A Quick Introductory Guide

The Basic of Excel By Mette Pehrson

Contents The HOME Tab - A Blank Spreadsheet ................................................................................................ 3

Blank Spreadsheet Activities ........................................................................................................... 3

The HOME Tab4

Home Tab Activities ........................................................................................................................ 5

The HOME Tab - Numerical................................................................................................................. 7

Numerical Activities ........................................................................................................................ 7

Bringing it All Together on the HOME TAB ......................................................................................... 9

The INSERT Tab ................................................................................................................................. 11

INSERT Tab - Activities .................................................................................................................. 13

The PAGE LAYOUT Tab ...................................................................................................................... 17

The FORMULAS Tab .......................................................................................................................... 18

The DATA Tab 19

DATA Tab Activities ....................................................................................................................... 20

The REVIEW Tab ................................................................................................................................ 21

The VIEW Tab 22

The Cell

Reference

The HOME Tab - A Blank Spreadsheet

Blank Spreadsheet Activities 1. Moving around the page,

a. Type your FIRST name in a cell

b. Hit TAB and enter your family name

c. Hit ENTER & Type in your Address

d. Hit TAB and enter your State

e. Hit ENTER and type in your

Postcode

2. Inserting Columns and Rows

a. Right click on the ROW number that

you typed your Address

b. Select INSERT from the drop down

box and LEFT click

c. Right click on the row number of

the new inserted Row and select

DELETE

d. Now do the same exercise but

select a COLUMN Number

3. Column Width

a. You will notice that you name will

not all fit in the width of the

column

b. Move the cursor to the line

between the two columns

c. It will change and then

LEFT Click and drag to

desired width

d. OR Double right Click and it will

AUTO widen

Rows

Columns

A Cell

To move from one cell

to the next SIDEWAYS

hit TAB

To move from one cell

to the next

DOWNWARDS hit

ENTER

HINT – You can highlight more than one cell by

• Clicking on the first One

• Don’t let go of the mouse

• Drag the mouse over all the cell you want

• Then let go of the mouse

The HOME Tab

These functions are the

same as in any Microsoft

program.

Copy, Cut and Paste.

Format Painter has the

added feature in Excel of

also copying any

formulas that may be

affecting the cell that is

being Copies or cut

These functions are the same as in

any Microsoft program.

Bold, Italic, Underline.

You also chose the font style, size

and colour.

The A with up and down arrows

are the quick way of increasing

and decreasing Font size

Wrap Text is when the

text overflow the cell

and widening the Cell is

not an option

Merge & Centre is used

when the text needs to

cover a series of cells, EG

a heading

Numerical functions EG

Currency, percentage and

increase and decrease the

decimal places

These functions JUSTIFY the data in the CELLS of the SPREADSHEET.

They assist in POSITIONING the data within the CELLS to suit your layout and

formatting purposes.

Home Tab Activities

1. Copy, Cut & Paste

a. Enter your first name in a cell

b. Tab and enter your last name in the neighbouring cell

c. Now widen the column to fit the name in (See activity 3 – Blank Spreadsheet)

d. Hit enter and input your full address in the row below

e. Hit Enter and input your Suburb, State and postcode

f. Highlight (by clicking on the cell with you first name only) Click the COPY icon

g. Select any blank cell in the spreadsheet, click on it and click the PASTE icon

h. Select the cell with your Last name by clicking on it

i. Select the cell next to where you have just Pasted your first name by clicking on the

cell

j. Right click you mouse and you will be able to select PASTE from this option as well

2. Bold, Italics and Underline

a. Using the information you have entered for the above activity

b. Practice using the BOLD, Italics and Underline

c. Select the cell to be changed by clicking on it

d. Then click either Bold, Italics and or Underline

3. Justify and Positioning

a. Using the information entered for the above activities

b. Widen the columns that has information in them using the techniques outlined in

Activity 3 of Blank Spreadsheet

c. Now Justify the information to the RIGHT using the

d. Try some of the other Justification function

e. It is quicker to Justify large amounts of data to highlight it all – See HINT in Blank

Spreadsheet.

