Excel Tips

• Absolute cell reference: Cell contents will not change when copied or moved to another cell.
• Active cell: Cell on which the cell pointer is located.
• AutoFormat: Pre-designed formats that add a professional look to spreadsheets.
• Cell: Point at which a column and row meet.
• Cell reference: Cell’s name.
• Chart: Visual representation that shows statistical information.
• Footer: Information that appears at the bottom of every page.
• Formula: Statement that performs a calculation.
• Formula prefix: Equal sign (=) that is entered before a formula.
• Function: Built-in formula that is a shortcut for common calculations, such as addition and average.
• Header: Information that appears at the top of every page.
• Label: Alphabetical text.
• Order of evaluation: Sequence of calculation.
• Range: Group of cells.
• Relative cell reference: Contents of the cell will not change when copied or moved to another cell.
• Spreadsheet: Row and column arrangement of data used to enter, calculate, manipulate, and analyze numbers.
• Value: Numeric text.
• Workbook: Group of related spreadsheets.
• Worksheet: Grid with columns and rows. The term worksheet is used interchangeably with spreadsheet.

Word Processing

Word Processing
One of the most common computer applications
Handles text and graphics
Creates and modifies reports, letters, flyers, brochures, newsletters, and so on

Many different word-processing programs
Microsoft Word
Corel WordPerfect
Wordstar
Open Office Writer
Star Office Text Document











Microsoft Word Screen Elements
Title bar
Menu bar
Standard toolbar
Formatting toolbar
Insertion point
Ruler
Document window
View buttons
Scroll bars
Status bar
Task pane
Taskbar





File Menu Options
New
Open
Close
Save
Save As
Print
Page Setup
Print Preview
Exit

Saving, Printing, Closing, and Opening a File
To make a permanent copy of a document, use the File > Save As command.
To produce a hard copy of a document, use the File > Print command.
To close a file, use the File > Exit command.
To open a file, use the Open button on the Standard toolbar.

Selecting and Editing Documents
Selecting text
Click at the beginning of the text and drag to the end of the text you want to select.
Making corrections
Backspace key
Delete key
Insert key
AutoCorrect
Spelling and Grammar checker

Spell Check and Thesaurus
Spell Check tool
Does not eliminate the need to proofread
Thesaurus
Search for synonyms
To use the Spell Check and Thesaurus tools, click the Spelling and Grammar icon on the Standard toolbar.

Formatting
Character formatting
Attributes applied to fonts
Paragraph formatting
Line spacing and indents
Document formatting
Margins and paper size
Character Formatting
Font styles
Point size
Attributes
Format Painter


Line and Paragraph Formatting

Line spacing
Single
Double
Justification
Left
Right
Center
Full
Indenting
Tab stops
Default
Custom
Bullets and numbers

Document Formatting
Margins
Headers and footers
Breaks
Styles
Borders and shading
Custom tab stops
Graphics
Tables

Graphics
 Adds visual appeal
 To insert clip art:
 Click Insert on the menu bar.
 Point to Picture.
 Click Clip Art.
 To insert symbols:
 Click Insert on the menu bar.
 Click Symbol.





Tables
 A table is an arrangement of data in a row-and- column format.
 Click the Insert Table button on the Standard toolbar.




Table Example
3 rows and 2 columns


Getting Help
Click Help on the menu bar.
Click Microsoft Word Help.
Type the topic with which you need help in the Search for text box.
Click the arrow to start the search.

Summary
 Word-processing software is used to create documents such as letters, reports, memos, brochures, and even Web pages.
 Commands for using the features in a word-processing program are selected from menus and toolbars.
 You also can use keyboard shortcuts to execute some commands.
 Word-processing programs come with powerful editing tools.
 You can make changes to text, cut or copy text, and delete it.
 The Spell Checker checks documents for possible misspelled words.
 Word also has a grammar-checking tool that identifies grammatical mistakes and a Thesaurus that display synonyms for a selected word.
 You can apply formatting to characters, paragraphs, or the entire document.
 Word comes with a variety of formatting tools that enable you to enhance the appearance of documents.
 Clip art can be added to documents to enhance their visual appearance.
 Tables are used to present information in an organized manner.
 Word’s Help system offers a variety of resources for getting help and information on features and tools.

The Microsoft Excel Spreadsheets

Spreadsheets Defined
 A row and column arrangement of data
 Used to perform calculations
 Budgets
 Payrolls
 Grades
 Used to make forecasts and decisions
Anatomy of a Spreadsheet
 256 columns identified by letters
 65,536 rows identified by numbers
 A cell is the point at which a row and column meet (16,777,216 cells!).
Selecting Cells
 Select a single cell
 Point to the cell and click.
 Select a range of cells
 Click cell and then drag to select the range.
Keyboard Shortcuts

Types of Data
 A label is alphabetic text entered into a cell.
 Labels align at the left of the cell.
 A value is numeric text entered into a cell.
 Numbers align at the right of the cell.
 A formula is a statement that performs a calculation.
 A function is a built-in formula that is a shortcut for common calculations.
Entering Formulas
 Type an “=“ before entering a formula or function.
 Formulas include numbers, cell references, arithmetic operators, and/or functions.
 The arithmetic operators include addition (+), subtraction (-), multiplication (*), and division (/).
Entering Functions
 A function is a pre-written formula that performs calculations automatically.
 Some functions include SUM, AVG, MIN, MAX, and IF.
 A function is entered as =SUM(A1:A10).
 This will add the contents of cells A1 through A10.
Copying Cell Contents
 Cell contents can be copied to other cells.
 Formulas can be copied to other cells.
 Methods of copying
 Copy and paste
 Drag and drop
 Fill cells
Copying Cell Contents (cont.)
 To copy cells that contain formulas
 Absolute cell references
 Relative cell references

