The Excel Worksheets -...
Transcript of The Excel Worksheets -...
The Excel Worksheets 1- 1
Chapter 1
The Excel Worksheets
Chapter Outline
Objectives of this chapter
Some conventions used in this book
1.1 General Worksheet Properties
1.2 Pointer Movements
1.3 Generating random numbers
1.4 Upper left corner and the formula bar
1.4.1 The first part of the upper left corner
1.4.2 The second part of the upper left corner
1.5 Upper right corner
1.6 Lower right corner
1.7 Lower left corner
1.8 Printer Basics
1.9 Summary
Objectives of this chapter:
This chapter acquaints the readers with the appearance of the Excel spreadsheets by moving around
the four corners of the spreadsheet window. We explain the basic features of the tabs, ribbons, groups,
toolbars, and logos.
Some notational conventions of this book
Before we start, here are some of the notation conventions that will be used throughout this book.
They are listed in Table 1.1a.
(1) In cases 1 and 2 of Table 1.1a, we may encounter a sequence of commands like
(a) The first /./ tells you to click the “Insert” tab button in the menu. Tabs are enclosed with
quotation marks.
/“Insert”/Text, WordArt!/ (Choose a character)
(a) (b) (c) /“Drawing Tools, Format”/Shape Styles, Shape Fill!/Gradient!/ (1.1.1)
(d) (e) (f)
The Excel Worksheets 1- 2
(b) The next /. / tells you to click the down arrow ▼ next to WordArt in the “Text” group of the
ribbon. The first word shows the category of the ribbon, and the second word is the button
you should click.
(c) The instruction in parentheses, (.) is that you choose a character.
(d) Once you choose a character, a Word Art box will open, and you will see the drawing tools
tabe appear in the menu bar.
Here, /x, y/ consists of two contextual tabs: “Drawing Tools” x, under which there is a new tab
“Format” y. The first entry x in this /x, y/ is for location: it lets you locate the “Format” tab under
the “Drawing Tools”. The second entry y in /x, y/ is for clicking, you click the second tab to open
the “Format” ribbon.
(e) Under the Shape Styles group of Format ribbon, click the downward arrow next (▼) to
Shape Fill button. A drop-down list appears.
(f) This /./ has a single entry. It asks you to select and click the down arrow of the Gradient
button.
(2) Here is a summary table of the notations used in this book.
(3) If commands are repeated except the last command, we use /~/ to indicate the repeated previous
command. For example, /“Page Layout”/Page Setup, Print Area!/Set Print Area/. To cancel the Print
Area, you repeat the first two steps, so we write /~/~/Clear Print Area/.
(4) We also use // to indicate “double click/. For example, “//tab and ^drag the tab” means “double
click the tab and holding control key and drag the tab.”
(5) Sometimes, for clarity, /x/ is also used to show the name of button x rather than requesting the
reader to click x. /RM/ or /LM/ is also used to denote right mouse or left mouse.
(6) In the text, we also give many Steps, Examples, or Propositions. At the end of them, we add # to
indicate its end.
Table 1.1 Some conventions used in this book
Case Symbol Example Explanation
1 / . / /F2/ Select and press the F2(edit) key, or the name of key is F2.
2 /x, y/ /Font, Bold/ In Font group (x), click the Bold button (y).
3 /“x ”/ /“Home”/ Select the “Home” tab (x) in the menu bar. x = “tab button(s)”
4 [ ] [2] Enter optional number 2. It can be any number.
5 ( ) (a dialogue box opens) Explanation of results or procedure.
6 ! Arial! Click the down arrow ▼ at the right of the Arial box:
7 @ @All Select the bullet eye next to “All”
8 x xPrint to file Click the blank square left of “Print to file”
9 ^V (Carat) ^C = control+C Hold the control key and then press the V key
10 #C (music Sharp) #C = shift+C Hold the shift key and then press the C key
11 RM or LM /RM/ or /LM/ Click the right (or left) button of the mouse
We call this procedure Right Mouse or Left Mouse
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(7) In addition, if a submenu or small window is open and you have to choose an item, an entry, or a
command from the submenu or subwindow, a $ sign is added before the item. For example, /$Count/
means that a submenu of functions is open and you choose the “Count” function from the submenu.
It states that “a submenu is open and you choose the Count function from the menu.”
(8) If variables or parameters are named, they will be enclosed in an “All borders” box. For example,
In this case, 55.58% and 44.42% are named a and b, respectively. But the next column a+b= 100% is
not.
(9) For convenience, the formulas of the first row of a table are shown at the bottom or to the right
of the table for easy reference. The reader should enter the formulas into the indicated cells in the row,
and copy the first row to the whole table. Usually, for easy reference, the formula is located on the
same column as that in the first row of the table.
(10) In Steps, say Step (7), if there is a comment, an asterisk * is added, like (7)* to alert you.
(11) In this book, for easy referencing, we use section as unit in numbering Tables, Figures, Steps,
and Examples. For example, if they are used in Section 1.2, they are designated as Table 1.2a, Table
1.2b, etc., Fig. 1.2a, Fig. 1.2b, etc. and Steps 1.2a, 1.2b, etc.
(12) If a figure is attached to a table, to avoid confusion, we refer to the figure as “the figure of
Table 1.2a.” For the numbering of Equations, we still follow the traditional numbering method, and
use (1.2.1), (1.2.2), etc. indicating the first equation in Section 1.2, second equation in Section 1.2,
etc.
