Microsoft Excel 2003

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Excel Terminology

Cell	Intersection of a column and a row (names by the column letter and row number, ie. A1, B2)
Column	Identified by letters. There are 256 columns that run horizontally across.
Formula Bar	A bar near the top of the window that displays the formula or constant value stored in or used for the active cell.
Label Text	Text is any combination of numbers, spaces, AND non-numeric characters.
Row	There are 65,536 rows that are sequentially numbered down the left side of the worksheet.
Value	Numbers that can be calculated.
Workbook	The file on which you work. Each workbook can contain many sheets.
Worksheet	The basic document used in Excel to store and work with data It consists of cells organized into columns and rows and is always a part of a note book.

Excel How To's

Task	Function
Alignment	Align Left icon Align Right icon Align Center icon Format-Cells, select Alignment tab
Arrange Windows	Window-Arrange
AutoCorrect	Tools-AutoCorrect Options
AutoFormat	Format-AutoFormat
AutoSum	AutoSum icon
Bold	Bold icon Format-Cells
Cell Borders	Borders icon Format-Cells, select Border tab
Cell Shading	Fill Color icon Format-Cells, select Patterns tab
Center Across Columns	Select multiple cells, click Merge and Center icon Format-Cells, select Alignment tab. In the Text Control area, check Merge Cells
Close Book	Ctrl + W File-Close
Column Hide	Format-Column-Hide
Column Unhide	Format-Column-Unhide
Column Width	Format-Column-Width
Copy (selection)	Copy icon Ctrl + C Edit-Copy
Cut (selection)	Cut icon Ctrl + X Edit-Cut
Data Sort	Ascending Sort icon Descending Sort icon Data-Sort
Delete Column	Highlight column, then select Edit-Delete Highlight column, then press Ctrl + - Edit-Delete, then choose Entire Column
Delete Cell Contents	Edit-Delete, then choose shift cells left or shift cells up Highlight cell contents and press the Delete key
Delete Row	Highlight row, then select Edit - Delete Edit-Delete, choose Entire Row
Delete Sheet	Edit-Delete Sheet
Edit Cell	Double-click on cell Select cell, place pointer in formula bar and make edits.
Edit Font	Font icon Format-Cells, Font tab, make changes.
Format Painter	Format Painter icon
Freeze Panes	Window-Freeze Panes (used to keep data visible as you scroll through a sheet)
Go To	Ctrl + G Edit - Go to F5
Headers/Footers	File-Page Setup, then select the Header/Footer tab. View-Header/Footer
Help	Help icon Help-Microsoft Excel Help F1
Insert Column	Insert-Column
Insert Function	Insert-Function (a wizard that guides user through calculations) Insert Function icon
Insert Row	Insert-Row
Insert Worksheet	Insert-Worksheet
Italics	Italics icon Format-Cells, Font tab and choose Italics from the Font Style menu
Margins	File-Page Setup, Margins tab
New Book	New icon File-New, then select Workbook from the General area
Number Formatting	Format-Cells, Number tab, choose desired formatting
Number of Copies	File-Print, enter the number of copies desired and click OK
Office Assistant	Help-Hide/Show Office Assistant Right-click on the Office Assistant and select Hide
Open Book	Open icon Ctrl + O File-Open
Page Scaling	File-Page Setup, Page tab, adjust the scaling as desired
Page Setup	File-Page Setup File-Print Preview, Setup tab
Paste	Paste icon Ctrl + V Edit-Paste
Personalized Toolbar	Tools-Customize, select the items you wish to customize
Print book or sheet	Print icon File-Print File-Print Preview - Print
Print Preview	Print Preview icon File-Print Preview
Range Name	Select the range you wish to name, then Insert-Name-Define
Row Height	Format-Row-Height
Row Hide/Unhide	Format-Row-Hide Format-Row-Unhide
Save Book	Save icon File-Save File-Save As File-Save as HTML
Select Printer	File-Print, then choose the desired printer from the drop-down menu.
Sheet Name	Double-click on sheet name Right-click on the sheet name and choose Rename
Spell check	Spelling icon Tools - Spelling F7
Split Window	Window-Split
Underline	Underline icon Format-Cells, select the Font tab, and choose Underline from the Font Style menu
Undo Edits	Undo icon Edit-Undo

