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Session Two: Doing Useful Work with Excel


Onlythosewhohavethepatiencetodosimplethingsperfectlyever acquiretheskilltododifficultthingseasily. Unknownauthors Nowthatyouvemasteredthebasicsyouarereadytodoreallyuseful workwiththisamazingtool.Inthissessionyouwilllearntouseallof Excelsbasicfeaturesproperly.Thiswillputyouwayaheadofanybody thathasntbeenformallytrainedinExcelbestpractice.Youllbedoing simplethings,butyoullbedoingthemperfectly! Evenafteryearsofdailyusemanyusersareunabletoproperlyuse Excelsfundamentalfeatures.Theyoftenreachtheirgoal,butgettherein averyinefficientwaysimplybecausetheywerenevertaughthowtodo thingscorrectly.Bytheendofthissessionyoullbeastonishedwithhow wellyouareworkingwithExcel.Whatoriginallyseemedlikeabaffling arrayoflittlecoloredbuttonswillsuddenlyallbegintomakesense.

Session Objectives
Bytheendofthissessionyouwillbeableto: Entertextandnumbersintoaworksheet Createanewworkbookandviewtwoworkbooksatthesametime UseAutoSumtoquicklycalculatetotals SelectarangeofcellsandunderstandSmartTags Enterdataintoarangeandcopydataacrossarange Selectadjacentandnonadjacentrowsandcolumns Selectnoncontiguouscellrangesandviewsummaryinformation Resizerowsandcolumns UseAutoSumtosumanoncontiguousrange UseAutoSumtoquicklycalculateaverages Createyourownformulas ResizeacolumnandcreatefunctionsusingFormulaAutoComplete UseAutoFillfortextandnumericseries UseAutoFilltoadjustformulas UseAutoFillOptions SpeedupyourAutoFillsandcreateacustomfillseries Usethezoomcontrol Printoutaworksheet

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Lesson 2-1: Enter text and numbers into a worksheet


Excelbeginnerstendtoreachforthemousefartoooften.Oneofthekeys toproductivitywithExcelistoavoidusingthemousewhenentering data.Inthislessonwellquicklypopulateaworksheetwithoutusingthe mouseatall.

Open the Sample file: First Quarter Sales and Profit.

tip
Entering numbers as text
SometimesyouneedExcelto recognizeanumberastext. Ifyoutypeanapostrophe() first,Excelwontdisplaythe apostrophebutwillformatthe cellastext.Youllnoticethat thenumberisthenleftjustified toreflectthis. Whenanumberisformattedas textyoucannotperformany mathematicalcalculationwithit.

Notice the difference between values and text.


Cellscancontainvaluesortext.Valuescanbenumbers,datesor formulas(moreonformulaslater). Excelusuallydoesagreatjobofrecognizingwhentherearevalues inacellandwhenthereistext.Thegiveawayisthattextisalways (bydefault)leftalignedinthecellandvaluesarerightaligned. Lookatthenumbersonthisworksheet.Noticehowtheyareall rightaligned.ThisletsyouknowthatExcelhascorrectly recognizedthemasvaluesandwillhappilyperformmathematical operationsusingthem.

Save a value into a cell.


1. Typethevalue42000intocellB5.Noticethatthemousecursor isstillflashinginthecell.

note
VeryfewExceluserswillmake useoftheCancel andEnter

Atthisstagethevaluehasnotbeensavedintothecell. Ifyouchangeyourmind,youcanstillundothevalueby pressingthe<ESC>keyatthetopleftofyourkeyboardorby clickingtheCancelbutton Bar. 2. onlefthandsideoftheFormula

buttonsontheformula bar. TheEnterbuttonistheonly methodthatwillsaveavalue intoacellwithoutmovingthe cursorawayfromthecell. Thisisveryusefulduringmacro recordinganexpertskillthatis outsidethescopeofthisbook butiscoveredintheExcelExpert Skillsbookinthisseries.

