Microsoft® Excel 97 Quick Reference - 5 - Editing Workbooks After you have created a new workbook and entered data into it, you will eventually want to edit cell data or modify the structure of the workbook itself. You can edit the contents of a cell by retyping data into the cell or by editing the existing cell contents. To save time, you can copy and paste existing cell data rather than having to reenter the data. Excel also enables you to easily find and replace worksheet data, spell check your worksheet, and protect your data from unauthorized changes. You can modify the structure of the workbook by adjusting column widths and row heights, and inserting or deleting cells, rows, columns, or worksheets. This section covers these features and more of the most-used means of editing your workbooks and worksheets. Adjusting: Column Widths You can improve the appearance of your worksheet by adjusting the width of columns to fit the data contained in those columns. Adjusting column widths can also help you fit more data on-screen or in a printout. If a column is not wide enough to display a number, date, or time, Excel displays #### characters in the cell. Excel also enables you to hide confidential data within a column. (See also "Alignment: Shrinking Text to Fit in a Cell" in the "Formatting" section.) Steps Move the pointer onto the right boundary of the column heading. To change the width of column B, for example, move the pointer onto the line between the B and C headers. The pointer changes to a two-headed, horizontal arrow. Drag the column left or right until you reach the desired width; then release the mouse button. To size multiple columns, select the columns, and then drag the right boundary of one of the selected columns. To size all columns in the worksheet, click the Select All button (the gray rectangle just left of the column letters), drag the right boundary of any column to the desired width, and then release the mouse button. (See "Selecting: Rows and Columns.") TIP: To automatically fit the column to its widest entry, double-click the right boundary of the column letter. Adjusting: Row Heights The height of a row automatically adjusts to the largest font size applied to a cell in a row unless you manually change the height of a row. Excel enables you to manually adjust the height of a row when you need additional space between rows of data. If you adjust the height of a row so that it is too small to display the font, the tops of the characters are cut off at the boundary of the cell(s) above. Steps Move the pointer onto the bottom boundary of the row heading. To change the height of row 7, for example, move the pointer onto the line between row numbers 7 and 8. The pointer changes to a two-headed, vertical arrow. Drag the row up or down until you reach the desired row height; then release the mouse button. To size multiple rows, select the rows, then drag the bottom boundary of one of the selected rows. To size all rows in the worksheet, click the Select All button (the gray rectangle just above the row numbers), drag the bottom boundary of any row to the desired height, and then release the mouse button. (See "Selecting: Rows and Columns.") TIP: To automatically make the row height fit the contents of the row, double-click the bottom boundary of the row number. Copying: Cell Data In Excel, you can copy cell data within a worksheet, between worksheets, between workbooks, or even between Excel and another application. (See also "Copying: Data Between Applications" and "Moving: Cell Data.") Steps Highlight the cell or range you want to copy; then click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Edit, Copy). Select the cell in the upper-left corner of the range where you want to copy the data; then click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Edit, Paste). TIP: To quickly copy data to another location in the same worksheet, highlight the cell or range you want to copy. Press and hold down the Ctrl key, and drag the border around the selected range to the desired location. Release the mouse button and the Ctrl key. (See also "Pasting: Multiple Copies" in this section and "Copying Formats with the Format Painter" in the "Formatting" section.) Copying: Data Between Applications You can use the Clipboard to easily copy and paste data between Windows applications. The Clipboard is a temporary storage area for cut or copied items. When you cut or copy text or objects in one of the programs, Windows places that item on the Clipboard. You can then paste that item to the same worksheet, a different worksheet, or a different program. You can continue to paste the same item over and over again until you cut or copy another item. Steps Highlight the cell or range you want to copy; then click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Edit, Copy). Switch to the other application and select the location where you want to copy the data. If you are copying from Excel to Word, for example, switch to Word and position the insertion point where you want the copied data to appear. Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Edit, Paste). (See also "Pasting: Formats, Values, or Transposed Data" in this section and "Linking: Data Between Applications" in the "Linking and Embedding" section.) Copying: Worksheets You can copy all the contents and formatting of an existing worksheet to a new worksheet--either in the same workbook or to another workbook. This feature is useful if you frequently create similar worksheets, or if you need to start a new monthly or quarterly worksheet using the same format as an existing worksheet. (See also "Moving: Worksheets.") Steps Open the source and destination workbooks. Then display the source workbook (the workbook containing the worksheet you want to copy). Right-click the tab of the worksheet that you want to copy; then choose Move or Copy from the shortcut menu. In the To Book list, select the workbook to which you want to copy the selected worksheet. In the Before Sheet list box, select which sheet you want the copied sheet placed in front of. Select the Create a Copy check box to place a copy of the original worksheet in the selected workbook, while leaving the original worksheet intact; then click OK. TIP: To quickly create a copy of a worksheet in the same workbook, select the sheet tab for the worksheet you want to copy. Then press and hold down the Ctrl key and drag a copy of the active sheet tab forward or backward, to where you want the new worksheet to appear. Deleting: Cell Contents Although deleting data is a simple task, there are a few concepts with which you should become familiar. You can delete the data contained in worksheet cells, or you can delete the actual cells themselves. Deleting cell contents is sometimes referred to as clearing cell contents. When you clear cell contents, you have the option of clearing just the data in the cell, the cell formatting, cell comments, or all of these. NOTE: To delete cell contents (as described in this section), use the Edit, Clear command or the Delete key. If you want to delete actual cells or entire rows or columns (including all data contained in them), however, you would use the Edit, Delete command. (See "Inserting and Deleting: Cells and Ranges.") Steps Highlight the cell or range of data you want to clear. Choose Edit, Clear; then select the option describing what you want to clear from the range: All, Formats, Contents, or Comments. Choose Edit, Undo Clear to return the data range to its original state. TIP: To quickly clear just the contents from a range, select the range and then press Delete. Deleting: Worksheets If you no longer need a particular worksheet in a workbook, you can delete the entire worksheet. Excel prompts you for confirmation before deleting the worksheet. Exercise caution when using this command--if you delete a worksheet by accident, you cannot use Undo to restore the worksheet. (See also "Workbooks: Deleting a Workbook" in the "File Management" section.) Steps Right-click the sheet tab of the worksheet you want to delete. Choose Delete; then click OK to confirm the deletion. Editing Data: In a Cell When you need to edit a cell entry, you can either edit the text in the cell itself or in the formula bar. For worksheets built like data-entry forms, the users often expect to type and edit directly in a cell. Steps Double-click the cell containing the text you want to edit. Move the I-beam pointer to where you want to edit, and click the mouse button. Type the new data. If you want to delete text, use Backspace to delete text to the left of the insertion point or use Delete to remove text to the right of the insertion point. Press Enter to accept your changes, or press Esc to leave the cell contents unchanged. Editing Data: In the Formula Bar In addition to editing data directly in the cell, you also can edit data from within the formula bar. If you frequently use the formula bar, you may prefer to edit data in the formula bar. Steps Select the cell containing the text you want to edit. Move the pointer over the text in the formula bar until it changes to an I-beam. Move the I-beam pointer to where you want to edit the text, and then click the left mouse button. Type the new data. If you want to delete text, use Backspace to delete text to the left of the insertion point or use Delete to remove text to the right of the insertion point. Press Enter to accept your changes, or press Esc to leave the cell contents unchanged. TIP: To replace part of a cell entry, click and drag the I-beam pointer to highlight the characters you want to replace. Then, type the new data and press Enter. Finding Worksheet Data When your worksheets get large and are filled with data, you may have trouble finding specific information in them. The Find command enables you to jump to any piece of information, such as labels, formulas, values, or comments in your worksheet. (See also "Replacing Worksheet Data.") Steps Select the range you want to search; or to automatically search the entire worksheet, select a single cell only. (To begin the search from the beginning of the worksheet, select cell A1.) Choose Edit, Find. In the Find What text box, type the data you want to find. Select any other search options you want in the Find dialog box (such as Match Case). Click Find Next. Click Find Next again if you want to search for another occurrence. Click Close when you are finished. NOTE: The Find command performs the search in the current worksheet only. To search in other worksheets in a workbook, you must select them individually, and then choose Edit, Find. Grouping Worksheets When you create a group of similar worksheets in a workbook (such as in a sales consolidation), you can group the worksheets together before you enter data or format the