E-mailing from Excel

Make sure e-mail client is running
Go to File-Send To-Mail Recipients (for Review)
A dialog box will appear asking if you wish to change the fomat of the file to track changes, choose No.
A new composer message window from the e-mail client will appear, add the recipients' address(es) and click Send.

Formulas and Functions

Formulas vs. Functions - are the terms interchangeable?

No they are not. A formula enables you to calculate and combine numberic values and text. A formula starts with an equal sign (=), and it can include numbers, cell references, arithmetic operators, and functions. Below are a few examples:

=3+5 /6

=7%*A12

=C43+C44+C45

=SUM(C43:C45)

A function is a built-in Excel formula that helps you calculate quickly and readily, without writing out an entire complicated formula yourself. A function starts with an equal sign (=) and a function name, followed by its arguments (the data to be calculated). Arguments are enclosed in parentheses and are usually separated by commas. Arguments can include numeric values, text strings, and cell references. Here are some examples of functions:

=SUM(C43:C45)

=INT(118.7142)

=FIND("g",A6)

=SUMIF(B24:B30, "CA",C24:C30)

Functions can be combined or nested in a formula but a formula cannot be combined or nested in a function.

Mathematical Operators:

Addition	+
Subtraction	-
Multiplication	*
Division	/

Examples of Some Basic Functions:

Average	Calculates the average in a list =AVERAGE(B4:B10)
Count	Counts the number of entries in a list =Count(B4:B10)
Now	Returns the current date and time =Now()
Sum	Adds a list of numbers =SUM(B4:B10)
Today	Returns the current date =TODAY()

Customize your Excel menus or toolbars

Excel makes it easy to add commands to your menus or toolbar.

Choose Tools-Customize.
Click on the Commands tab.
From the left column, the Categories list box, find the category for the command you want.
From the right cloumn, the Command list box, select the command.
Now, simply drag the command you want up to the menu. When the menu displays a list of
menu commands, point to the location where you want the command to appear on the menu and then release the mouse button.
- OR to place the command on a toolbar. Simply drag the command to the desired toolbar.

Quickly fill arange with data from an adjacent cell

A handy shortcut from the Fill feature. It copies formulas and formatting from the adjacent cell.

To copy from the cell directly above the active cell, press Ctrl +D.
To from the cell to the left of the active cell, press Ctrl + R.
To fill a range of multiple cells at once select the cell containing the data and formatting you want to copy. Then, extend the range down or to the right using whatever technique you prefer so that all of the cells you want filled are selected. Finally, perform the appropriate keystroke shortcut, Ctrl + D or Ctrl + R.

Triangle Indicators in Cells

Triangles in the corners of cells in Excel indicate formula errors, comments, or smart tag (smart tags: Data recognized and labeled as a particular type. For example, a person's name or the name of a recent Microsoft Outlook e-mail message recipient is a type of data that can be recognized and labeled with a smart tag.) options.

A green triangle in the upper-left corner of a cell indicates an error in the formula in the cell. If you select the cell, Trace Error appears. Click the arrow next to the button for a list of options.

Note:The color of the error checking triangle indicator can be changed by clicking Tools-Options, and then clicking the Error Checking tab.

A red triangle in the upper-right corner of a cell indicates a comment in the cell. If you rest the mouse cursor over the triangle, you can view the text of the comment.

A purple triangle in the lower-right corner of a cell indicates a smart tag. If you rest the mouse cursor over the triangle, Smart Tag Actions appears. Click the arrow next to the button for a list of smart tag options.