Excel basics

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Excel basics

• Robin D Salonich
• Technology Coach
• Lexington Four

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Excel
Excel is a spreadsheet application that provides
the user with the tools to organize and present
data in a clear, concise manner. It also gives
us the capability to calculate, analyze, and
chart data.

• To open Excel, click on START.
• Choose PROGRAMS.
• Choose EXCEL.

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Here are some of the basic features of EXCEL.
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Terms you should know
Workbooks are the files created in Excel. Each
workbook is created with 3 blank
worksheets. Worksheets are like pages within
each workbook. It is where you enter, list, and
edit data. Worksheets are made up of columns and
rows. There are 256 columns and 65,536 rows for
each worksheet. A cell is where a column and row
intersect. An active cell is outlined in a dark
border. The Formula Bar is a bar located above
the worksheet frame. As you enter data into a
cell, it simultaneously appears in the Formula
Bar.
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Lets get started
You can enter data into your worksheet quickly
and easily.

• Click on the cell where you want to enter data,
  then type in your information. If you make a
  mistake, press the BACKSPACE key to remove the
  incorrect data then type in the correct data.
• Press ENTER key to enter data. Another easy way
  to move around in the cells is to use the arrow
  keys on your keyboard.
• Repeat steps 1 and 2 until you finish entering
  all your data.

You can use the number pad to enter data.
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Lets Make a Worksheet
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Formatting Cells
Formatting a Worksheet means that you can apply
certain attributes to cell data to change the
appearance of the Worksheet. An example you
can set up the text alignment or the font size
that you want to use in any text data that you
enter.
By right clicking with your mouse on a cell or a
column or a row, you can select FORMAT CELLS and
a Format Cells dialogbox will appear. This
dialog box will allow you to choose how you want
your data displayed.
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Play with the options that you have available

• Try changing the numbers, dates, time etc.
• Change the alignment
• Play with the font styles and sizes
• Create borders
• Select colors and patterns for your cells

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Resizing 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 of the column
  you want to resize.
• -- OR --
• Click the row or column label and select Format gt
  Row gt Height or Format gt Column gt Width from the
  menu bar to enter a numerical value for the
  height of the row or the width of the column.

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Inserting Rows or Columns
To insert rows or columns, in the toolbar, click
on INSERT and choose ROW or COLUMN.

• Begin by clicking on a row or column in the
  area where you want to insert your new row
  or column.
• Click INSERT gt ROW or INSERT gt COLUMN and Excel
  will add the new row above the selected row
  or it will add a new column to the left of
  the selected column.

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Keyboard Shortcuts
CTRLPAGE UP and CTRLPAGE DOWN selects
worksheets within a workbook. END key brings you
to the last cell that contains data. CTRLHOME
brings you to the first cell in the
worksheet. PG UP and PG DOWN moves you quickly
through your worksheet. ALTPG UP moves you one
screen to the left. ALTPG DOWN moves you one
screen to the right.
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Working on your Worksheet
Selecting a range of cells

• Click on a cell. Drag the mouse over desired
  range.
• This will highlight the desired range.
• Click on any cell to deselect.

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To select columns, place the mouse on the column
heading and click.
To select rows, click on a number on the left
side.
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To Select All, use the Select All button which is
in the left corner of the Worksheet above the 1
and to the left of the A. This will highlight
the entire Worksheet
To deselect, click on any cell.
Note
If you want to select cells or rows that are not
next to one another, hold down the CTRL key and
click on the cells, columns, or rows.
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Adding or deleting Worksheets within your Workbook
Excel automatically adds 3 Worksheets to each
Workbook but you may find that you have a need
for more than 3 Worksheets.
To insert a new Worksheet, choose INSERT gt
WORKSHEET from the toolbar. A new Worksheet is
added. You can add as many Worksheets as you
need. To delete a Worksheet, select the
Worksheet you want to delete by clicking on the
Worksheet tab at the bottom. Choose EDIT gt DELETE
SHEET. A warning screen will pop up, click OK to
delete the sheet or click CANCEL if you have made
a mistake.
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Deleting Rows, Columns or Cells

• To clear a cell a cell, select the cell you
  want to clear out and press the DELETE key.
  This removes the cell contents but leaves
  the cell formatting in place.
• To clear a cell of contents and formatting,
  select the cell or group of cells and open
  the EDIT gt CLEAR gt ALL.
• To remove an entire row, click on the row
  number (this high- lights the entire row).
  Select EDIT gt DELETE.
• To remove a column, click on the column heading
  or drag your mouse over several column
  headings to select them all. Select EDIT gt
  DELETE.
• To change the data in a cell, click on that
  cell and type in the new data. Press ENTER
  or use one of the arrow keys to move out of
  the cell.

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The Auto Sum Function
The SUM Function is the most popular spreadsheet
function of all time. It takes a column or row
of numbers and totals them for you.

• Click within the cell you want your results to
  appear.
• Click on the AutoSum button in the toolbar and
  press ENTER.

• Highlight the row or column that you want
  totaled and click on the AutoSum button and
  press ENTER

or
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The Auto Sum Function (continued)

• To total a variety of cells from all over the
  Worksheet, select a cell that will display
  your total.
• Press and hold the CTRL key and use your mouse
  to click the AutoSum button and still holding
  the CTRL key, select cells from all over your
  Worksheet to total. (Excel will mark all the
  cells with moving boxes around them.)
• Press ENTER and your sum will appear in the
  designated cell.

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The Auto Sum Function (continued)
You can edit data in your Worksheet and the
changes will be reflected in your total.

• If you have selected a variety of cells to be
  totaled and youwant to make some changes in your
  data, select the cell with the total and press
  the F2 key. Any cells that were referenced in
  the formula will have the outline of their cell
  change color and you can keep track of them.
• Choose one the referenced cells and change the
  data.
• Click in the Total cell and the change will
  appear.
• Repeat the process by pressing the F2 key and
  making datachanges and then clicking in the
  Total cell.
• Once you press ENTER, all of your data is locked.

Watch Excel automatically update and continue
to change your values.
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Making Charts

• Charts allow you to present data
• entered into the worksheet in a
• visual format.
• Before you can make a chart, you
• must first enter data into a work-
• sheet.

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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
  include the headers.

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Making a Chart (continued)

• Click on the Chart Wizard button on the toolbar
• Choose the Chart Type and click NEXT.

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Making a Chart (continued)

• Chart Source Data Select the data range (if
  different from the area
• Highlighted in step 1) and click NEXT

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Making a Chart (continued)Chart
Options

• Enter the name of the chart and titles for the X-
  and Y- axes
• Other options for the axes, grid lines, data
  labels, and data table can be changed by clicking
  on the tabs.

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Making a Chart
(continued)Chart Location

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

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Making a Chart (continued)

• Click Finish to create the chart.

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You have now learned the basics of Excel.
Practice Practice Practice and you will
find that it is very simple to put together
information that you need.