Decidethatyouwanttokeepthisvalueinthecellbyeither pressingthe<Enter>,<Tab>oran<Arrow>keyonthe keyboard,orbyclickingtheConfirmbutton FormulaBar. onthe

4
First Quarter Sales and Profit

Enter a column of data without using the mouse.


Whenyouenterdataintoacolumntheresnoneedtousethe mouse.Pressthe<Enter>keyaftereachentryandtheactivecell movestothecellbeneath.TrythisnowwiththefollowingJanuary salesdata:
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important
The many ways of entering numbers Negative numbers
123.56 (123.56)

1. 2. 3.

Type18,000intocellB6 Pressthe<Enter>keytomovetocellB7. Dothesametoentertherelevantvaluesintothenexttwocells.

Currency prefixes
Excelisquitehappyforyouto prefixanumberwithacurrency symbol.Thecurrencysymbolit willacceptdependsuponhow youdefinedtheregionaloptions inyouroperatingsystem. $123.56(worksinUSA) 123.56(worksinUK) SeeLesson43:Formatnumbers usingbuiltinnumberformatsfor aneasymethodofsetting$, andcurrencyprefixes whateveryourlocale.

Enter a row of data without using the mouse.


Whenyouenterarowofdatayoualsodonthavetousethe mouse. 1. 2. ClickinCellC5. Type39,000andthenpressthe<Tab>keyonyourkeyboard. TheTabkeyisonthelefthandsideofthekeyboardabovethe <CapsLock>key.Noticehowpressingthe<Tab>keysavesthe valueintothecellandthenmovesonecelltotheright. 3. 4. Type43,000incellD5andpressthe<Enter>key. YoumagicallymovetocellC6asExcelassumesyouwantto beginenteringthenextrow.

Commas
12,234,567.78

Fractions
Youmustleaveaspacebetween anumberandafractionforthis towork. 61/4 (six,space,one,/,four) Theabovewillappearonthe worksheetas6.25afteryou enteritinthisway. 01/4 (zero,space,one,/,four) Theabovewillappearonthe worksheetas0.25.Theleading zeroisneededtopreventExcel fromthinkingthatyouare enteringadate.

Complete the table without using the mouse.


Byusingthe<Tab>or<Enter>keyintherightplaceyoushouldbe abletocompletethetablenowwithoutusingthemouse:

Change the text in cell B3 to January.


1. DoubleclickcellB3.Noticethatthereisnowaflashingcursor inthecell.

2. 3. TypeuaryonthekeyboardtochangeJantoJanuary. Pressthe<Enter>key.

Change the text in cell B3 back to Jan using the formula bar.
ClickonceincellB3andthenchangethetextintheformulabar (seesidebar).

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-2.

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Lesson 2-2: Create a new workbook and view two workbooks at the same time
1
Create a new workbook by opening Excel
TheeasiestwaytocreateanewworkbookistosimplyopenExcel. Excelhelpfullycreatesaworkbook,unimaginativelynamed Book1.IfyoualreadyhaveaworkbookopencalledBook1,thenew workbookwillbecalledBook2...andsoon. OpenExcelnowandseethisinaction.NoticethatBook1Microsoft ExcelisdisplayedontheTitleBar.

tip
Other way of creating a new workbook
Usethekeyboardshortcut <Ctrl>+<N>. AddabuttontotheQuick AccessToolbar.

Seemoredetailsofhowthisis donein:Lesson110:Customize theQuickAccessToolbarand previewtheprintout.

note
What are templates?
Thevastmajorityofusers knownothingabouttemplates andsimplybaseevery worksheetupontheBlank Workbookdefaulttemplate suppliedbyMicrosoft. TheBlankWorkbooktemplate hasnoinformationinthe worksheetitself,butcontains alloftheExcelOptionsettings suchasthedefaultfontsize andtype. Templatescanalsocontain anythingthataworksheetcan containandareusedtostore worksheetframeworkstogive youaflyingstartwhenyou findthatyouoftencreatevery similarworksheetlayouts. IfyouexploretheNew Workbookdialogalittlemore youllseethatthereare hundredsofprebuilttemplates providedbyMicrosoft. Laterinthisbook,in Lesson312:Createatemplate youlllearnhowtocreateyour owntemplatelibraryto personalizetheappearanceof yourworkbooks.