1.1 General Worksheet Properties
A spreadsheet is a software program for entering numerical data for calculation, manipulation, and
analysis. It usually comes with graphic and drawing facilities with limited word processing capacity.
When you start Excel, the monitor screen will be filled with a worksheet (1) or spreadsheet
(see Fig. 1.1a), which is embedded in a document window, that is, the screen. It displays command
menus on the top and bottom parts, with blank cells arranged in a grid of rows and columns, and lets
you enter data in the blank cells.. When the mouse is moved, an indicator on the screen also moves.
This indicator is called the pointer or curser (2). Outside the document window, the pointer is an
white fat arrow. When the pointer moves inside the spreadsheet, and the mouse is pressed, a cell, and
so the spreadsheet, is selected (if a cell is not selected, the pointer remains fat arrow). The selected
cell is enclosed with dark borders, and the pointer changes to a fat cross. That cell is called the active
cell (3). Similarly, a column or a group of columns, or a row or a group of rows, may be selected by
clicking the column letters (16) or the row numbers (15), and the selected columns or rows will be
shaded.
You can change a document window to another window by clicking the sheet tab (4) at the
bottom left-hand side. Now, type your name or any word anywhere in Sheet1, and click the Sheet2
tab. A new worksheet, Sheet2, will open (your name is not in Sheet2). Click the Sheet1 tab to return
to Sheet1. In the illustration, there are three sheets, or worksheets, Sheet1, Sheet2, and Sheet3. The
active sheet (5) is indicated by a white tab. A workbook is a collection of all the worksheets; in the
current example, the name of the workbook (6) in the title bar (7), the first row of the worksheet, is
a b a+b=
55.58% 44.42% 100%
The Excel Worksheets 1- 4
Book1, as shown in the first row of the worksheet. The names of worksheets and workbooks can be
changed, as noted below.
Use the mouse to move the pointer (2) to point to the “sheet1” tab (5). The fat cross pointer
changes to a fat arrow pointer. Click the “sheet1” tab twice to invert the black and white background
of the tab. The tab now is in the editing mode. Enter “Q1”(for Question 1 in the test) and click
anywhere in the worksheet. This changes the sheet name. See the steps shown in Steps 1.1a.
Similarly, change “sheet2” and “sheet3” to “Q2” and Q3.”
(2) the pointer
(1) Worksheet Sheet1
(4) Sheet tabs
(5) Active Sheet tab
(6) The name of workbook
(7) Title bar (8) Menu
(tab) bar
(9)
Menu
Ribbon
(13) Status bar
(12) Name box
(11) Formula bar
(15) Row numbers and row heading bar
(16) Column letters and
column heading bar
(3) Active cell
(14) Status
(10) Group
(Font group)
Fig. 1.1a Worksheets and its four corners
The Excel Worksheets 1- 5
If more tabs are needed, simply click the “Insert Worksheet” tab (shown by the arrow) once, Sheet4
appears. Save the changed workbook as file name “Test1.” For saving the new file, we go through
/“File”/Save as/Filename, [Test1]/Save/ (1.1.2)
The name of the workbook (6) is changed from “Book1” to “Test1,” which will be shown in the first
row of the worksheet. We may also move, eliminate, or color the sheet tabs by clicking the /RM/ at
any tab. This will be explained in the next Chapter. After the first saving, we can just click the Quick
Save logo (3Save, see Section 1.2.1) to save.
The method of performing an operation by clicking the object twice to invoke the editing
mode is similar in most part of Excel. In this book we will use this format to illustrate the steps of
operation.
The second row of the worksheet is called the menu bar (8): it gives the menu of available
commands. The menu bar has a tab list. Its default list has seven tabs: “Home,” “Insert,” “Page
Layout,” “Formulas,” “Data,” “Review,” and “View.” Permanent tabs like “Developer” and “Acrobat”
etc. may be present. Some more tabs called “tools”, like “Chart Tools” consisting of “Design,”
“Layout,” “Format” may be added automatically to the right of the tab list when you create a chart
and click the chart. When you deselect the chart by clicking a cell outside the chart, then the “Chart
Tools” tab disappear to save the space.
Below the menu bar is a menu ribbon (9), which contains groups of submenus related to the tab in
the menu bar (8). The group name is shown at the bottom of the ribbon, like Clipboard, Font,
Steps 1.1a Changing the worksheet name
1
2
3
(1) Use the mouse to move the pointer to point to the
“sheet1” tab. The fat cross pointer changes to a fat arrow
pointer.
(2) Click the “sheet1” tab twice to invert the black and
white background of the tab. The tab now is in the
editing mode.
(3) If you want to change the name to “Q1,” enter “Q1”.
The vertical line flashes, waiting for you to enter the next
character.
(4) To finish, click anywhere in the worksheet. This
changes the sheet name.
Similarly, change “sheet2” and “sheet3” to “Q2” and
Q3,” respectively.
4
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Alignment, etc. under the “Home” tab. For example, the Font group (10) of the “Home” tab
contains the standard toolbar of Excel 2010. When we click a tab in the menu bar (8), the ribbon
associated with the tab also changes, giving different groups. The arrangement of the tabs and
commands in the ribbon is fixed and cannot be changed or moved. The row below the group names is
called the formula bar (11), which will show the formula or the entry of the cell at which the active
cell (3) is located. Enter 123 or =rand() in any cell, and the number or formula will appear in the
formula bar.
