Microsoft® Excel 97 Quick Reference - 1 - Getting Started 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. AutoComplete: Entering Duplicate Data 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." Steps Type a complete entry into a cell and press Enter. Begin typing the same entry in the next cell down, in the same column; Excel automatically inserts the rest of the entry. Press Enter to accept the entry that Excel suggests, or keep typing if you want to enter a different text item. Press Enter when you finish typing the entry. 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: Fixing Typos 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.") Steps To create a new AutoCorrect entry, open any workbook and then choose Tools, AutoCorrect. In the Replace text box, enter a common spelling or typographical error. Or, you can also enter an abbreviation for a word or words you often use in your work-sheet. Do not enter any spaces in this text box. In the With text box, enter the text as it should appear in the worksheet. Click the Add button to add the new entry to the list; then click OK. 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. Entering: Data in a Selected Range 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.) Steps Select the range in which you want to enter data. The first cell in the selected range is active and appears with a white background. Type the data you want to enter in the first cell. Press Enter to move down one cell, press Shift+Enter to move up one cell, press Tab to move right one cell, or press Shift+Tab to move left one cell. Entering: Data Series 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.) Steps To fill a range with a sequence of numbers, enter the numbers in the first two cells of the range. (These two cells can be in the same column or the same row.) Select the two cells, then position the mouse pointer over the handle in the lower-right corner of the selected range; the pointer changes to a cross. Drag the cross to the end of the range you want to fill with the sequence and release the mouse button; AutoFill completes the sequence of numbers. 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.") Entering: Dates and Times 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.") Steps Select the cell in which you want to enter the date or time. To enter a date or time, enter the date into the cell using any of these formats: 11/6/97, 6-Nov-97, 6-Nov, Nov-97; or, enter the time into the cell using any of these formats: 21:41, 21:41:35, 9:41 PM, 9:41:35 PM. 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. Entering: Numbers 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.") Steps Select the cell in which you want to enter the number. Type the number into the cell. To type a negative number, precede the number with a minus sign (-). Press Enter. 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.") Entering: Text 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.") Steps Select the cell in which you want to enter text. Then, type the text into the cell, and press Enter. Text you enter in a cell may appear to be truncated if the cell is not wide enough and if the cell to the right contains data. To automatically fit the column to its widest text entry, double-click the right boundary of the column letter. (See also "Editing Data: In a Cell" in the section "Editing Workbooks.") Exiting Excel 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.) Steps Choose File, Exit. If you have saved all changes in active workbook files, Excel closes. If a message box appears reminding you to save changes, click Yes to save changes, click No if you don't want to save changes, or click Cancel to return to Excel. TIP: To quickly exit Excel, click the application Close button (the X at the far right end of the title bar). Go To: Jumping to a Specific Cell 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. Steps Display the worksheet containing the cell or named range you want to jump to. Then, choose Edit, Go To; or press F5. In the Reference text box, type the cell address or the named range you want to go to, or select from the list box the named location you want to go to; then click OK. (See also "Navigating in a Worksheet" and "Selecting: Cells Based on Content.") Help: Dialog Boxes 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. Steps To get more information on a button or option in a dialog box, click the Question Mark (?) button in the dialog box title bar. (If the ? button is not visible, press Shift+F1.) Click on the area of the dialog box for which you need Help. A pop-up box appears to explain how to use the button or option. Click the pop-up box to remove it from the screen. Help: Help Contents and Index 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. Steps Choose Help, Contents and Index; then click the Contents tab. Double-click the desired category and click the topic you want; then click Display. View the Help information; then click the Close button when you are done. 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. Help: Printing Help Information 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.) Steps Choose Help, Contents and Index; then click either the Contents, Index, or Find tab. Or, click the Office Assistant and type your question. Navigate to the Help window you want to see. In the Help window, click the Options button; then click Print Topic. Make any desired changes in the Print dialog box; then click OK to begin printing. Click the Close button in the Help window when you are done. Help: Searching for Topics 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. Steps Choose Help, Contents and Index; then click the Find tab. In the text box, type a word that you want to find. In the middle list box, select a word or phrase to narrow your search. In the bottom list box, select the topic you want; then click Display. View the Help information; then click the Close button when you are done. NOTE: The first time you use Find, Excel builds a word list of Excel terms. This may take a few minutes. Help: The Office Assistant 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. Steps Click the Office Assistant. (If the Office Assistant doesn't already appear on-screen, click the Office Assistant button in the Standard toolbar; or choose Help, Microsoft Excel Help.) In the text box, type the question or topic for which you want Help; then click the Search button. A Help window or a list of subtopics appears. If you see a subtopics list, click the topic that most closely matches the procedure for which you want Help; then a Help window appears. View the Help information; then click the Close button when you are done. 