Create another new workbook.


YouwouldntwanttohavetoopenandcloseExceleverytimeyou neededanewworkbook. 1. ClicktheOfficebutton atthetopleftofthescreenand clicktheNewbuttononthedialog:

2. TheNewWorkbookdialogisdisplayed:

3. DoubleClicktheBlankWorkbooktemplate.Anewblank workbookcalledBook2isdisplayedintheworkbookwindow.

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note
Finding a workbook when many are open
Analternativewaytoquickly findaworkbookwhenmany areopenistoclick ViewWindowSwitch Windows. Thispresentsyouwithalistof allopenworkbooks.

Youcouldbeforgivenforthinkingthatnothinghashappenedbut youcanseethattheTitleBarnowsays:Book2MicrosoftExcel, showingthatyouarenowlookingatadifferentworkbook. SeetheWhataretemplatessidebarformoreinformationabout templates.

Use the buttons on the taskbar to move between workbooks.


Youllseetwobuttonsonthetaskbaratthebottomofthescreen: Clickonthebuttonstoshoweachworkbookintheworksheet window.TheonlydifferenceyouwillseeistheTitleBarchanging fromBook1toBook2becausebothworkbooksareempty. Seethesidebarforothermethodsofswitchingwindows.

4
Youcanalsousethe <Ctrl>+<Tab>keyboard shortcuttocyclethroughall openworkbooks.

Show both Book1 and Book2 in the worksheet window at the same time.
Thisskilloftendrawsagaspofamazementfrommystudents. Believeitornot,mostExcelusersdontknowhowtodothis. 1. 2. ClickViewWindowArrangeAll.TheArrangeWindows dialogisdisplayed. ChoosetheHorizontalarrangementandclicktheOKbutton.

Bothworkbooksarenowshownwithintheworkbookwindow:

Noticethatasyouclickeachworkbookwindowthetitlebarlights upandtheClose/Minimize/RestoreDownbuttonsappear,toshow thatthisistheactiveworkbook.

Close Book2 and Maximize Book1 to restore the display to a single workbook.
Ifyouveforgottenhowtodothis,referbackto:Lesson13: UnderstandtheApplicationandWorkbookwindows.

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Lesson 2-3: Use AutoSum to quickly calculate totals


anecdote
IrananExcelcourseforasmall companyinLondonacoupleof yearsago. Thebosshadsenthistwooffice stafftolearnalittlemoreabout Excel. BeforethecoursebeganIasked thedelegateshowlongtheyhad beenusingExcel.Theytoldme thattheydbeenusingitfortwo yearstodoalloftheiroffice reports. WhenIshowedthemAutoSum theygaspedindelight.This willsaveushourstheytold me. Iwascurioushowtheyhad beendoingtheirreportsbefore. Believeitornot,theyhadbeen addingupallofthefiguresin eachcolumnwithacalculator andthenmanuallytypingthe totalsatthebottomofeach column. Inthiscasethebosshadgiven themExcelashehadheardit wasverygood.Unfortunately hehadnotinitiallyseenthe needtotrainthestaffinitsuse. Withnotrainingitseemedquite logicaltothemtouseitlikea wordprocessorandtheboss hadstillbeendelightedthathis staffwereusingsuchimpressive technology.

ExcelsAutoSumfeatureisareallyusefulandfastwaytoaddthevalues inarangeofcellstogether.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-2 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). In cell A9 Type the word Total followed by the <Tab> key.
ThecursormovestotherightandisnowincellB9:

Click HomeEditing

(this is the Autosum button).