The last row at the bottom of the spreadsheet is called the status bar (13). In the illustration
(Fig. 1.1a), the worksheet is in the “ready” mode (14), that is, ready to receive data.
The major part of the worksheet consists of a grid of rows and columns. The rows are
denoted by Arabic numbers, called the row numbers or headings (15), shown in the row heading
bar (15), and the columns by alphabets, called the column letters or headings (16), shown in
column heading bar (16).
Use of a worksheet
Just to show a good example of the use of the spreadsheet, Table 1.1b shows the calculation
of the number of columns in the spreadsheet intuitively using Microsoft Excel 2010. By checking the
spreadsheet, we know the columns range from A to XFD. How many columns are there? While you
can use paper and pencil to calculate on a sheet of paper, it is much easier to calculate using Excel.
The Excel Worksheets 1- 7
We have over 17 million cells in a worksheet. Usually, the amount of data you can enter on a
worksheet is limited only by the memory of the computer.
A cell has a cell address (or cell reference) like E4, which means that the cell is located1 at
the intersection of column E and row 4. A rectangular collection of cells is called a range. A range
may be part of a column or row, or may include parts of rows and columns. It is defined by choosing
the cell address at the northwest corner and the cell address at the southeast corner. In Table 1.1b, the
range of the data is A1:G20, and in Fig. 1.3a, the range is C5:F10, with the colon between the two
cell addresses.
1.2 Pointer Movements
1 This is different from matrix algebra notation. In matrix algebra, aij denotes the element at the ith row and the
jth column, while on the spreadsheet, it denotes the entry in column i and row j.
(1) Starting from 26 letters of the alphabet, each
letter can be combined with 26 other letters , so we
have 676 combinations in G6. They designate
column A through column ZZ.
(2) To each of the 676 combinations, we can
combine letters from A to W, a total of 23 letters.
So we have 23x656 = 15548 combinations for
columns A through WAZ
(3) For the three letter columns that start with X,
the space following the X contains only the letters
from A to E. The third space can contain any letter
of the alphabet. (1*5*26) for a total of 130
combinations.
(4) Row 19 shows that X can only be combined
with FA, FB, FC, and FD, a total of 4
combinations.
(5) The sum of column G = 16,384 columns.
Excel 2010 has 1,048,576 rows and 16,384
columns. The intersection of a row and a column is
a cell. There are 17,179,869,184 cells in a
worksheet.
Row numbers (or headings) and bar
Column numbers (or headings and bar (16) Table 1.1b Rows, Columns, and Cells
1
2
3
4 5
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Excel has several methods of moving the pointer. You can combine the arrow keys, Home and End
keys, and PageUp, PageDown keys with the Control and Shift Keys. In the figure. Steps 1.2a shows
those methods. Begin with current active cell, which is enclosed by heavy borders in step 1. .
Shift Key (#) + Up, Down, Left, Right
Control Key (^) + Up Down, Left, Right
Inside a range: Control Key (^) + Up Down, Left, Right
(1) One cell at a time: The up, down,
left, or right arrow keys move the
active cell one cell up, down, left, or
right from the current active cell.
1 Up
one cell
Left Right
one cell one cell
Down
one cell
Current active cell
Pointer position
Steps 1.2a Movement of The Arrow
keys
Up, Down, Left, Right keys
(2) Select a range: If the Shift key (#)
is combined with the up, down, left, or
right arrow key, or the PageUp and
PageDown key, the pointer will select
the range defined by the original key’s
movement.
#Up
one cell
#Left #Right
one cell one cell
#Down
one cell
2
(3)Edge of the spreadsheet: If the
Ctrl key (^) is combined with up,
down, left, or right arrow keys, the
pointer will move the active cell to
the upper, lower, left, or right edge of
the whole spreadsheet if the
movement of the pointer is not
stopped by obstacle (cells with any
entries).
Screen (current) ^UP
G1 First row of col. G
First col. Of row 26 Last col of row 26
^Left A26 G26 XFD26 ^Right
Last row of col. G
G1048576
^Down
3
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Inside a range: Control Key (^) + Shift Key (#) + Up Down, Left, Right
(4)Within data set: If the Ctrl key
(^) is combined with up, down, left,
or right arrow keys, the pointer will
move the active cell to the upper,
lower, left, or right edge of the same
row or column in the data set.
4
Inside a data range ^Up
0.848625 0.153325 0.773301 0.830191
0.489433 0.923431 0.422386 0.740839
^Left 0.871623 0.874296 0.26711 0.723268 ^Right
0.208187 0.654771 0.732892 0.586595
0.309627 0.393984 0.369496 0.918122
0.777031 0.37887 0.365775 0.5415
^Down
(5)Within data set: If the Ctrl key
(^) is combined with Sheft key (#)
and up, down, left, or right arrow
keys, the pointer will move the active
cell to the upper, lower, left, or right
edge of the same row or column in the
data set and at the same time select
and shade the range.
5
(6) Home: The Home key moves the
pointer to the beginning of the same
row of the active cell, and the
Control+Home key move the pointer
to cell A1. ^End will move the pointer
to the southeast corner of the range of
all current entries on the active
worksheet.
The Home and End keys
Screen (current)
^Home A1
Home
^End
6
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1.3 Generating random numbers
Now, we know how to move the pointer around the worksheet, we want to generate random numbers.
