Spreadsheet Helpful Information

SPREADSHEET HELPFUL INFORMATION

WHAT IS A SPREADSHEET?

A spreadsheet is simply rows and columns of data. Spreadsheets can be used to organize any type of alphabetic and numeric data.

CREATE A WORKSHEET

You can Open Excel by clicking on the Start button and then clicking Microsoft Excel.

A document created in Excel is referred to as a workbook. An Excel workbook consists of individual worksheets (or sheets) like the sheets of paper in a notebook.

Columns on a worksheet are labeled with letters of alphabet and rows are numbered. The intersection of the row and column is called a cell. In the worksheet, the cell containing the insertion point is considered the active cell and a thick black border surrounds it. The gray vertical and horizontal lines that define the cells in the worksheet are called gridlines.

ENTERING DATA IN A CELL

To enter data in a cell, make the desired cell active, and then key the data. To move the insertion point to the next cell in the worksheet press the tab key. Other commands for moving the insertion point within the worksheet are displayed below

LocationPress

Down to the next cell Enter

Up to the net cell Shift+ Enter

Next cellTab

Previous cellShift+ Tab

Cell at beginning of rowHome

Next cell in the direction of the arrowUp, down, left, or right arrow keys

Last cell in worksheetCrtl+End

First cell in worksheet (A 1)Ctrl+Home

If the data you entered in a cell consist of text and the text does not fit into the cell, it overlaps the next cell. If, however, you enter a number in a cell, and the number is too long to fit in the cell, Excel changes the display in the cell to number symbols (###). This is because excel does not want you to be misled by a number when you see only a portion of it in the cell.

SAVING A WORKBOOK

Click on the Office Button menu and then Save As. Be sure that you are in your file before you save. Type in a filename for the document that is being saved. A filename cannot include the following characters:

Forward slash ( / )Question mark ( ? )Backslash ( \ )Quotation mark ( “ )

Greater than sign ( > )Colon ( : )Less than sign ( < )Semicolon ( ; )

Asterisk ( * )Pipe symbol ( )

OPENING A WORKBOOK

Start the Excel program. Open a workbook by displaying the Open dialog box for the Office Button, find your name and then double click the desired workbook filename.

PRINTING A WORKBOOK

To print an Excel workbook, open the workbook you want printed, and then click the Printmenu from the Office Button. This prints the active worksheet in the workbook.

If you want to preview the worksheet before printing, click the Print Previewbutton from the Print menu. This displays the worksheet as it will appear on the printed page. After viewing the worksheet, click the Close Print Previewbutton that displays toward the top of the preview screen.

CONTROLLING THE PAGE LAYOUT

To change your page to landscape orientation select the Page Layout ribbon and then Orientation and choose Landscape. Your paper will now print sideways.

INSERTING HEADERS/FOOTERS

To print specific text at the top of each page of the worksheet, create a header. Create a footer for text you want to print at the bottom of each page. To create a header or footer select the Insert ribbon then Header/Footer and choose the Go to Footer or Go to Header then insert the desired text.

FORMATTING DATA IN CELLS

To change the font, font style or size of a cell choose the Homeribbon and choose a new font.

Numbers in a cell, by default, are aligned at the right and decimals and commas are not displayed unless they are keyed in the cell. Formatting symbols that can be used include percent sign(%), dollar sign ($) also known as currency and a comma (,). These features can be found using the Homeribbon.

CHANGING COLUMN WIDTH AND ROW HEIGHT

The width of a column can be changed by choosing the Homeribbon then Format and Column Width. Key the desired column size and select OK.

To change the height of a row choose the Homeribbon then FormatandRowHeight. Key the new height in the dialog box and select OK.

To automatically adjust a column to accommodate the longest entry in the column, double-click the column header boundary to the right of the column letter.