Somethinginterestinghashappenedtotheworksheet:

Excelhasplacedamarqueearoundthenumberrangethat AutoSumhasguessedwewanttoworkwith.Thepatternofdots thatmarkstheboundaryofthemarqueeiscalledthemarchingants (thatreallyisthetechnicaltermforthem)! Themarchingantssurroundallofthenumbersinthecolumn above,uptothefirstblankcellortextcell(inthiscase,uptothe wordJan). =Sum(B4:B8)isyourfirstglimpseofanExcelFormula.Formulas alwaysbeginwithanequalssign.ThisformulaisusingtheSUM functiontocomputetheSum(ortotal)ofthevaluesincellsB4to B8.
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First Quarter Sales and Profit-2

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tip
Entering an AutoSum using only the keyboard
Youcanalsoexecutean AutoSumusingthekeyboard shortcut: <Alt>+<=>.

Press the <Enter> key or click the AutoSum button more to display the total January sales:

once

Type the word Total in cell E3 and press the <Enter> key once.
ThecursormovesdownonerowandisnowincellE4.

Use AutoSum to calculate sales for January..


1. ClickHomeEditingAutoSum.

ThistimeAutoSumcorrectlyguessesthatyouwanttosumthe valuestotheleftofcellE4:

2. Pressthe<Enter>key,orclicktheAutoSumbuttononcemore.

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-3.

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Lesson 2-4: Select a range of cells and understand Smart Tags


Sometimesyoudontwanttoaddallofthevaluesinacolumn.Youonly wanttoaddaselectionofcellsthatyoudefineyourself. ThislessonshowsyouhowtodothiswithadifferentAutoSum technique.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-3 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Observe the formula behind the value in cell B9.
ClickoncellB9ormovetoitwiththearrowkeysonyour keyboard. Lookattheformulabaratthetopofthescreen.Noticethatthecell displaysthevalueofacalculationandtheformulabarshowsthe formulausedtocalculatethevalue:

Delete the contents of cell B9.


Theeasiestwaytodeletethecontentsofacellistopressthe <Delete>keyonyourkeyboardbutyoucanalsorightclickthecell andthenclickClearContentsfromtheshortcutmenu.

Change the word Total in cell A9 to USA Sales and press the <Tab> key once.
YoudonthavetodeletethewordTotalbeforetypingUSASales. Whenyouclickinacellandimmediatelybegintotype,the existingcellcontentsarereplaced. ThecursormovestocellB9.

Select cells B4:B5 with your mouse.


Whenthemousecursorhoversoveracelltherearethreepossible cursorshapes:

First Quarter Sales and Profit-3

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note
Selecting cells with the keyboard
Toselectcellswiththekeyboard holddownthe<Shift>keyand thenusethe<Arrow>keysto selecttherangeneeded.

Cursor

Whatitdoes Thewhitecross(Select)cursorappearswhen youhoveroverthecentreofthecell.Youcan thenclickanddragtoselectarangeofcells.

Theblackcross(AutoFill)cursorappears whenyouhoveroverthebottomrighthand cornerofacell.WellbecoveringAutoFill laterinthissession. Thefourheadedarrow(Move)cursorappears whenyouhoveroveroneoftheblackedgesof thecell(butnotthebottomrightcorner).

note
Selecting a large range of cells with the <Shift>-click technique
Ifyouneedtoselectaverylarge rangeofcellsitissometimes usefultousethistechnique: 1. Clickthecellinthetopleft corneroftherequired range. Usethescrollbarstomove tothebottomrightcorner oftherequiredrange. Holddownthe<Shift>key. Clickinthebottomright corneroftherequired range.

Beginnersoftenhavedifficultyselectingcellsandendupmoving themorAutoFillingthembymistake. PositionthemouseatthecentreofcellB4sothatyouseetheWhite Cross(select)cursor.Whenyouseethewhitecross,holddownthe leftmousebuttonanddragdowntocellB5. YouhavenowselectedcellsB4andB5(inExcelspeakwesaythat youhaveselectedtherangeB4:B5).