worksheets. This can save you a great deal of editing time because you can apply the same operations to the entire group of worksheets at once. (See "Selecting: Worksheets" in the "Getting Started" section before you complete this task.) Steps Select the worksheets you want to group together. Notice that the title bar now contains [Group]. Begin entering and formatting data in one of the selected worksheets. The text you enter and format in the current worksheet also appears in all other worksheets in the group. To separate the group into individual sheets, hold down the Shift key and click the sheet tab for the current worksheet. (See also "Formatting: Multiple Worksheets" in the "Formatting" section.) Hiding: Columns and Rows When you generate a worksheet for multiple users, you may not want to print all the information that you enter. You can hide columns temporarily so that they do not print or appear on-screen. In addition to hiding columns, you also can temporarily hide entire rows of data in the worksheet if you don't want them to print or appear on-screen. Hiding columns or rows doesn't affect the results of formulas that refer to hidden cells. Steps Right-click the column heading of the column you want to hide, or right-click the row heading of the row you want to hide. From the shortcut menu, choose Hide. TIP: If you often hide and redisplay the same columns or rows in your worksheets, you should create a custom view using the View, Custom Views command. This command enables you to assign a name to the current worksheet view. You can then use the View, Custom Views command to select the name of the view you want to display. (See also "Hiding: Displaying Hidden Columns and Rows.") Hiding: Displaying Hidden Columns and Rows If one or more column letters or row numbers appear to be missing in the worksheet frame, this is because the columns or rows have been hidden from view. You can easily redisplay hidden columns or rows if you need to see or edit data in them. (See "Hiding: Columns and Rows" before you complete this task.) Steps In the worksheet frame, drag across a range of columns that spans the hidden column, or drag across a range of rows that spans the hidden row. Right-click one of the selected columns or rows. From the shortcut menu, choose Unhide. Inserting and Deleting: Cells and Ranges You can insert new blank cells or delete existing cells anywhere in the worksheet. When you insert cells, the existing cells move in the direction you specify to make room for the new cells. When you delete cells from a worksheet, you delete the contents of the cells and the actual cells themselves. The remaining cells shift to fill the space left by the deleted cells. When you insert or delete cells or ranges, formulas that reference affected cells automatically update. (See also "Deleting: Cell Contents.") Steps Highlight the cell or range where you want to insert or delete a cell or range. Choose Insert, Cells if you want to insert a cell or range; or choose Edit, Delete if you want to delete a cell or range. Select which direction to move existing (or remaining) cells in the worksheet; then click OK. Inserting and Deleting: Columns As you edit your worksheet, you may need to insert or delete entire columns in the worksheet. Perhaps you forgot to add a category, and you now want to insert it between existing columns of data. Or you might want to delete a column containing outdated information. (See also "Inserting and Deleting: Rows.") Steps If you are inserting a column, select the column header of the column you want to move to the right when you insert the new column; or, if you are deleting a column, select the column header of the column you want to delete. To insert a column, choose Insert, Columns; or, to delete the selected column, choose Edit, Delete. TIP: If you want to insert or delete multiple columns, select the same number of columns as you want to insert or delete in Step 1 above. Inserting and Deleting: Rows Just as you can insert or delete columns in the worksheet, you also can insert blank rows or delete existing rows. In a list of information, you can insert a row if you want to add a new record of data, for example, or you can delete a row if you no longer want to include a specific record in the list. (See also "Inserting and Deleting: Columns.") Steps If you are inserting a row, select the row header of the row you want to move down when you insert the new row; or, if you are deleting a row, select the row header of the row you want to delete. To insert a row, choose Insert, Rows; or, to delete the selected row, choose Edit, Delete. TIP: If you want to insert or delete multiple rows, select the same number of rows as you want to insert or delete in Step 1 above. Inserting Worksheets Each new workbook contains three worksheets by default. You can easily insert new worksheets (as many as 255 total) at any time. If you are copying or moving existing worksheets, you do not need to insert a blank worksheet before you copy or move a worksheet. (See also "Copying: Worksheets" and "Moving: Worksheets.") Steps Open the workbook to which you want to add a new worksheet. Choose Insert, Worksheet. The new worksheet is inserted just before the current worksheet. Drag the sheet tab of the new worksheet to where you want the worksheet to appear. TIP: You can change the default number of worksheets that appears in a new