Microsoft® Excel 97 Quick Reference
This section of Microsoft Excel 97 Quick Reference gets you started with some fundamental tasks that you will use frequently in Excel. You can use the procedures and ideas that you learn here in many of your Excel operations.
You learn how to enter text, numbers, and dates and times. You learn how to use special features that speed data entry, such as AutoComplete and AutoCorrect. In addition, you'll discover how to quickly obtain the Help you need while using Excel. For example, you learn how to use the new Office Assistant to provide detailed assistance as you complete a task.
This section also explains how to name ranges, navigate in the worksheet and in dialog boxes, and select data and other worksheet items. In addition, you learn how to use Undo and Redo, and how to start and exit Excel.
The AutoComplete feature makes it easy to enter repeated text items in a column. Instead of typing the same text items over and over, you need to type the entire entry only once in a column. The next time you want to type the same text in the column, you can type the first few letters of this entry. Excel will complete the rest of the entry for you.
For example, you could use this feature in a business expenses worksheet, where you might have categories for Travel, Lodging, Entertainment, and so on. You must type the complete name, such as Travel, the first time you enter these items in a column. The next time, however, you might have to type only the letter T to enter the word "Travel."
You can disable the AutoComplete feature if you find it to be distracting when you enter data. Choose Tools, Options; then click the Edit tab. Clear the Enable AutoComplete for Cell Values check box, and then click OK.
TIP: To see a list of possible cell entries in a column, right-click a cell in that column and choose Pick From List from the shortcut menu. Click an item in the list to insert the entry; or press Esc to clear the list without inserting an item.
NOTE: You can use an apostrophe to reject an AutoCorrect entry that you don't want. For example, if one column entry is "Titles," and you want to enter the letter "T" below it, you can't just type T and press Enter as you normally would. First, type the apostrophe, then type T, and then press Enter.
AutoCorrect is a feature that automatically corrects common typographical or spelling errors, as you type them. If you accidentally type teh in a worksheet, for example, Excel automatically changes the spelling to "the". By default, the AutoCorrect feature already includes many commonly misspelled words; you can, however, enter your own problem words to the AutoCorrect list. You also can add an AutoCorrect entry while in the Spelling dialog box. (See also "Spelling: Running a Spell Check" in the section "Editing Workbooks.")
NOTE: Excel AutoCorrects an entry as you type one of the Replace words followed by a space, or when you complete the cell entry. If you want to prevent all automatic corrections, choose Tools, AutoCorrect and clear the Replace Text as You Type check box.
To speed data entry, you can preselect the range in which you want to enter data. Then, the active cell will move automatically to another cell in the range after you press a specified key. This feature is especially convenient for creating data-entry forms and lists. (See "Entering: Text" or "Entering: Numbers" before you complete this task.)
Excel includes a feature named AutoFill, which enables you to enter sequences of values automatically. You start the sequence, and AutoFill analyzes the sequence and continues it for you in a specified range. You can use AutoFill for dates, months, years, positive and negative numbers, and so on. (See "Entering: Numbers" before you complete this task.)
TIP: If you want to use dates rather than numbers, enter the first two dates of the sequence in Step 1 above. Excel also recognizes certain text sequences, such as Qtr 1, Qtr 2, and so on. You can specify your own custom data series as well.
(See also "AutoFill: Entering Custom Data Series" in the section "Data Analysis.")
When you type a date or time, Excel converts your entry to a serial number. Time is recorded as a decimal fraction of a 24-hour day. If Excel recognizes your entry as a valid date or time format, you see the date or time on-screen. (See also "Formatting: Dates and Times" in the "Formatting" section and "Date and Time Functions" in the "Functions Mini-Reference.")
TIP: To quickly enter the current date in a cell, select the cell and press Ctrl+; (semicolon). To enter the current time in a cell, press Ctrl+: (colon). You can combine the date and time in a single cell by separating the date and time with a space.