The method will be used in this book. The procedure is shown as Step 1.3a below. In Excel, the
formula of the random number generator is given by
=rand() (1.3.1)
(7) The PageUp and PageDown keys
move the active cell one screen up or
down from the current active cell
position. For example, PageDown from
cell G26 in a worksheet showing the
window of row 22 to row 33, a total of
12 rows in the current window (one
screen), will move the pointer from G26
to G38(=26+12).
(8) The Alt+PageUp and
Alt+PageDown keys move the active
cell one screen left or right from the
current active cell position. For example,
if columns of the current window range
from A to M, we have 13 columns. Thus,
Alt+PageDown will move the pointer 13
columns to T26.
Screen (current) A22:M33
PageUp 13 cols
12 rows A22 M22
One screen up
One screen left One screen right
Alt+PageUp row26 G26 Alt+PageDown
colG+13 col =colT
One screen down
A33 row26+12rows=row39 M33
PageDown
The PageUp and PageDown keys
8
7
(9) Previous or Next Sheet: If the
current active cell is anywhere in a
sheet (say, Sheet3), e
/Control+PageUp or
/Control+PageDown moves the
pointer to A1 of previous sheet
(Sheet2) or A1 of the next sheet
(Sheet4).
Sheet2 Sheet3 (current) Sheet4
A1 A1
^PageUp ^PageDown
9
The ^PageUp and ^PageDown keys
The Excel Worksheets 1- 11
1
(1) Move the pointer to C5, and click the cell. The
pointer changes to a fat cross. Note that the name box
denotes the active cell C5, and the cell itself is enclosed
with heavy borders. The column heading and the row
heading in which the cell is located are shaded.
Steps 1.3a Generating random numbers in a range
Objective: Fill range C5:F10 with random numbers.
(2) Enter the random number generating function.
It is defined as =rand(). Enter it in C5. Note that when
=r is typed, a list of function names appears. You may
either ignore it (since you know what you are doing)
and continue typing to finish the entry; or you may
move the pointer to the word on the list to read the
definition of the rand function, and click the word
twice to enter the word into the cell as =rand(. Finish
the word by entering the right-hand parenthesis “)”. A
vertical bar is flashing next to (), waiting for more
entry.
2
(3) When the return key is entered, the random
number appears in cell C5. Each time the /F9/ key is
pressed, the number changes. Note that the formula
bar shows the formula in capital letters (which are
default). Move the fat cross pointer close to the
southeast corner of the border, which has a small
black box called the fill handle, and the fat cross
changes to a black plus sign, as shown.
3
(4)* Drag the black-plus sign to cell F5 and
release the LM. This will copy the formula and its
value from C5 to F5, as shown.
4
The Excel Worksheets 1- 12
Remarks on Steps 1.3a Generating random numbers in a range (a) In step (4), if you stop at F5, move the pointer away and click anywhere, the shade and the black-
plus sign disappear. In this case, to resume filling the range C5:F10, you have to repeat step (3) by
selecting and shading C5:F5, moving the pointer to the southeast corner of F5, and dragging the
range down to F10.
(b) You may press the F9 key (which is called the recalculation key) several times to change the
numbers #
Two methods of selecting a range
There are two methods of selecting a range.
(5)* Next, while the range C5:F5 is selected, drag
the fill handle down to F10 and the range C5:F10
is selected. Release LM and the range will be
shaded and filled with random numbers. Move
the pointer away from the fill handle and click the
LM, and the shade disappears but the random
numbers remain.
Note that the formula of the initial cell, C5 is
shown in the formula bar, and its cell position is
shown in the name box.
5
(1) For a given range, say, C5:F10, select a range
by clicking a cell, say C5, pressing LM, and
dragging the pointer with the fat cross to the
desired range, say to F10. Range C5:F10 will be
shaded. Then releasing the LM. The shade
remains. Click outside the shade, the shade
disappears.
1
Fig. 1.3a Generating numbers and creating a range
The Excel Worksheets 1- 13
The pointer movement inside a range
When the range is selected (shaded), use the (right) tab key to move the pointer one cell to right, or
the shift+tab key to move the pointer one cell to left, inside the shaded range. For other pointer
movement with a range, see Seps (4) and (5) of Steps 1.2a.
.
1.4 Upper left corner and the formula bar
To be acquainted with a person, we first note the person’s face, dress, and manners.
Similarly, to acquaint ourselves with a worksheet, we have to note and study the appearance of the
worksheet and its functions. This way we will not feel strange facing a worksheet.
The first corner of the worksheet is almost the same as other Microsoft Office programs, like
Microsoft Word 2010. We explain it in two parts.
1.4.1 The first part of the upper left corner
(2) Another method is to select the northwest
corner of cell C5, hold the shift key, and then
click the southeast corner of cell F10.
This second method is particularly useful
when the range is large, say, several pages long. In
this case, we use the horizontal or vertical split
bar (see Figs. 1.6b, 1.6c). Click the first cell,
pressing and holding the shift key, and click the
last cell in the other side of the split bar. The
whole range is selected.
2 Hold the shift key
(1) Inside C5:F10, by pressing the tab key, the
pointer will move along a row within the shaded
area only, and will bounce back automatically to
the beginning of the next row from the end of the
previous row. This feature is useful when we
enter data manually in the range.
1
Use the tab key to move
the pointer..