workbook. Choose Tools, Options; then click the General tab. In the Sheets in New Workbook text box, type the number of worksheets you want new workbooks to contain; then click OK. Moving: Between Worksheets The sheet tabs at the bottom of each workbook enable you to quickly move among the worksheets in that workbook. If your workbook contains multiple worksheets and some of the sheet tabs are hidden, you can increase the width of the sheet tab area by dragging the tab split box (the vertical bar just left of the horizontal scroll bar) to the right. If you still cannot see all the sheet tabs, use the tab scroll arrows to the left of the sheet tabs to move through the sheet tabs. With a single click, the tab scroll arrows enable you to move to either the first sheet, previous sheet, next sheet, or last sheet in the workbook. Steps Display the sheet tab for the worksheet to which you want to move. Click the sheet tab to move to that worksheet. NOTE: If your workbook doesn't display any sheet tabs, choose Tools, Options; then click the View tab and select the Sheet Tabs check box. Moving: Cell Data In Excel, you can move cell data within a worksheet, between worksheets, between workbooks, or even between Excel and another application. When you move (or cut) cell data, you also move the cell formatting with the data. Be sure you won't overwrite any existing data when you move the data (make room for the data first, if necessary). (See also "Copying: Cell Data.") Steps Highlight the cell or range you want to move; then click the Cut button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Edit, Cut). Select the cell in the upper-left corner of the range where you want to move the data. If you are moving the data to another application, switch to that application and navigate to where you want to place the data. Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar (or choose Edit, Paste). TIP: To quickly move data to another location in the same worksheet, highlight the cell or range you want to move. Drag the border around the selected range to the desired location. Moving: Worksheets You can move worksheets to a different location within the same workbook, or to another workbook entirely. You do not need to create a blank worksheet to receive the new data--you can move the worksheet directly to the new location. (See also "Copying: Worksheets.") Steps Open the source and destination workbooks. Then display the source workbook (the workbook containing the worksheet you want to move). Right-click the tab of the worksheet that you want to move; then choose Move or Copy from the shortcut menu. In the To Book list, select the workbook to which you want to move the selected worksheet. In the Before Sheet list box, select which sheet you want the moved sheet placed in front of; then click OK. TIP: To quickly move a worksheet in the same workbook, select the sheet tab for the worksheet you want to move. Then drag the active sheet tab in front of the sheet tab where you want the worksheet to appear. NOTE: To place a worksheet as the beginning worksheet in a new workbook without first creating the workbook, select (new book) in the To Book list in the Move or Copy dialog box. Naming Worksheets Each worksheet in a workbook is automatically assigned a name. In a new workbook, worksheets are named Sheet1, Sheet2, and so on, as displayed on the sheet tabs. You can also assign your own descriptive name of up to 31 characters to each worksheet. You can use spaces in a worksheet name, but you cannot use any of the following characters: / \ : ? * [ ] < > Steps Double-click the sheet tab for the worksheet you want to rename. Type the new name for the worksheet and press Enter. Pasting: Formats, Values, or Transposed Data With the Edit, Paste Special command, you can copy and paste part of a cell's attributes, such as the format or value, but not both. This command also enables you to transpose data by switching rows of cells to columns, and columns to rows. In addition, you can use this command to combine the attributes of cells by pasting them together. Steps Select the cell or range of cells you want to paste, and then click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar. Select the cell in the upper-left corner of where you want to paste the data. Be sure to select an area where you won't overwrite existing cell data. Then, choose Edit, Paste Special. In the Paste area, select the characteristics you want transferred: All, Formulas, Values, Formats, Comments, Validation, or All Except Borders. In the Operation area, select how you want the transferred data combined with the cells you are pasting into: None, Add, Subtract, Multiply, or Divide. Select the Skip Blanks check box if you do not want to paste blank cells on top of existing cell contents. Select the Transpose check box to change rows to columns or to change columns to rows; then click OK. TIP: To quickly copy only the cell formats, select the cells with the formats that you want to copy. Click the Format Painter button on the Standard toolbar. Then select the range to copy the formats to. Pasting: Multiple Copies You can save a great deal of data-entry time with Excel's Copy and Paste commands and other shortcuts. Rather than typing each formula in a worksheet, you can type a few formulas and copy or fill them into other cells. You even can copy the formula and format at the same time. Be sure you won't overwrite any existing data when you paste the copied data (make room for the data first, if necessary). Steps Select the cell or range of cells you want to copy; then click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar. Click and drag to select only the cells in the upper-left corner of where you want each of the duplicate ranges to go. Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar. (See also "Copying: Cell Data" and "Moving: Cell Data.") Pasting: Nonadjacent Multiple Copies You can paste multiple copies of data even if the areas into which you are pasting are not adjacent. Be sure you won't overwrite any existing data when you paste the copied data (make room for the data first, if necessary). (See also "Pasting: Multiple Copies.") Steps Select the cell or range of cells you want to copy; then click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar. Click the cells in the upper-left corner of each range where you want to paste the data. Hold down the Ctrl key as you click each cell. Click the Paste button on the Standard toolbar. Protecting: Cell Data If you need to share worksheets with other users, you can prevent the contents of specific cells from being changed by turning on worksheet protection. You first must unlock cells that you want others to be able to change, and then protect the entire worksheet. (See also "Protecting: Individual Worksheets" and "Protecting: Workbooks.") Steps Select the range of cells you want to unlock. These are the cells that you do want others to be able to modify. Choose Format, Cells; then click the Protection tab. Clear the Locked check box so that it is not selected; then click OK. Choose Tools, Protection, Protect Sheet. Select the desired options describing what you want to protect in the current worksheet; then click OK. NOTE: You can assign a password so that only users with access to the password can make changes to the unlocked cells. In the Protect Sheet dialog box, type the password you want to use in the Password text box; then click OK. In the Confirm Password dialog box, reenter the same password and then click OK. To turn off worksheet (and therefore cell data) protection, choose Tools, Protection, Unprotect Sheet. Protecting: Individual Worksheets You can protect individual worksheets in a workbook if you want to prevent others from accessing them. Protecting a worksheet does not prevent others from opening the workbook and modifying other unprotected worksheets in the workbook, however. (If you want to protect an entire workbook, see "Protecting: Workbooks.") Steps Display the worksheet you want to protect; then choose Tools, Protection, Protect Sheet. Select the desired options describing what you want to protect in the current worksheet. If desired, type a password in the Password text box (passwords are case sensitive); then click OK. If prompted, reenter the password in the confirmation box; then click OK. To turn off worksheet protection, display the worksheet and choose Tools, Protection, Unprotect Sheet. Then, enter the password and click OK. CAUTION: Don't forget your password! When you protect a worksheet, write down the password and keep it in a safe location. You won't be able to open the worksheet or access any data in the worksheet without the password. Protecting: Opening a Protected Workbook You can open a password-protected workbook just as you would normally open a workbook. Before the workbook appears on-screen, however, Excel prompts you for the password(s) you assigned to the workbook. If you do not remember the password for opening the workbook, you will not be able to access the workbook. If you forget only the password you set for write-protecting the workbook, you can open the workbook but you can't enter new data, even if you save the workbook under a different name. (See "Protecting: Workbooks" before you complete this task.) Steps Click the Open button on the Standard toolbar and select the workbook you want to open; then click Open. In the Password dialog box, type the password and then click OK. Remember that passwords are case sensitive. If a second Password dialog box appears, type the password for write (modify) access and then click OK; or click Read Only if you only want to view the workbook. Protecting: Workbooks You can prevent other users from accessing or changing the contents of a workbook by assigning password protection to a file. Excel provides three levels of protection: you can assign a workbook as read-only recommended, as write-protected, and as password-protected. The first setting suggests to users that they open a file in read-only mode. The last two options enable you to enforce protection by restricting file modification or access only to those who have the password. Steps Open the workbook you want to protect; then choose File, Save As, and click the Options button. In the Save Options dialog box, enter the passwords you want to set--you can set one to open the workbook and another to modify the workbook. Passwords are case sensitive. Reenter the password(s) in the confirmation box(es); then click OK. Select Read-Only Recommended if you want to recommend that others open a workbook as read-only (they must save the workbook with a different name if they want to save their changes--they cannot make any changes to the existing workbook); then click OK. Click the Save button to save the workbook with your