formatting dialog box different colours to the name of the
worksheets at the bottom left
corner. The steps to be followed for achieving this are:

111122 Figure 4.20 : Applying different colours to different sheets using Format Tab Color
Electronic Spreadsheet

1. Click on the Sheet name.

2. Right click and in the pop up box choose the Tab Color option.
3. Select the desired colour from the Format Tab Color Dialog Box as
shown in figure 4.20.
4. Click on OK to see the effect.

4.12.6 USING CHARTS

Charts are an excellent tool to present data in a worksheet in a visually
appealing format which aids in analysing and comparing data. The
Chart Wizard button guides through the steps for creating an
embedded chart. The steps are as follows:
1. Highlight all the cells that need to be included in the chart
including headers.
2. Choose the Chart option from the Insert menu.
3. Choose the suitable Chart type from any of the available types. We
will select Column. There are various types available like Pie Chart,
Bar Chart, Line Chart, etc.
4. In the Chart Sub-type box, choose the Clustered Column icon to
select the chart sub-type.
5. Click Next.
6. The next step displays the address of the cell range selected for
preparing the chart. If the need arises, this range can be changed
by clicking on the collapse dialog box.
7. Click Next.
8. To place the Subject data on the x-axis, select the Rows radio button.
9. Click Next.
10. Type Class XI Performance in the Chart Title textbox.
11. Type Subjects in the Category (X) Axis field. Subjects will appear
as the x-axis title.
12. Type Marks in the Value (Y) Axis field. Marks will appear as the y-axis title.
13. Choose the Data Table tab.
14. Select Show Data Table if required.
15. Click Next.
16. Choose the As Object in Sheet1 option to make the chart an embedded
object and part of the current worksheet. In case we need it on a new
sheet, then we may choose the option As New Sheet.
17.Click Finish.

Activity
Let us explore it by ourselves creating a worksheet and using different Chart Options.

4.12.7 USING SPECIAL TOOLS

Spell Checking
The Spell Check feature of spreadsheet is same as that for Word 113
Processing which we used in the previous chapter.
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1. Select the range of cells to be checked.

2. Click on Spelling button on the Standard Toolbar.
3. On locating an error, make changes accordingly.
AutoCorrect Worksheets
The AutoCorrect feature can
correct common typing errors
during working. For example, it can
change “adn” to “and” and change
“their is” to “there is.” The
Specify the commonly misspelt words can be
commonly
misspelled words, added as an AutoCorrect entry
Click on Add and (Figure 4.21). The common
then OK
misspelling is then automatically
corrected.

4.12.8 FINDING AND

REPLACING DATA
This feature is useful in finding
and replacing multiple occurrences
of a value in the worksheet quickly
Figure 4.21: AutoCorrect Dialog Box and efficiently. The steps involved
are as given below:
1. Click on the cell whose value
is to be found and replaced.
2. Choose the Replace option from
the Edit menu. The Find &
Replace menu box opens
(Figure 4.22).
3. Enter the text to be found in
the Find What textbox.
4. Enter the text to be replaced
with in the Replace With textbox.
5. Click on the Replace All button
and then Click on OK when
Click Here prompted.
Figure 4.22 : Find and Replace Dialog Box 6. Click on Close to come out of
the dialog box.
4.12.9 USING AUTOFILL
Excel contains a feature called AutoFill, which copies a logical series
of values, labels or formulas. The AutoFill handle, which is like the “+”
mathematical operator, can be located at the bottom right corner of
the active cell.
111144
To fill series perform the following steps:
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1. Click on the first cell and type in “01-May”.

2. Click on the cell again and then position the mouse in the bottom
right of the cell so that the cursor turns to a small black plus sign,
as shown below.
3. With the cursor, click, hold and drag the mouse down.
4. It automatically copies the date and increments by one day for
each cell going down, giving the series 1-May, 2-May, ... , 10-May.
It keeps showing exactly which day is being filled. Release the mouse
when the desired date is reached (Figure 4.23).

Dragging the fill handle across five cells

Figure 4.23 : Using AutoFill option

Note : Advanced options on creating such auto-fill series are

available with the menu command Edit > Fill > Series.