4. Wrap Text

a. Select a column that has data in one of its cells

b. Go to the top of the Column and change the width of the column as per Activity 3 in

Blank Spreadsheet.

c. The data should no longer all fit in the column

d. Select the cell with the data by clicking on it

e. Click on WRAP TEXT

5. Merge & Center

a. Enter the word Heading in a cell with nothing in the cells to either side of it

b. Highlight all 3 cells

c. Click MERGE & CENTER

HINT – Range of Cells

You can also select the whole ROW or Column by clicking on the Letter indicating the ROW or

column Number. EG Click on 5 at the beginning of ROW5 now change the Justification or make

everything BOLD, Italic etc

Please page is left blank intentionally to enable the document to be printed Double sided

The HOME Tab - Numerical

Numerical Activities

• Nominate a blank cell Enter 654, hit ENTER

• Input 6546 in the cell directly below hit ENTER

• Input 4654 in the cell directly below that hit ENTER

• To add these up – Leave the Cursor in the Cell below 465 and click on AUTOSUM

• 7,665 should appear

• Keep 7,665 selected and click on the little arrow

• Select “The Top & Double Bottom Border”

• You Sum should look like

• Highlight all 4 cells

• Click on the $ • The sum now looks like

• Highlight all 4 cells and click on

• The decimal places will reduce and 2 clicks your sum will look like

HINT – Bottom Right Quick View

If you select a range of data there is a quick View in the

bottom right hand corner of the screen

This page has been left blank intentionally for printing purposes (double sided)

Bringing it All Together on the HOME TAB

The following activity will bring together the functions mentioned and described in the previous

pages relating to the HOME TAB.

Follow the steps in sequence and the result will be a Budget V’s Actual Costs Analysis which has

many purposes ranging from a budget for a shopping spree such as Fishing or camping gear, Annual

Gifts or a house renovation.

Let’s go.

1. Open excel and a new blank spreadsheet. If you are already in Excel you can simply Click

CTRL+N or go to FILE-NEW-BLANK DOCUMENT

2. In cell 1B type BUDGET V’s ACTUAL

3. In Cell A2 type NAME – TAB across

4. In Cell B2 type BUDGET – TAB

5. In Cell C2 type ACTUAL

6. Highlight cells A1,B1 & C1(A1:C1) by clicking on A1 and don’t let go of the mouse but drag

right until all 3 cells are highlighted.

7. Click MERGE & CENTER

8. Increase the FONT to 14.

9. Now highlight all the Cells (A1:C2)

10. Click BOLD

11. Enter 5 Names in column A

12. Enter numbers in the BUDGET and ACTUAL Columns representing a possible gift budget

13. Highlight all Numbers

14. Click $

NOTE – Width of Column

The column is not wide enough to fit the name

Christopher, this is corrected by moving the cursor

up to the line between Column A & B, watch the

cursor change Double right click and the

column will automatically widen to fit the data

15. Click on Cell B8 – Should be the cell below the last number in Column B

16. In the right hand end of the Toolbar you will locate the icon

17. Click on this

18. Click on Cell C8 Autosum the ACTUAL data

19. Select (Highlight) A7:C7

20. Click If the BOTTOM BORDER is not displayed click on the arrow and choose from the drop down list

21. Select (Highlight) B8:C8

22. Click the arrow and chose the DOUBLE BOTTOM border

23. Click BOLD

NOTE – Autosum

The computer has identified that there

is a range of numerical data that you

could possibly want to the SUM of and

has identified this data with a blue

outline, if this is the exact data that you

want included in the SUM Click ENTER

HINT – Autosum

If any of the data changes the totals will

change accordingly.

Change 1 or more of the numerical data

and watch the totals change.

The INSERT Tab

This is where you can convert your data in your spreadsheet into

graphs.

There is a selection of varies types of graphs and you can select the

colour template to use and modify you r graphs with labels and 3 d

effects etc.

You can use this function to insert

Hyperlinks to webpages and also links to

other documents.

With this function you can add comments to data in your

spreadsheet.

This is used widely in marking assessments both Spreadsheets and

Written Word Documents

Use this function to insert symbol, explore the symbols available as there is a great

variety.

From this tab you can insert pictures from your

PICTURES folder on the computer as well as Online

pictures etc

This page has been left blank intentionally for printing purposes (double sided

INSERT Tab - Activities

Inserting ROWS

• Point your mouse on the number 2 9 or the row the you have

the Headings for your spreadsheet in.

• Right Click and choose INSERT

Inserting COLUMNS

• Point your mouse on the Letter B

• Right click

• Choose INSERT

NOW We don’t want this new column so……

Hold down the CTRL key and at the same time click the Z.

This is the UNDO shortcut you can use this at anytime any where in any Microsoft program when

you want something to go back the way it was.

HINT – UNDO

If you at anytime want to UNDO what just happened, you

can click on the UNDO arrow in the top right corner of the

screen. Or click (CTRL Z ) at the same time as a

shortcut.