NOTE: You can also enter the dates as 11/6, 11/06/97, Nov-97, or November 6, 1997, but Excel will format the number using one of the formats listed in step 2 above. If Excel does not recognize your entry as a valid date or time format and you type a text date, such as Nov 6 97, Excel treats the entry as text and, in an unformatted cell, aligns it to the left.
NOTE: The first two examples of time formats listed in Step 2 above are from a 24-hour clock. If you use a 12-hour clock, follow the time with a space and either A, AM, P, or PM (in either upper- or lowercase). Be sure that you leave a space before the AM or PM. Do not type a 24-hour clock time with AM or PM.
Numbers are constant values containing only the following characters: 0 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 + - ( ) , / $ % . E e
You can enter integers, such as 24 or 973; decimal fractions, such as 908.37 or 0.72; integer fractions, such as 3 1/4 or 2/3; or scientific notation, such as 5.87137E+3. (See also "Entering: Text" and "Entering: Dates and Times.")
NOTE: A cell filled with # signs indicates that the column is not wide enough to display the number correctly. In this case, you need to change the numeric format or widen the column. Drag the right boundary of the column letter to increase the column width.
TIP: To enter a fraction, type an integer, followed by a space, and then the fraction. If you are entering only the fractional part, type a zero, a space, and then the fraction; otherwise Excel may interpret the entry as a date. Excel reduces fractions when you enter them; if you enter 0 4/8, for example, Excel converts the entry to 1/2. The formula bar displays the decimal equivalent of the fraction (0.5, in this example).
(See also "Formatting: Numbers" in the section "Formatting.")
Text entries can include a combination of alphabetical characters, numbers, and symbols. You can type up to 255 characters in a cell. By default, when you enter text in a cell, the text automatically aligns on the left side of the cell.
Occasionally, you may need to enter a number as a text entry. For example, you may need to create a text heading--such as ($000)--that Excel would normally enter as a number. To make Excel accept numbers as text, type an apostrophe (') followed by the number--for example, '39,800. (See also "Entering: Numbers.")
(See also "Editing Data: In a Cell" in the section "Editing Workbooks.")
Before you exit the Excel program, you should be sure to save all active files (if you want to save recent changes made to them) so you don't lose any data. Excel displays a message box reminding you to save your files if you try to exit the program without saving recent changes. (See "Saving: Workbooks" and "Workbooks: Closing a Workbook" in the section "File Management," before you complete this task.)
TIP: To quickly exit Excel, click the application Close button (the X at the far right end of the title bar).
If you need to jump to another location in the worksheet, and you know the cell address or named range for that location, using the Go To command is usually the quickest way to get there. If you choose a named range with Go To, the entire range is selected.
(See also "Navigating in a Worksheet" and "Selecting: Cells Based on Content.")
Dialog boxes include a question mark in the title bar (beside the Close button), which enables you to obtain Help information on the options and buttons displayed in the dialog box.
Excel provides an extensive on-line Help system to get you up to speed on workbook tasks. You can access Help at any point to provide assistance, display definitions of common features, and access tips you can use to perform a task more quickly. The Help Contents and Index feature enables you to find detailed Help information on a specific topic.
TIP: Use the Index tab in the Help Topics dialog box if you want to look up specific words listed in an index format. Click the Index tab, and begin typing the word you are searching for. Then, click the desired index entry in the list box and click Display.
You can print most of Excel's on-line Help information for easy reference when you are working with Excel. (See "Help: Help Contents and Index," "Help: Searching for Topics," or "Help: The Office Assistant" before you complete this task.)
When you're not sure where to find a Help screen on a certain topic, you can use the Find tab to search for Help using specific keywords, and then choose from a list of selections.
NOTE: The first time you use Find, Excel builds a word list of Excel terms. This may take a few minutes.
The Office Assistant, a new feature included with Excel and other Microsoft Office applications, provides tips and Help information, and interprets what Help you might need based on your current actions. The Office Assistant is an on-screen, interactive program that can be customized to provide help as you work in Excel.