2.

3. 4.

Click the Autosum button.


USAsalesareshownincellB9.Noticethesmallgreentriangleat thetopleftofB9.ThisisExcelswayofsaying:Ithinkyoumay havemadeamistake. SelectcellB9andyouwillseeanExclamationMarkicon.Thisis calledaSmartTag.

Hover over the Smart Tag.


AtipboxpopsuptellingyouwhatExcelthinksyoumayhave donewrong(seebelow).Ofcourse,inthiscase,everythingisfine. TheSmartTagthinksthatperhapswedidntwantjusttheUSA salesbuttheSmartTagismistaken!

Examine the remedial actions suggested by the Smart Tag.


Clickthedropdownarrownexttotheexclamationmarkicon.A listofpossibleremedialactionsisdisplayed.Inthiscaseyoucan chooseIgnoreErrortoremovethegreentrianglefromthecornerof thecell.

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Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-4.

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Lesson 2-5: Enter data into a range and copy data across a range
Nowthatyouhavemasteredthetechniqueofselectingcells,youcanuse ittospeedupdataentry. Whenyouselectarangeofcellspriortoenteringdata,Excelknowsthat alldataenteredbelongsinthatrange.Severalkeycombinationsarethen availabletogreatlyspeedupdataentry.

1 2

Open a new workbook and save it as Data Range Test. Select cells B2:D4.

3 4 5 6

Type London.
ThetextappearsinCellB2,thetopleftcellintherangeselected.

Press the <Enter> Key.


ThecursormovestocellB3asitnormallywould.

Type Paris followed by the <Enter> key.


ThecursormovestocellB4asitnormallywould.

Type New York followed by the <Enter> key.


Thistimesomethingnewhappens.Thecursordoesntmovetocell B5asyoumightexpectbutjumpstocellC2.

Type 150,000 followed by the <Enter> key.


ThevalueappearsinC2andExcelmovesdownthecolumnagain tocellC3.

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Press the <Enter> key without entering a value to leave C3 blank.


ExcelmovesdownthecolumntocellC4.

9 10

Type 225,000 followed by the <Enter> key.


ThecursorjumpstocellD2.

Press <Shift>+<Enter> twice to change your mind about leaving Paris blank.
1. 2. Press<Shift>+<Enter>tomovebackwardstoNewYorksales. Press<Shift>+<Enter>asecondtimeandyouarebacktothe Pariscell.

11

Type 180,000 followed by the <Tab> key.


<Tab>movesyouacrosstherange,tocellD3.

Youcannowappreciatehowtousethistechniqueof<Enter>, <Tab>,<Shift>+<Tab>and<Shift>+<Enter>tosavealotoftime whenenteringawholetableofdata.

12 13

Select cells D2:D4. Type 50% but dont press the <Enter> or <Tab> keys.
ThechallengethistimeistoplacethesamevalueintocellsD3and D4withouthavingtotypethevaluetwomoretimes.

14

Press <Ctrl>+<Enter>.
Thevalueisreplicatedintoalloftheothercellsintherange.

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Lesson 2-6: Select adjacent and non-adjacent rows and columns


1 2
Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-4 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Select all of column A
HoverovertheletterAatthetopofthecolumn.Thebuttonlights upandthemousecursorchangestoablackdownarrow:

Clicktoselecttheentirecolumn.Thecolumnbecomesslightly shadedandablacklinesurroundsallofthecells.

Click HomeFontBold to bold face the column.


Becausethewholecolumnwasselected,allofthevaluesbecome boldfaced.

4 5

Click HomeFontBold once more to change the type back to normal. Select all of row 4.
Toselectarow,hoveroverthenumberonthelefthandsideofthe row.Thebuttonlightsupandthemousecursorchangestoablack arrowpointingacrosstherow:

Clicktoselecttherow.