Formatting a Spreadsheet
 Change column width and row height.
 Align labels in cells.
 Font style, font size, and color can be changed.
 Text in cells can be rotated or wrapped.
 The Format Painter ensures consistency.
Formatting a Spreadsheet (cont.)
 Styles and Formatting provides additional formatting options.
 Add borders and shading to spreadsheet.
 Titles can be centered over several columns.
 Numbers can be formatted with decimals, commas, and dollar signs.
Formatting a Spreadsheet (cont.)
 Borders and shading of cells can be changed.
 AutoFormats add professional-looking formats to spreadsheets.
Printing a Spreadsheet
 Print the entire spreadsheet.
 Print a selected portion of the spreadsheet.
 Print in landscape or portrait orientation.
 Divide the spreadsheet into pages with a forced page break.
 Set data to fit on a specified size of paper and number of pages.
Additional Features
 Sorting rearranges data in ascending or descending order.
 Headers and footers allow the same information to appear at the top or bottom of each page of the spreadsheet.
 Adding objects, such as clip art and drawn objects, enhances the spreadsheet.
Creating Charts

 Use Charts to display the data visually.
 Use the What-if analysis feature to test different scenarios.

Summary
 The primary use of spreadsheets is to enter, calculate, manipulate, and analyze numbers.
 Columns in spreadsheets are identified by letters, and rows are identified by numbers.
 The point at which a row and a column intersect is a cell.
Summary (cont.)
 A cell that has been selected (highlighted or outlined with a black border) is referred to as the active cell.
 A range of cells is a group of closely situated cells.
 Alphabetic information in cells is referred to as labels; numeric information in cells that can be calculated is referred to as values.

Summary (cont.)
 A formula is a type of data that performs a calculation.
 To enter a formula in a cell, you must first type an equal sign.
 A function is a built-in formula that performs calculations ranging from simple to complex.

Summary (cont.)
 You can copy data by using the Copy and Paste commands, the drag-and-drop method, or the Fill command.
 A relative cell reference refers to cells that change when they are copied into other locations.
 An absolute cell reference refers to cells that do not change when they are copied into other locations.
Summary (cont.)
 The AutoSum feature enables you to quickly add a range of cells.
 You can change the appearance of data by using a variety of formatting tools and options or by applying one of Excel’s AutoFormats.
 Selected data in a spreadsheet can be hidden so it will not be displayed or printed.
Summary (cont.)
 The contents of a spreadsheet can be displayed in chart format.
 A chart displays the spreadsheet data visually so that data can be understood more easily.

What is Microsoft Excel?

Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program that you can use to organize, analyze and attractively present data such as a budget or sales report. Each Excel file is a workbook that can hold many worksheets. The worksheet is a grid of columns, designated by letters, and rows, designated by numbers. The letters and numbers of the columns and row called labels are displayed in gray buttons across the top and left side of the worksheet. The intersection of a column and a row is called a cell. Each cell on the spreadsheet has a cell address that is the column letter and the row number. Cells can contain text, numbers, or mathematical formulas.
Formulas and Functions


The unique feature of a spreadsheet program such as Excel is that it allows you to create mathematical formulas and execute functions.

Formulas
Formulas are entered in the worksheet cell and must begin with an equal sign "=". The formula then includes the addresses of the cells whose values will be manipulated with appropriate operators placed in between. After the formula is typed into the cell, the calculation executes immediately and the formula itself is visible in the formula bar. See the example to the right to view the formula for calculating the subtotal for a number of textbooks. The formula multiplies the quantity and price of each textbook and adds the subtotal for each book.

Linking Worksheets
When working with formulas, you may want to use a cell from a worksheet other than your current worksheet. For example, the value of cell A1 in the current worksheet and cell A2 in the second worksheet can be added using the format "sheetname! cell-address". The formula for this example would be "=A1+Sheet2! A2" where the value of cell A1 in the current worksheet is added to the value of cell A2 in the worksheet named "Sheet2".

Formatting Worksheets
To change the name of the Sheet Tab, double-click it then type the desired sheet name/label. You may also apply tab color, just right-click on the Sheet Tab and select the command “Tab Color” and select the desired color from the palette.

Relative, Absolute, and Mixed Referencing
Calling cells by just their column and row labels (such as "A1") is called relative referencing. When a formula contains relative referencing and it is copied from one cell to another, Excel does not create an exact copy of the formula. It will change cell addresses relative to the row and column they are moved to. For example, if a simple addition formula in cell C1 "= (A1+B1)" is copied to cell C2, the formula would change to "= (A2+B2)" to reflect the new row. To prevent this change, cells must be called by absolute referencing and this is accomplished by placing dollar signs "$" within the cell addresses in the formula. Continuing the previous example, the formula in cell C1 would read "= ($A$1+$B$1)" if the value of cell C2 should be the sum of