4.12.10 ADDING COMMENTS

Cell comments are additional
explanatory notes which can be
attached to a cell in a spreadsheet.
Cell comments are indicated by
Figure 4.24 : Adding Comments
the small red triangle in the upper
right corner of the cell. To view
the comment, rest the pointer over the cell. A text box will appear, as
shown in the figure 4.24.
To add a comment to a cell follow the given steps:
1. Click on the cell to which the comment is to be added.
2. Choose Comment from the Insert menu.
3. In the box, type the comment text.
4. Once the comment is typed, click outside the comment box. The
comment disappears but a small red triangle appears at the top
right corner of the cell.
To edit an existing cell comment, follow the given steps:
1. Click on the cell with the comment we want to edit.
2. On the Insert menu, click Edit Comment. 115
3. Edit the comment and click outside the comment box.
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4.13 PRINTING A WORKSHEET/WORKBOOK

The simplest way to print a workbook is to click the Print icon located
on the Standard toolbar. Dotted lines will appear on the screen after
clicking on the print icon. These dotted lines indicate the right, left,
top, and bottom edges of the printed pages. Before the printing can be
done, it offers a variety of options to customise the printing according
to specific needs.

4.13.1 PRINT PREVIEW

There are many print options. All
Office packages offer a facility of
previewing a worksheet before it
is actually printed in order to
customise the print according to
one’s specific requirements. Print
options can be selected using the
Page Setup dialog box or in the
Print Preview. In Print Preview, it
is possible to see the results of
selections onscreen.
4.13.2 PRINT A SPREADSHEET
To print a spreadsheet:
1. Choose Print Preview option
from the File menu or click on
Figure 4.25 : Preparing a worksheet for printing the Print icon in the Standard
toolbar.
2. Click Setup.
3. Choose the Page tab (Figure 4.25).
4. Choose Portrait or Landscape.
5. In the Adjust To field, type 100%
to set the size to 100%.
6. Choose the Margin tab.
7. Check the Horizontally box in
the Center On Page frame to
center the spreadsheet
horizontally.
8. Click OK.
9. Click Print. The Print dialog box
opens.
10. Click OK to print the file.

111166 Figure 4.26 : Setting Margins

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Summary
• A spreadsheet, also known as a worksheet, is a row and column arrangement of data
and the formulas to manipulate the data.

• A spreadsheet can be used for a variety of applications like business forecasts, inventory
control and accounting.

• Every Excel file is a workbook that can contain more than one worksheet.

• Cell is defined as the space where a specified row and a column intersect.

• Worksheets can contain labels, numbers or formulas.

• Worksheet allows selecting both contiguous and non-contiguous cells.

• A range is a group of cells referenced with a name. The range reference consists of the
first and last cell addresses separated by a colon.

• The AutoSum button on the Standard toolbar adds numbers automatically and also
suggests the range of numbers to be added.

• Formulas and functions are automatically updated with a change in the source cell or
position of the formula.

• In Relative referencing, the reference is adjusted relative to the new location of the formula.

• In Absolute referencing, the cell reference does not change but remains fixed while pasting
formulas.

• Functions are pre-written formulas which must begin with an “=” sign.

• Cell ranges can be named and used in place of cell references.

• The AutoFill handle is a very useful tool to fill in logical series.

• Cell comments are additional explanatory notes which can be attached to a cell in a
spreadsheet.

• Charts are an excellent tool to present data graphically and also help in analysing and
comparing data.

• The most powerful feature of a spreadsheet package is the “What-if analysis”. Using this
feature, we can change values and immediately see the effect as the entire worksheet is
automatically updated, based on the change in the values.

EXERCISE
SHORT ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS
1. Define spreadsheet. Name any two spreadsheet software.

2. How many rows and columns are there in MS Excel?

3. How can you write a formula in Excel? Write a valid formula.

117
4. What is the shortcut to print current time in a cell?
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5. Create a table to summarise the alignments of different types of datatype.

6. What is the use of auto correct option?

7. What is the use of print preview feature?

8. What is the use of auto sum feature?

9. How many function categories and functions are there in Excel? What do you
understand by automatic recalculation feature of a spreadsheet?

10. Differentiate between relative and absolute cell referencing with the help of
suitable examples.

11. Explain the uses of any two inbuilt mathematical functions in Excel.

12. Differentiate between the COUNT( ) and COUNTA( ) functions of Excel.

13. What is the function of the auto fill handle in Excel?

LONG ANSWER TYPE QUESTIONS

1. What do you mean by conditional formatting? Explain.

2. Explain any five types of charts in Excel.

MULTIPLE CHOICE QUESTIONS

1. A range refers to a of cells.
(i) Row
(ii) Column
(iii) Group of contiguous cells
(iv) Group of non-contiguous cells
2. In referencing, the cell reference does not change while copying
formulas.
(i) Relative referencing
(ii) Absolute referencing
(iii) Mixed referencing
(iv) None of the above
3. Which of the following function keys is used as a toggle key for changing
referencing modes?
(i) F2
(ii) F8
(iii) F4
(iv) F6
4. Which one of the following is the default folder for saving the files?
(i) c:\
(ii) d:\
(iii) my documents
(iv) new folder
5. A valid formula in Excel begins with:
(i) +
(ii) –
111188 (iii) #
(iv) =
Electronic Spreadsheet

6. How many sheets are there in a workbook by default:

(i) 1
(ii) 2
(iii) 3
(iv) 4

7. Which function key is used to edit cell contents:

(i) F1
(ii) F2
(iii) F3
(iv) F4

8. Height of a row in Excel is:

(i) 12
(ii) 12.25
(iii) 12.50
(iv) 12.75.