changes. NOTE: The Read-Only Recommended option doesn't override the password settings. If you assign a password to a workbook, only those who have access to the password can open the workbook and view the worksheet data. To remove protection from a workbook, open the workbook and choose File, Save As; then click Options, remove the passwords from the Save Options dialog box (and clear the Read-Only Recommended check box, if applicable), and click OK. Then click Save to save the workbook with these changes. CAUTION: Don't forget your password. When you protect a workbook, write down the password and keep it in a safe location. You won't be able to open the workbook or access any data in the workbook without the password. Replacing Worksheet Data You can use the Replace command to quickly locate and replace one string of data with another. You can choose to replace all occurrences of a selected string, or you can replace a string one by one. (See also "Finding Worksheet Data.") Steps Select the range you want to search; or to automatically search the entire worksheet, select a single cell only. (To begin the search from the beginning of the worksheet, select cell A1.) Choose Edit, Replace. In the Find What text box, type the data you want to find. In the Replace With text box, enter the data to replace with; then click Find Next. Click Replace to replace the first occurrence, and then click Find Next again if you want to search for another occurrence; or, click Replace All to replace all occurrences. Click Close when you are finished. NOTE: The Replace command performs the search in the current worksheet only. To search in other worksheets in a workbook, you must select them individually, and then choose Edit, Replace. Spelling: Creating Custom Dictionaries You may need a custom dictionary with your worksheets so that you are not frequently prompted to verify the spelling of client names, abbreviations, product codes, industry terms, and so on. When Excel checks spelling, it looks first in the standard dictionary. If Excel doesn't find the word there, it checks the custom dictionary. Unless you specify otherwise, words you add go into the dictionary named CUSTOM.DIC. This name appears in the Add Words To drop-down list in the Spelling dialog box. You can build your own custom dictionaries and select them from the list. You can have as many custom dictionaries as you like, but only one can operate at a time with the standard dictionary. Steps Open the worksheet containing words you want to add to a custom dictionary; then click the Spelling button on the Standard toolbar. When the spell checker finds a word that you want in the custom dictionary, type the new dictionary name in the Add Words To text box. Click Add to add the current word to the new dictionary. At any time when the Spelling dialog box is open, you can change to a different custom dictionary by selecting the dictionary from the Add Words To list. To add words to your custom dictionary, start the spell check. When you want to add a word to a custom dictionary, select the dictionary from the Add Words To list and choose the Add button. Spelling: Running a Spell Check With Excel's dictionary, you can check the spelling of one word, the entire worksheet, or even a chart. Microsoft Office applications all use the same spelling checker and dictionaries. You also can check against a custom dictionary that contains abbreviations or words specific to your clients or industry. Spelling Options The following table lists the options available in the Spelling dialog box and describes how they work: Options in the Spelling Dialog Box Option Description Ignore Ignores this word and continues. Ignore All Ignores this word throughout the document. Add Adds this word to the current dictionary. Suggest Suggests some alternatives from the dictionary. This option is available only if the Always Suggest check box is not selected; otherwise, Excel automatically provides suggested alternatives. AutoCorrect Adds this misspelling and the correction to the list of AutoCorrect entries. When you make this same mistake again, Excel automatically replaces the misspelling with the correct spelling. Undo Last Undoes the most recent spell check correction. Cancel Stops the spell check. Steps Select a single cell if you want to spell check the entire contents of a worksheet; or, select a range, embedded chart, or object to limit the spell check to the selected item. (To begin the spell check from the beginning of the worksheet, select cell A1.) Click the Spelling button on the Standard toolbar. If a word cannot be found in the dictionary, the Spelling dialog box appears. Accept or edit the word in the Change To text box; and then choose the Change button. Or, choose the Change All button if you want to change this word throughout the document. Alternatively, select one of the words from the Suggestions list, and then choose the Change or Change All button. You can also choose from the options in the table that precedes this task. If prompted, choose Yes to continue from the top of the document. When an alert box tells you that the entire worksheet has been checked, click OK. NOTE: If no misspelled words are found, the Spelling dialog box never appears. Instead, a message box appears and tells you that the spell check is complete for the entire worksheet.

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