The Excel Worksheets 1- 14
The first part of the upper left corner, see Fig. 1.4a, consists of the menus of commands. The
top row contains the Excel button and the Quick Access Tool Bar. Clicking Excel logo (1) will open
a list of menu which repeats other commands with more choices. The row of logos on the right of the
office button is the quick access toolbar (2). As its name indicates, you can activate the command
by simply clicking the logo on the menu without going through the steps. The original Microsoft
Word 2010 comes with only the following three logos:
(1) Excel button
(2) Quick access toolbar
(3) Customize quick access toolbar
(4) Tabs (Home tab, Insert tab, etc.)
Fig. 1.4a The northwest corner of the worksheet
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(9) Font dialog box launcher (8) More paste options
(5)Ribbon
for the
“home”
Tab.
(7) Button with an arrow
(6) Font group
The Excel Worksheets 1- 15
Saving a file
To save a file for the first time, click /“File”/Save as/. See (1.1.2). You can save in two formats: If
you use Excel 2010, then click “Excel Workbook,” but if you use Excel 1997-2003, you should
click “Excel 97-2003 Workbook.” After you decide which format you are using, select your disk
drive, give the new file name as [Ch1RandomNumber] and /Save/. If you choose the former, the file
will save with extension .xlsx; if the latter, it will be saved with extension .xls. Note that if you save
in Excel Workbook (that is in Excel 2010), then you cannot open the saved file using your Excel 97-
2003, but if you save the file in Excel 97-2003, you can open it in Excel 2010 (backward
compatibility).
For convenience, we may add some more-often used commands after using the Customize
Quick Access toolbar (3) in Fig. 1.4a.
1New Open a new workbook file
2Open Open an existing saved file
4Preview Preview the worksheet before printing. Return to the normal view by clicking /Close/.
5Print Quick print of the current worksheet. If you want to change the printing specifications, like
double-sided printing, multiple copies, etc., you have to use /“File”/Print/ command.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7
(2) Quick access toolbar (1) Excel button
(3) Customize quick access toolbar
1
2
3
4
5
6 7
3Save This feature allows a quick way to save a
file. It saves the current workbook in the current
directory automatically without asking you what
to do. If you want to save in a different file
name or in a different disk, you have to use the
/Save As/ command under the “File” menu (see
(1.1.2).
6Undo The feature allows you to undo the last
action. For example, if you type 123 in cell B2,
then delete the number, you can click /“Undo”/
and 123 reappears. When you make an error by
erasing some entry, you can always use this to
restore it.
7Redo. This feature allows you to redo the
action that you previously undid. For example,
in B2, you have the number 123, the result of
the “Undo” command above. If you click
“Redo,” the number disappears; that is, you
have redone what you undid. Click Undo and
Redo several times using B2 to get the feeling of
the commands.
The Excel Worksheets 1- 16
These four menu buttons are taken from the menu inside the “File” button (1) by using the
"customize quick access toolbar" (3). When the down arrow is clicked, a drop down menu appears.
You may select or deselect the items you want to add or delete them in the toolbar.
The second row of the worksheet is the tab row (4). The tab row is a menu bar, where each
tab is associated with a Ribbon (5) that contains several menu choices called groups. Each group is
contained in a separate box. For instance, a group like the Font group (6) in Fig. 1.4a, has different
very small boxes called buttons in different shapes and sizes. By clicking on a particular button,
Excel will perform the action associated with that button. Some buttons come with a selection arrow,
like the Underline button U (7), or the More Paste Options button (8), or the Font dialog box
launcher (9). In all cases, clicking the down arrow will give you a drop-down list with a menu.
Clicking (9) will open the extensive Format Cells dialogue window. Many of the frequently used
commands contained in the Format Cells dialog box are already available in the ribbon.
If the button is on the right-hand side of the logo, like Underline (7), Excel will remember
that item. After you choose an item from the menu, the new choice will replace your previous
choice and will be shown on the button. If the arrow is below the logo, like (8), Excel will not
remember the item and the logo and the function (in this case, the plain “Paste”) stay the same. Most
buttons come without a short arrow, like the bold face button B. In this case, you simply select the
cell and click B. The text in the cell will be bold faced.
1.4.2 The second part of the upper left corner
Underneath the ribbon, you will see two rows. The first contains the name box and the
formula bar. The next row down contains the “Select All” button, and the column heading bar You
will also see the row heading bar that runs the full length of the left hand side of the worksheet.
The intersection of the row-heading bar
and the column-heading bar is called the
“select-all” button. It will select and shade
the whole worksheet. This is very useful
command if you want to copy the whole
sheet to another workbook. Click the Select
All button, and click anywhere in the
window to deselect the Select-All button.
Fig. 1.4b Second part of the upper-left corner
The column heading bar Select all
The row heading bar
The Excel Worksheets 1- 17
(4) If a range on the worksheet is given a name, say, “sample” (see Chapter 4), then the name range
will show “sample” when the range is selected.
(5) If there are other named ranges, the drop down name list contains all other defined names of the
ranges on all the worksheets in the workbook.
(6) If you move the pointer to a blank cell, say B5, and click the formula button (fx) an Insert
Function dialogue box appears. In the dialogue box, you may click the down arrow on the right of
“Select a category” box, and select “Math & Trig” from the drop-down list. Then select RAND from
the “Select a function” box. We have introduced this random function in (1.3.1). Click /ok/, then the
Function Arguments box appears. It says: “This function takes no arguments,” /ok/. The cell will
be filled with a fraction, as in step (3) of Fig. 1.3a.
In general, compared with (1.3.1), the formula button is so time consuming and redundant
that it is seldom useful for us, unless you do not know the formula. If you know the formula, as you
usually do from economic and business analysis, you simply enter =rand() manually and get a
random number. Thus, we do not use this method of entering formulas in this book. Other methods
of entering a formula are explained in Chapter 2.