If you are experienced in Excel and find the Office Assistant to be somewhat bothersome, you can temporarily close the Office Assistant to remove it from the screen. You also can customize options that specify when the Office Assistant should appear.
You may decide that you want to hide the Office Assistant and display it only when you need it. To hide the Office Assistant, click the Close button on the Office Assistant. Click the Office Assistant button in the Standard toolbar to redisplay the Office Assistant. Even if you hide the Office Assistant using this method, however, the Assistant may still display during procedures for which it "guesses" you may need Help. To disable this feature, right-click the Office Assistant and then choose Options. Select the Options tab, clear the Guess Help Topics check box, and then click OK.
To customize how the Office Assistant works, right-click the Office Assistant and choose Options. Select the options you want to use; then click OK.
TIP: When a light bulb appears in the Office Assistant, click it to display a tip related to what you are doing. If the Office Assistant is not visible, click the Office Assistant button in the Standard toolbar, and then click the light bulb to display the tip.
TIP: To change the look of your assistant, insert the Microsoft Excel CD (or the Microsoft Office CD) in your CD drive, then right-click the Office Assistant and select Choose Assistant. In the Gallery tab, use the Next and Back buttons to scroll through the different assistants. When you see the assistant you want to use, click OK.
The Tip of the Day feature provides an easy way to familiarize yourself with some of Excel's capabilities. When this feature is enabled, a tip on using Excel appears each time you start Excel. You can also see additional tips while you are using Excel. (See also "Help: The Office Assistant.")
TIP: If you see a light bulb displayed next to the Office Assistant, click it to see a helpful tip on your current actions.
Excel provides ScreenTips to help you remember the names and functions of the toolbar buttons. ScreenTips are the small pop-up labels that appear next to a toolbar button when you move the mouse pointer onto the button and pause. If you need more detailed information on using a toolbar button than the brief description that is displayed in a ScreenTip, you can use the What's This? Help feature.
TIP: To turn ScreenTips on or off, choose View, Toolbars, Customize; then click the Options tab and select (or clear) the Show ScreenTips on Toolbars check box. Click Close.
The IntelliMouse makes navigating in Excel 97 easier. The Microsoft IntelliMouse pointing device includes a small wheel between the left and right mouse buttons. The wheel rolls forward and backward, and depresses. The wheel button on the IntelliMouse will function only if you install IntelliPoint 2.0 (or later) software and you are using applications that take advantage of the IntelliMouse.
(See also "Microsoft IntelliMouse: Zooming.")
The Microsoft IntelliMouse pointing device includes a small wheel between the left and right mouse buttons. The wheel rolls forward and backward and depresses. The IntelliMouse makes zooming in Excel 97 easier.
NOTE: The wheel button on the IntelliMouse will function only if you install IntelliPoint 2.0 (or later) software and you are using applications that take advantage of the IntelliMouse.
TIP: If you use the IntelliMouse to zoom more often than you use it to scroll in a worksheet, you can set the wheel button so that it automatically zooms instead of scrolls. Choose Tools, Options, click the General tab, and then select Zoom on Roll with IntelliMouse. Click OK.
(See also "Microsoft IntelliMouse: Navigating" in this section and "Zooming: The Worksheet Display" in the "Customizing" section.)
Excel enables you to assign a name to a cell or range because names are usually easier to remember than cell references. It's much easier to recall a name like Qtr1, for example, than the cell address that refers to that range, such as D4:D6. Also, the meaning of the formula =Sales-Expenses is much clearer than the formula =C12-C25. Another advantage to using names is that names automatically adjust when you insert or delete rows or columns--you don't need to redefine the name.
NOTE: If you enter a name that is already in use, the cell or range with that name is selected; the original selection is not assigned the name. To redefine or delete an existing name, you must use the Insert, Name, Define command.
CAUTION: When you create or define names, they do not automatically appear in existing formulas in the worksheet. If you create the names after you create the formulas, you need to apply the names to the formulas by using the Insert, Name, Apply command.