Using the spreadsheet that you created in the activities in the HOME Tab activities.

We are now going to create a graph using this data.

• Highlight the Headings (NAME, BUDGET, ACTUAL) the names and all the dollar values (NOT

the totals and NOT the main heading)

• While this area is

highlighted click on

• You can select other

formats by clicking on the

other options on the right

side of the Pop up

window.

• If you click OK the chart will be selected and appear next to your spreadsheet

NOTE – The computer will

choose a chart based on the

data you have provided.

Now let’s Creative and explore graph design and different colour schemes.

• Highlight the data to be graphed just like the previous activity

• This time click on the tiny arrow next to the graph icon

• As you move your mouse over the different

styles of graphs you will be able to see what it

will look like as the image behind the box will

change as you move the mouse.

• Using your mouse- click on the one that you

like and it will appear next to your

spreadsheet

Now the REAL fun begins

When you have clicked on the graph you like and it

now sits next to your spreadsheet click on the graph.

You will then have a new option in your toolbar

appear and it will look like the image below.

Again, if you hover your mouse over the different choices in Chart Design the image will change.

You can

access more

choices by

clicking on

the little

arrow.

Click on the

design of

your choice.

You can also change the colour scheme of the graph.

Make sure that the CHART DESIGN options are available.

You do this by clicking on the Graph.

• Click on CHANGE COLOR

• A box of colour scheme option appear

• Hover over the various options and watch the

graph change.

• When you have found one you like click with your

mouse

• Double click on the Chart Title

• This will enable you to add a title by typing straight

into the text box

Further activities.

Create different graphs by following the above instructions but choosing any of the graph styles

The PAGE LAYOUT Tab

Margins – Set the parameters of all the margins, this is

particularly good function if your spreadsheet does not

fit onto 1 page as you can make the margins smaller.

Orientation – Change between Portrait and Landscape

Size – A4 or A3 etc

Print Area - you can set an allocated portion of your

graph to be the only section that is printed. Not all data

is always required, sometimes it is only the Totals

Have a play by clicking on the arrows under

Margins, orientation and size.

This function allows you to chose whether you want to

see and / or also print the gridlines (the little lines

around each cell as well as the headings.

Click the tick boxes to see them appear and disappear

to make yourself familiar with what gridlines and

heading are

This function allows you to make sure that your data fits as

required. You can change the height and width depending

on how you want the data presented.

The FORMULAS Tab

These folders hold all the magic formulas that will enable your spreadsheet to convert,

calculate and interpret your data in a great variety of ways.

This is the function used when you created the spreadsheet in the activities in the

HOME tab, it allows you to add numbers without having to remember the specific

formula to do so.

Click on the arrow and have a play with the Minimum, Maximum and Average

Functions. They work in the exact same way as the Sum you used when creating

your spreadsheet.

This function will evaluate you formulas

and tell you whether they will work.

This function comes in very handy when

you are using data from several

spreadsheets which can create loop and

errors very easily.

The DATA Tab

An absolute brilliant function.

It will allow you to Sort ALL your data in Alphabetical or numerical order.

Great if you are dealing with a very large number of rows.

Another Brilliant function as this allows you to sort you data

and find specific information by filtering to see only what you

are looking for.

DATA Tab Activities

• Highlight the data in the spreadsheet but make sure that you start with the NAMES

and move across to the dollar values

• Now locate the SORT function

• Click on AZ

• Note that the order the names appear in the spreadsheet have

changed

• Now Choose the ZA and watch the names move again.

• Highlight the row that you have the headings in

• Locate the FILTER icon

• Your Headings will now have little arrows

• Click on the arrow next to BUDGET

• Click SELECT ALL

• Click $100

NOTE – Sort - If you had highlighted the Dollar values in the ACTUAL column first this function

would have sorted the data from the lowest to highest of these values not the names

The REVIEW Tab

This function is a great little find, it is not used very often but should you need to translate

from one language to another, this is the Icon for you

This function will check for

spelling mistakes through out the

worksheet that you have open. It

will not check any other

spreadsheet in this Book

The VIEW Tab

Click on the tick boxes to be able to see (or Hide) the Ruler, the gridlines, the Formula bar and the

Headings.

Click on them now and see what they are, you will notice them disappearing and

reappearing as you click on the tick boxes

This is where you can choose how you VIEW the workbook.

It is very much a personal choice how you like to view the spreadsheet while you are working on it. It

will not change the look of the spreadsheet when it prints.

Explore which view you prefer

Sometimes seeing data in a different format makes it easier to read and understand