Remarks on Steps 1.4a Changing column width and row height
(1) The value or formula contents of a cell will be shown in
the formula bar. Enter /Esc/ to exit the formula mode.
(2) The script bold X is “cancel the editing” without
changing the original formula. (It is the same as /Esc/).
(3) The check button is “enter the formula buttons,”
which is the same as /Enter/ without the pointer moving one
cell down.
2
1
3
4 5 6
Steps 1.4a Changing column width and row height
Column separator
2 1
Row separator 3
(1) Move the pointer close to a column separator
(the short vertical line in the column heading bar), say
between A and B. The white fat cross changes to a
black cross with left and right arrows, indicating that
the column separator is ready to move.
(2)* Click LM and a width indicator appears, as
indicated by the arrow. The number changes when
you move the separator. Move the separator toward
the left to 30 pixels, and move back.
(3) Similarly, you may change the height of the rows
by clicking and dragging the row separator (2) up
and down.
The Excel Worksheets 1- 18
(a) In Step (2), if you want to draw a flow chart, you can adjust the column width to make a
plotting paper. #
1.5 Upper right corner
The upper right corner, of the worksheet, in Fig. 1.5a, consists of a group of basic workbook and
worksheet operations: the upper three buttons are: minimize (1) the whole workbook to the bottom of
the window; reduce (2) the sheet to less than full screen, or close (3) the Excel workbook; the lower
three buttons, 4, 5, and 6, do the same for worksheet. Button (7a) is Minimize the Ribbon, and (7b)
is the Help button
To split the worksheet, use the mouse to click the horizontal split bar (9) and drag it to the
middle of the worksheet, then enter 1 in the upper part of the sheet and 2 in the lower part of the sheet
(see Fig. 1.5b). Move the vertical scroll bar (11) in the vertical scroll box up and down to see how
the numbers move, or move the vertical scroll-up arrow (10). To eliminate the split, double click
the horizontal split line, or use the mouse to select the horizontal split bar and move it back to the
original place at (9). Both numbers are now on the same sheet. Note that the vertical scroll arrow up
(10) and down (11), or Vertical scroll bar (10) are available for each subwindow, making it easy to
adjust the subwindow (see Fig. 1.5b).
1 2 3
7a 7b 4 5 6
(1) Minimize, (2) reduce/maximize , and (3) close
buttons for Excel workbook
(4) Minimize, (5) reduce/maximize, and (6) close buttons
for Excel worksheet
(8) Expanding button for the formula bar
(9) Horizontal split bar
(10) Vertical scroll arrow up
(12) Vertical scroll bar
(7a) Help
(7b) Minimize the ribbon
Fig. 1.5a The upper right corner of the worksheet
(11) Vertical scroll arrow down
The Excel Worksheets 1- 19
1.6 Lower right corner
The lower right corner of the worksheet is shown in Figs. 1.6a. You can split the worksheet
vertically by using the mouse pointer. Select select and drag the vertical split bar (3) to the center of
the worksheet. In Fig. 1.6a, move the split line between A and B. Enter number 3 anywhere on the
left-hand side of the split, enter number 4 anywhere on the right-hand side, and move the horizontal
scroll bar (7a) in the horizontal scroll box (7b) left and right, or click the horizontal scroll-right (5)
or scroll-left (6) arrow. Watch how the numbers move. Click the vertical split box (3) twice or drag
the divided line to the right to cancel the split. The numbers are now on one sheet.
You may also split the screen into four parts simultaneously by using the horizontal and
vertical split boxes. You may move the vertical or horizontal scroll bars to see how the four numbers
move.
(1) Generate random numbers from
A2 to C101 (See Steps 1.3a). Enter
column titles in row 1.
(2) When the pointer moves to the
horizontal split bar, the pointer changes
to = with up and down arrows.
(3) Drag it to the row between row 4 and
row 5. Use Vertical scroll bar (12) at “a”
to scroll down the row until row 101
shows up. In this way we can compare
data in row 2 (say, for branch 1), with
that of row 101 (say, for branch 100)
directly.
(8)
(10) V scroll -up
(12) V scroll bar
V scroll-down
a
Fig. 1.5b Horizontal split
(10) V scroll-up
(11) V scroll-down
(12) V scroll bar
1 2
3
(13) V split bar
1 2 3
1 2 3
(2) Vertical scroll arrow down
(4) Worksheet/workbook size
adjustment
(5) Horizontal scroll arrow - right
(6) Horizontal scroll arrow - left
(8) Horizontal scroll box adjustment bar
9 10 11
(12) (Worksheet font) Zoom slider
(9) Normal view
(10) Page Layout
(7a) Horizontal scroll bar
(11) Page Break Preview
(3) Vertical split bar
(1b) Vertical scroll box
(7b). Horizontal scroll box
(1a) Vertical scroll bar
(13) Status bar
Fig. 1.6a The lower right corner of the worksheet
(14) View tabs
The Excel Worksheets 1- 20
In addition, there are several ways to adjust the window size. First, place the workbook or
worksheet in reduced mode by clicking and dragging (2) or (5) as in Fig. 1.5a. When the workbook
(1) When the pointer moves to the vertical split bar (see
(13) of Fig. 1.5b), the pointer changes to a vertical =
equal sign with left and right arrows.