To enter data in a cell, select ranges, and view areas of the worksheet, you first must move the cell pointer to the cell you want to manipulate. The active cell in the worksheet is indicated by a highlighted border. In Excel, you can move the cell pointer with both the mouse and keyboard.
Although the mouse has become the tool of choice for many and is required for some tasks, there are still times when keyboard navigation can be quite useful. The following table summarizes the keys or key combinations you can use to navigate the Excel worksheet.
| Key | Action |
| [arrowdown] or Enter | Moves down one row |
| [arrowup] or Shift+Enter | Moves up one row |
| -> or Tab | Moves right one column |
| <- or Shift+Tab | Moves left one column |
| Page Down | Moves down one screen |
| Page Up | Moves up one screen |
| Alt+Page Down | Moves right one screen |
| Alt+Page Up | Moves left one screen |
| Home | Moves to the first cell in the current row |
| Ctrl+Home | Moves to cell A1 of the current worksheet |
| End, Home | Moves to the bottom right corner of the current worksheet |
| Ctrl+Page Down | Moves to the next sheet in the workbook |
| Ctrl+Page Up | Moves to the previous sheet in the workbook |
(See also "Go To: Jumping to a Specific Cell.")
In many Excel commands, such as to copy a range of cells or apply a cell format, you first must select the range of cells you want the command to affect. You can select cells with the mouse or keyboard. (If you want to navigate the worksheet using the keyboard, see "Navigating in a Worksheet" before completing this task.)
In addition to using Go To to jump to a particular cell or named range, you also can use Go To to select cells by content or relationship to formulas. This command is useful if you want to select only cells containing items such as comments, constants, formulas, conditional formats, or objects like charts. (See also "Go To: Jumping to a Specific Cell.")
TIP: After you select cells with Edit, Go To, Special, you can retain the selections and move between the cells by pressing Tab, Shift+Tab, Enter, or Shift+Enter.
While working in Excel, you may want to preselect more than one range of data. This saves time when formatting multiple ranges of data with the same formatting, such as the currency number format. Instead of selecting ranges individually and formatting them, you can format all ranges at once. (See "Selecting: Cells and Ranges" before you complete this task.)
You can perform some tasks more quickly if you select an entire row or column at one time. You also can select multiple adjacent or nonadjacent rows or columns. If you want to increase the column width of multiple adjacent columns while keeping them the same width, for example, preselect those columns and then size them as needed.
TIP: You also can use the keyboard to select the current row or column. To select the current row, press Shift+space bar. To select the current column, press Ctrl+space bar.
You can use the sheet tabs at the bottom of the worksheet area to select the desired worksheet in the current workbook. You also can select multiple worksheets if you want to group the worksheets and perform actions on all selected worksheets. (See "Grouping Worksheets" in the section "Editing Workbooks.")
CAUTION: When the entire worksheet is selected, any command or action you perform will affect the entire worksheet. If you press the Delete key while the worksheet is selected, for example, you will delete all the data in the worksheet.
To start the Excel program, you first must start Windows 95. If you have not yet installed Excel, follow the installation instructions provided with the program.
(See also "Exiting Excel" in this section, and "Startup: Controlling Excel's Startup" and "Startup: Setting Startup Switches" in the "Customizing" section.)
Excel provides a built-in safety net, the Undo command, that enables you to reverse your most recent action and return your workbook to its previous state. You must use Undo immediately after the most recent action you want to undo. The Undo command (in the Edit menu) changes to show the most recent action performed; if the Undo command is dimmed, you cannot undo the most recent action. Not all commands can be undone--you cannot undo a save operation, for example.
If you want to reverse the action of the most recent Undo command, use the Redo command. You can select the Undo or Redo commands multiple times to step back through your most recent actions or to redo the last set of actions that have been undone. However, you cannot undo a previous action without also undoing all actions that you performed after it; that is why you should choose Undo immediately following the command or action you want to reverse.
NOTE: The command name in the Edit menu changes to Can't Undo if you cannot undo the most recent action.
©Copyright, Macmillan Computer Publishing. All rights reserved.