T U T O R I A L 1
G E T T I N G S T A R T E D W I T H E X C E L

Understanding Spreadsheets
 Spreadsheet – A collection of text and numbers laid out in a rectangular grid

Exploring the Excel Window
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Workbook – spreadsheet file
Workbook window – where contents of a workbook are shown
Active workbook – workbook currently being used
Sheets – make up a workbook
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Worksheet – contains data in rows and columns
Chart sheet – contains an Excel chart

Excel Window Continued -
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Sheet name identifies each sheet
Sheet tabs – where sheet name is displayed, lower left corner of workbook window
Active sheet – currently on the window and sheet tab is white

Layout of Workbook
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Columns –
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Run vertically on the worksheet
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Column headings begin with a letter
Rows –
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Run horizontally on the worksheet
Row headings begin with a number
Cell – intersection of a Column and a Row
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Cell is identified by a cell reference
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Ex: B6

Layout - continued
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Active Cell – Cell you are working in
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Outlined with a thick border
Name Box – displays the cell reference for the active cell appears

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↑ , ↓ , ← , →
Home
Ctrl + Home
Ctrl + End
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 Enter data
Shift + Enter
Tab
Shift + Tab
Page Up, Page Down
Ctrl + Page Up,
Ctrl + Page Down
Navigating a Worksheet
Up, down, left, or right one cell
To column A of the current row
To cell A1
To the last cell in the worksheet that contains data
Down one row or start next row of
Up one row
One column to the right
One column to the left
Up or down one screen
To the previous or next sheet in the workbook

Entering Text, Numbers, and Dates in Cells
 Data entry appears in two locations
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Within the active cell
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Within the formula bar
 Formula bar –
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Displays the contents of the active cell
Shows formulas used to create calculated values

Continued
 Three categories of data
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Text data – combination of letters, numbers and some symbols
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Number data – numerical value used in a mathematical calculation
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Date and time data – common formats for date and time
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Text – left-aligned in cells
Numbers, dates, and times are right-aligned in cells

Entering Text
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Select cell to make active
Key data
Press tab key to move to next cell
Press enter to move down to next row
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If text is larger than a cell, text spills into next cell if empty
If cell contains data, data is cut off or truncating
(complete text is entered, but not displayed)

Entering Multiple Lines of Text Within a Cell
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Click cell to make active
Type first line of text
Press Alt + Enter key and type text
 Called Wrapping Text within a cell

Entering Dates
 Different standard formats for dates
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4/6/2010
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4/6/10
4-6-2010
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April 6, 2010
6-Apr-10

Entering Numbers
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Can be integers, decimals, or negatives
Can include Percentage (%) or currency ($) symbols
Numbers are right-aligned in the cell
If the number exceeds the cell width, ##### appears for the truncated numeric value
Increase column width to see entire number

Working with Columns and Rows
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Columns and rows come with a default width and height
Column and row size may be changed to accommodate text entered into them
Column width and height – determined by number of characters the column can contain. Measured in
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Pixel – single point on a computer monitor or printout
Points – font size of characters.
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1 point = 1/72 of an inch

Inserting a Column or Row
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Inserting a new column – shifts the existing columns to the right and inserts the new column to the left
Inserting a new row – shifts the existing rows down and the new row is inserted above
The inserted rows are the same width and height and the adjacent column or row
Insert button is found on the Home Tab in the Cells group
Right click a column or row heading and click Insert on the short-cut menu

Deleting and Clearing a Row or Column
 2 ways to remove data
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Clearing – Removes the data but leaves the blank cells
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To clear contents – right click on column or cell and choose clear contents from short-cut menu
Deleting – Removes both the data and the cells
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To delete rows or columns – use the delete button in the Cells group on the Home tab

S E S S I O N 1 . 2

Working with Cells and Cell Ranges
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Cell range or range – a groups of cells
Adjacent range – single rectangle block of cells
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EX: A1:G5 (Range Reference)
Nonadjacent range – consists of two or more distinct adjacent ranges
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EX: A1:A5;F1:G5 (Range Reference)
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Cell Ranges can be selected with the mouse
Hold down the CTRL key to select nonadjacent ranges

Moving and Copying a Cell Range
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Drag and Drop
Select the cell or range you want to move or copy
Move mouse pointer over border of the selection until the pointer changes shape
Click border and drag to new location to move
To copy (click border, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag to new location) and release
OR
Home tab, Clipboard group, click Cut or Copy
Button, select new cell, click Paste button

Working with Formulas
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Calculations are added to a worksheet using formulas and functions
Formula – an expression that returns a value
Formulas begin with an equal sign (=)
Operators (arithmetic operators) performs addition, subtraction, multiplication, division, and exponentiation
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EX: = A2 + A4

Formulas - continued
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Order of precedence – determines the sequence in which operators are applied
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Parenthesis
Exponentiation
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Multiplication
Division
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Addition
Subtraction
Operators with the same level – begin at the leftmost side

Entering a Formula
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Click the cell in which you want the formula to appear
Type = and an expression that calculates a value using cell references and arithmetic operators
Press the Enter key or press the Tab key to complete the formula

Copying and Pasting Formulas
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Excel adjust the formula’s cell references to reflect the new location of the formula in the worksheet
Does not copy the value of the cell

Introducing Functions
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Function – A named operation that returns a value
Used to simplify formulas
300 different functions
Use the Sum button (also called AutoSum)
Use Sum Button to insert a function (Σ)
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SUM
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AVERAGE
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COUNT
MINIMUM VALUE
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MAXIMUM VALUE

Working with a Worksheet
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Workbooks come with three worksheets
Worksheets are separate pages of a workbook
Labeled as Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3 on the sheet tabs
Worksheets can be added or deleted

Working with a Worksheet - continued
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To insert a new worksheet
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Right-click a sheet tab
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Click insert on the shortcut menu
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Select a sheet type
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Click the OK button
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Inserted to the LEFT of the active sheet

Working with Worksheets - continued
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To delete a worksheet
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Right-click the sheet tab, click delete on the Shortcut menu
OR
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Click delete button arrow in the Cells group on the Home tab, then click Delete
Sheet.

Renaming a Worksheet
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Double-click the sheet tab
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Type a new name for the sheet
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Press the enter key
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Sheet names no longer than 31 characters including spaces

Moving and Copying a Worksheet
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Most important worksheets first (leftmost sheet tabs)
Least important worksheets at the end (rightmost sheet tabs)
To move, click and drag the sheet tab to a new location
To copy, hold Ctrl key as you drag the sheet tab to new location

Editing your Work
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Editing mode – edit the contents of a cell
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3 ways to enter editing mode
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Double-clicking the cell
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Selecting the cell and pressing the F2 key
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Selecting the cell and click in the formula bar

Changing Worksheet Views
 3 Ways
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Normal View – shows content of the worksheet
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Page Layout View – Shows how the page will appear on the page or pages sent to the printer
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Page Break Preview – Displays the location of the different page breaks within the worksheet

Working with Portrait and Landscape
Orientation
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Portrait Orientation – Page is taller than it is wide
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Landscape Orientation – the page is wider than it is taller

Change Orientation
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Page Layout Tab
Page setup group, Orientation button, click
Landscape

Viewing and Printing Formulas
 Switch to Formula View
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Displays formula instead of values
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Click the Ctrl + ~ (tilde key)
 Scaling – Forces the contents to fit on a single page