(2) Select and drag it between cols. A and B. Click the
Horizontal scroll arrow-right (5), denoted as “a” in Fig.
1.6a, several times until column E comes to next to the
vertical split line. If column A shows the year and
column E shows Profit, we can make a direct
comparison of the numbers across the columns.
(3) Note that the scroll left and right arrows (5) and (6)
are available for both subwindows.
In this figure, the whole spreadsheet is reduced
to 12 rows and three columns by using (4) Worksheet
size adjustment.
Fig. 1.6b Vertical split of the spreadsheet
(4) WKST adj
(3) V split bar
(5)
(6) H scroll Left
(5) H scroll Rigt
(6)
a 1
2
3
In Fig. 1.6c, the spreadsheet data is divided into four
subwindows. We now can compare directly TR and Profit, and
those of branch 1 and branch 100.
The division of the spreadsheet is a very useful and
powerful tool for a large set (say, 50 rows by 10 columns) of
data.
Fig. 1.6c The four subwindows of spreadsheet
Select B2:D3, the descriptive data statistics will
show up left of the view bar on the status bar
(see (13) of Fig. 1.6a).
You may change what you want to
display by clicking the bar and /RM/, and choose
the functions.
Fig. 1.6d The lower right corner of the worksheet
Name box
The Excel Worksheets 1- 21
or worksheet is in the reduced mode , the size of workbook or worksheet can be adjusted by dragging
the worksheet size adjustment button as in (4) in Fig. 1.6a. Also, note that in Fig. 1.6a, the size of
the horizontal scroll box (7b) can be adjusted by moving the horizontal scroll box adjustment bar
(8) to the right or left. This is convenient if you have many worksheets and you want to show the
worksheet tabs. The size of the fonts on the worksheets can be adjusted to large or small by moving
the zoom slider (12). This is useful if the worksheet is projected on a whiteboard for presentation.
In Fig. 1.6a, the three buttons in the status bar (13) are the normal view (9), which is the
default view of the worksheet, the page layout view (10) for fine-tuning pages before printing, and
the page break preview (11) for adjusting the page break line before printing. These three
commands are also available under /“View”/ tab.
When you enter numbers in a range, say 1 to 6 in B2:D3, and select a range of numbers, then
the results of some statistical functions, such as average, count, and sum, show up on the left-hand
side of the view buttons (9, 10, 11) in the status bar (13). This is a convenient way to do simple
statistics instantly. You may choose the kind of statistical functions to display by moving the pointer
to any place on the status bar (13), clicking /RM/, and selecting the item you want to display.
1.7 Lower left corner
The lower left corner, Fig. 1.7a, shows the sheets management area. The default number of the
worksheets in a workbook is 6, but you can create many more new worksheets by clicking insert
sheet tab button (3). Click the button 9 times to increase the number of sheet tabs from 6 to 12. The
sheets now overflow to the right of the horizontal scroll box adjustment bar (8) of Fig. 1.6a.
Select Sheet3 as the active sheet. Using the mouse, click the last left sheet arrow (4) to jump
back to Sheet1, click the next right sheet arrow (6) to scroll the sheets to the right one by one, click
the last right sheet arrow (7) to jump to Sheet15, and then click next left sheet arrow (5) to scroll
the sheets to the left one by one. Watch how the active sheet tab, Sheet3, moves.
Multiple worksheets can be selected from the sheet tabs (1) in Fig. 1.7a. To do so, in A1,
enter 1 anywhere in Sheet1, click and open sheet2, and enter 2. Lastly, click and open Sheet3, and
enter 3. This will identify each sheet. Click Sheet1, and then, pressing and holding the control key,
Tab scrolling buttons
(4) |◄ Last left sheet
(5) ◄ Next left sheet
(6) ► Next right sheet
(7) ►| Last right sheet
(3) Insert sheet tab button
(same as /“Home”/Cells,
Insert!/Insert Sheet/)
(1) Sheet tabs
(2) Active sheet tab
Fig. 1.7a Lower left corner of the worksheet
4 5 6 7
a
(or //, or, see Section 1.1)
(or // and drag the tab,
// and ^drag the tab
(or // and /Delete key/
(same as /“Home”/Cells,
Insert!/Insert Sheet/)
a
a
The Excel Worksheets 1- 22
click both the Sheet2 and Sheet3 tabs (the tabs should be consecutive). The background of the three
tabs changes to white, and [Group] indicator appears after the workbook name in the title bar (See
Fig. 1.1a, (7)). Enter “Test1 John Doe” in cell B1 in the current worksheet. Click any one of the
sheet tabs in the group to move inside the grouped sheets; “Test1 John Doe” should be shown in cell
B1 in all three sheets in the group. Deselect the group tabs by clicking any sheet tab that is not in the
group.
Right clicking any tab will invoke the menu for tab operations, as shown on the right side of
Fig. 1.7a. Using this menu, we can /delete/ the whole sheet permanently or choose /Tab color/ to
color the tabs.
/Move or Copy/ is a useful command if you want to rearrange the sheet in order, for example,
interchanging Q2 and Q1, or copy Q2 to another sheet for practicing and trying another method.
Clicking the menu item will give a dropdown menu and you follow the menu. However, it is best to
use the select-and-drag method as follows.
Remarks for Steps 1.7a Moving and copying a tab In Excel, a command can be executed either by menu or by the pointer. Generally, the pointer method
is direct and much faster if you know how to do it. That needs some practice and familiarity with
Excel.