Activities
ACTIVITY 4.1
Prepare an analytical result report of Second Monday Test Round Exam of your class in the
format given below.

A B C D E F G H
1 1ST QUARTERLY CYCLE TEST
2
3 Name English Maths Science S. Science Computer Lang Total
II Marks
4 Ankit 78 65 77 88 76 54
5 Achala 77 98 90 66 99 76
6 Himanshu 67 78 87 56 84 92
7 Paarth 81 91 98 77 100 78
8 Total
Appeared
10 Highest M.
11 Lowest M.

Instructions
• Calculate the total marks obtained by each student in column I.
• Calculate the highest and lowest marks obtained in each subject in row 9 and 10
respectively.
• Also calculate the aggregate/percentage marks obtained by each student in column J
• Give the number of students appearing for each subject in row11.
• Find the subject-wise average marks and display them in the row 8. 119
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ACTIVITY 4.2
Prepare a score sheet of an inter-house cricket match in your school:

A B C D E
India vs. Pakistan

Batsman Balls Faced Fours Sixes Singles Total

Gurman Singh 61 7 3 23

Harinder Singh 12 2 4 2

Sachin Gupta 132 21 10 64

Gaurav Sachdeva 17 4 5 7

Ishwaq Ahmed 23 3 3 6

Instructions
• Calculate the total runs obtained by each student in column E.
( Total = No. of sixes x 6 + No. of fours x 4 + No. of Singles)
• Calculate the Strike Rate of each batsman in column F.
• Draw the pie chart to compare the strike rate of each batsman.

ACTIVITY 4.3
Prepare a personal expenditure report of last financial year in the format as below.

A B C D E F G
1 Pocket -Money Expenditure Report 2008-09
2
3 Month Mobile Travel Hobby Dinner Dates Savings Total
4 April 1200 900 500 1000
5 May 1440 788 700 1500
6 June 1320 1110 700 1200
7
8
9

Instructions
• Assume that you are given a monthly pocket-money of Rs. 6000.
• Calculate the savings made by you every month.
• Calculate the total expenditure in each month.
• Calculate the highest and lowest expenditure made.
• Calculate the total savings after the three months
112200 • Draw the bar graph to compare the expenditure of various months.
Electronic Spreadsheet

ACTIVITY 4.4
Prepare a report on purchase and sale of any 10 items of a shop over a week depicting the
profit/loss in the format specified below.
Our School Canteen

A B C D E
1 Weekly Purchase/Sale Report of Items
2 Weekly Investment Weekly Sale
3 Item Name Qty. Made Cost Price (Rs.) Qty. Sold Selling Price (Rs.)
4 Samosa 250 2 245 3
5 Sandwitch 150 4 139 5
6 Fried Rice 300 7 300 10
7 Tea 225 2 225 3

Instructions
• Calculate the total amount invested on each of the items. Total Amount Invested=Qty.
Purchased * Cost price.
• Calculate the total selling price of each of the items. Total Selling Price=Qty. Sold *
Selling Price.
• Calculate the Profit/Loss of each of the items. Profit/Loss =Total Selling Price-Total
Amount Invested.
• Calculate the overall Profit/Loss made by Our School Canteen.

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APPENDIX
APPENDIX 4.1 : ANNEXURE – TABLE REPRESENTING SOME COMMONLY
USED FUNCTIONS
Function Description Syntax

SUM() The SUM function is used to calculate =SUM(number1, number2, …….)

the sum of the numbers passed as
arguments.
Average() The AVERAGE function is used to =AVERAGE(number1,number2……..)
calculate the average of the numbers
passed as arguments.
MAX() The MAX function returns the largest = MAX(number1, number2, …….)
value among the values passed as
arguments.

MIN() The MIN function returns the = MIN(number1, number2, …….)

smallest value among the values
passed as arguments.

COUNT() The COUNT function is used to count = COUNT(value1,value2……..)

the number of cells that contain
numbers within the list of
arguments.

COUNTA() The COUNTA function is used to = COUNTA(value1,value2……..)

count the number of cells that
contain data within the list of
arguments.

COUNTIF() The COUNTIF function is used to = COUNTIF(range, criteria)

count the number of cells within a
range that meet the given criteria.

112222