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. Help: Tip of the Day 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.") Steps Click the Office Assistant. (If the Office Assistant doesn't already appear on-screen, click the Office Assistant button in the Standard toolbar.). Click Options. In the Options tab, click the Show the Tip of the Day at Startup check box; then click OK. To see additional tips while you are using Excel, you can access the Office Assistant and click the Tips option. TIP: If you see a light bulb displayed next to the Office Assistant, click it to see a helpful tip on your current actions. Help: Toolbar Buttons 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. Steps To get more information on a toolbar button (in addition to the ScreenTip), choose Help, What's This?; or press Shift+F1. Click on the toolbar button for which you need Help. A pop-up box appears to explain how to use the button. Click the pop-up box to remove it from the screen. 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. Microsoft IntelliMouse: Navigating 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. Steps To scroll the worksheet a few rows at a time using the IntelliMouse, roll the wheel forward to scroll up and backward to scroll down. To pan in the worksheet using the IntelliMouse, hold down the wheel as you drag in any direction to quickly move the window in that direction. To expand or collapse worksheet outlines using the IntelliMouse, hold down the Shift key as you roll the wheel. (See also "Microsoft IntelliMouse: Zooming.") 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. Steps To zoom in a worksheet using the IntelliMouse, first hold down the Ctrl key. Roll the wheel to zoom to a different magnification--between 10% and 100%. 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.) Naming Cells and Ranges 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. Steps To define a name, select the cell or range you want to name and click the arrow beside the name box in the formula bar. Type the name for the selected cell or range; then press Enter. 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. Navigating in a Worksheet 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. Keys Useful for Worksheet Navigation 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. Worksheet Navigation Keys 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 Steps To move the cell pointer with the mouse, click the cell you want to make active; if that cell is not visible, use the scroll bars to move to the area of the worksheet you want, and then click the cell. To move the cell pointer with the keyboard, use any keys or key combinations described in the table above. (See also "Go To: Jumping to a Specific Cell.") Selecting: Cells and Ranges 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.) Steps To select a single cell, click that cell or use the keyboard navigation keys to move to that cell. To select a range of cells, click the first cell in the range; then hold down the mouse button and drag to the opposite corner of the range. Release the mouse button. If you want to select a large range that is not entirely visible on-screen, select the first cell in the range. Then scroll the worksheet until you see the opposite corner. Hold down the Shift key, and then click the opposite corner of the range. All cells between the two corners are selected. Selecting: Cells Based on Content 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.") Steps To check the entire worksheet for a specific cell content, select a single cell; to check only cells within a range, select a range of cells. Choose Edit, Go To; or press F5. From the Go To dialog box, choose Special and select the desired option; then click OK. 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. Selecting: Multiple Ranges 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.) Steps Select the first range of cells. Hold down the Ctrl key; then click and drag to select the next range of cells. Repeat Step 2 until you have selected all the ranges you want. Selecting: Rows and Columns 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. Steps To select a single column, click the column heading. To select multiple adjacent columns, drag the pointer across the column headings. To select multiple nonadjacent columns, press Ctrl and click each column heading. To select a single row, click the row heading. To select multiple adjacent rows, drag the pointer across the row headings. To select multiple nonadjacent rows, press Ctrl and click each row heading. 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. Selecting: Worksheets 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.") Steps To select a worksheet in the current workbook, click the sheet tab. The worksheet displays. If you want to select all cells in the current worksheet, click the gray rectangle that appears at the intersection of the row headers and column headers. 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. Starting Excel 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. Steps To start Excel, click the Start button in the Windows taskbar. Choose Programs, Microsoft Excel. (See also "Exiting Excel" in this section, and "Startup: Controlling Excel's Startup" and "Startup: Setting Startup Switches" in the "Customizing" section.) Undo and Redo 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. Steps To undo your most recent entry or command, choose Edit, Undo; or click the Undo button in the Standard toolbar. If you want to redo the entry or command you just undid, choose Edit, Redo; or click the Redo button in the Standard toolbar. Note that the Redo command is unavailable until you choose Undo. If you want to undo or repeat multiple actions (not just the most recent action), click the arrow beside either the Undo or Redo button on the Standard toolbar. A drop-down list of the previous actions that can be undone or redone appears. Select the actions you want to undo or redo. NOTE: The command name in the Edit menu changes to Can't Undo if you cannot undo the most recent action.

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