1.8 Printer Basics
If you are printing the current worksheet as it is, you may simply click /"File"/Print/Quick Print/. In
both cases, the printer will start printing immediately.
If you write homework (or test) questions separately in several worksheets, or you want to
print only part of the worksheet, or you want to print more than one copy, you need to enter specific
printer settings. In Excel 2010, the printer settings are scattered in three places: the Print Settings
1
(1) Click anywhere on the sheet. Move the pointer near the border
of the selected tab, say the” move” tab or the “copy” tab in the
figure. The fat cross changes to a fat arrow.
(2) For moving, press the LM. A small sheet is added to the tip of
the fat arrow, and a black down arrow appears at the upper left
corner of the tab, showing the position of the tab. Drag it to the
desired place and release the mouse.
(3) For copying, In Step (1), when a small sheet is added to
the tip of the fat arrow, use the left index finger to press the
control key, a plus sign + is added on the sheet. Holding LM
and drag the tab to the desired place and release the mouse,
you have copied the sheet.
Steps 1.7a Moving and copying a tab
2
3
The Excel Worksheets 1- 23
screen under the “File” tab, the “Page Setup” dialog box at the bottom of Print Setting Screen, and
the “Page Setup” ribbon category under “Page Layout” tab. Many commands overlap each other
and can be confusing. The following printing steps help you sorting out some of the most useful
commands for business and economic applications.
1
(1)* Printing from default
setting: /"File"/Print/, Print
window opens. Print preview will
be shown automatically on the
right-hand side. Enter /Print/ to
print.
(2)* Any adjustment of the
default setting can be done under
“Settings” by clicking the down
arrow button on the right.
(3)* “Print entire workbook” is a
useful option.
(4) /No Scaling!/Fit Sheet on One
Page/ is a useful command. The
font size will be reduced
automatically.
(5) Use “Show Margins” to make
limited adjustment of margins in
the printing mode. Use “Zoom to
Page” to the actual contents of the
current page.
(6) For more print options, click
/Page Setup/. Step (7) opens.
2
Steps 1.8a Excel printing (I): Using /Print Setting/ Screen
4
6
5
Show Margins Zoom to Page
3
The Excel Worksheets 1- 24
Remarks on Steps 1.8a, b, c Excel Printing
(7) Scaling repeats Step (3), except that here
you can adjust numerically. You can fit
several pages in one page with reduced font
size.
You may go back to the normal size
by /Scaling, @Adjust to/ [100] %/ normal
size.
(8) “Options…” contains the printer
options, and it depends on the printer you
use. It may include tabs like “Printing
Shortcuts”, “Paper Quality”, “Effects”,
“Finishing”, etc.
7
8
Steps 1.8b Excel printing (II): Using /Print Setup/ Dialog Box
(9)* Select a range, say, C5:F10, to be
printed. Then, from the ribbon, /“Page
Layout”/Page Setup, Print Area!/Set Print
Area/. The range of Print Area will be
entered in the box (9).
(10)* To add the Print Title, namely, the
rows or columns to repeat at the top or left on
each printed page, enter /“Page
Layout”/Page Setup!/Sheet/. The Page Setup
dialog box appears (as shown). Click the
square box a or b and select the range of
rows or columns, the range of rows or
columns will be entered in the boxes of (10).
(11) Printing “Gridlines” and “Row and
column headings” are useful for clarity in
explaining the printed chart and data.
10
9
11
a
b
Steps 1.8c Excel Printing (III): Using “Page Layout” Ribbon.
(9) (10) below can be entered only through the “Page Layout” Ribbon.
The Excel Worksheets 1- 25
(a) In Step (1), since printing is a common command, we suggest to put” Instant printing” in the
Quick Access Toolbar. (b) In Step (2), for a large worksheet ranging several pages, before printing, use two buttons at the
lower right bottom of the spreadsheet, Page Layout ((10) of Fig. 1.6a) or Page Break Preview ((11)
of Fig. 1.6a) to adjust the margin and cut extruding part. Note that the page border lines are
adjustable by clicking the lines and drag.
(c) In Step (3), when you answer test questions on separate worksheets, you may like to print the
answers to all exam questions at the same time, and use “Print entire workbook.”
(d) Print Area in Step (9) can be activated or deactivated only through the “Page Layout” tab. The
Print Area is useful if a worksheet contains a large table that covers many pages, you may like to
print only part of it. For example, you may select only a table or a chart to print, but not both.
To cancel the print area, /~/~/Clear Print Area/. For additional print area, select the range and
/~/~/Add to Print Area/.
(e) In Step (10), “Gridlines” and “Row and column headings” may also be added from /"Page
Layout"/Sheet Options, Gridlines, xPrint/ and /~/~/Heading, xPrint/. #
1.9 Summary
The command buttons in new Excel 2010 are many and very complicated, if not confusing. Based on
our long experience of introducing spreadsheets to students, we have tried our best to introduce the
above commands. It is suggested that the most useful features of the spreadsheets are moving,
copying, pasting, adding, and deleting cells and ranges, columns and rows, text boxes, tables, and
charts, worksheets and workbooks. We especially recommend the use of the control key method to
move and copy a range. Other commands can be learned as the need for them arises in the process of
using spreadsheets in economic and business applications in later chapters. Thus, the more you use
the spreadsheets, the faster you will become familiar with Excel commands and become an expert.
You will find that spreadsheets can be used in many areas, including finance, business, economics,
science, and engineering.