Select columns B and C.


HoverovertheletteratthetopofcolumnBuntilyouseetheblack downarrow.Whenyouseethearrow,clickanddragtotheright toselectbothcolumns.

First Quarter Sales and Profit-4

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Select rows 6 and 7.


Hoveroverthenumberattheleftofrow6untilyouseetheblack arrowpointingacrosstherow.Whenyouseethearrow,clickand dragdowntorow7toselectbothrows.

Select columns A, B, C, D and E.


Sometimesyouwillneedtoselectalargenumberofadjacent columnsorrows.Youcoulddragacrossthembutitisofteneasier tousethefollowingtechnique: 1. 2. 3. SelectColumnA. Holddownthe<Shift>key. SelectColumnE.

ColumnsAtoEareselected.

Select rows 4 and 6.


Perhapsyouneedtoperformanoperationontwononadjacent rows.Toselectrows4and6youneedto: 1. 2. 3. Selectrow4. Holddownthe<Ctrl>keyonthekeyboard. SelectRow6.

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Lesson 2-7: Select noncontiguous cell ranges and view summary information
Contiguousisaveryimpressiveword!Itsimplymeansarangeofcells thatissplitacrosstwoblocksofcellsindifferentpartsoftheworksheet. Noncontiguousrangescanbeselectedusingboththemouseand keyboard.Thekeyboardmethodmayseemalittleinvolvedatfirstbut youllfinditmuchfasteronceyouhavethehangofit.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-4 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Select the contiguous range B4:D8 with the keyboard.
Whenyouneedtoselectacontiguousrangewiththekeyboard hereshowitsdone: 1. 2. 3. UsethearrowkeysonthekeyboardtonavigatetocellB4 Holddownthe<Shift>keyonthekeyboard Stillholdingthe<Shift>keydown,usethearrowkeysonthe keyboardtonavigatetocellD8

ThecontiguousrangeB4:D8isselected.

Select the non-contiguous range B4:B8,D4:D8 using the mouse.


1. 2. SelecttherangeB4:B8. Holddownthe<Ctrl>keyandselecttherangeD4:D8.

ThenoncontiguousrangeB4:B8,D4:D8isselected:

First Quarter Sales and Profit-4

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Select the same non-contiguous range with the keyboard.


Thisisalittlemoreinvolvedthanusingthesimple <Shift>+<Arrowkeys>methodusedearlier. Hereshowitsdone: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. UsethearrowkeysonthekeyboardtonavigatetocellB4 Pressthe<F8>key(itisontheverytoprowofyourkeyboard) UsethearrowkeystonavigatetocellB8 Press<Shift>+<F8> UsethearrowkeystonavigatetocellD4 Press<F8> UsethearrowkeystonavigatetocellD8 Press<Shift>+<F8>onelasttime

ThenoncontiguousrangeB4:B8,D4:D8isselected:

Obtain a total sale figures for January and March using the status bar.
Thestatusbarcontainssummaryinformationforthecurrently selectedrange. Lookatthebottomrightofyourscreen.Youcanseetheaverage salesandtotalsales(sumofsales)forJanuaryandMarch:

View the Maximum and Minimum sales for January and March using the status bar.
RightclickthestatusbarandclickMaximumandMinimumonthe popupmenu(seesidebar). ThestatusbarnowalsodisplaysMaximumandMinimumvalues.

Close the workbook without saving.

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Lesson 2-8: AutoSelect a range of cells


Whendataisarrangedinablock(asitisintheSalesandProfitReport)it isreferredtoasarange(inpreviousversionsofExcelitusedtobecalled alist). Youwilloftenwanttoselectaroworcolumnofcellswithinarange,or eventheentirerange. Youcanselectrangesbyusinganyofthetechniquescoveredsofarbut thiscouldbeverytimeconsumingiftherangeencompassedthousands ofrowsandcolumns. Inthislessonyoulllearnhowtoselectrangerows,rangecolumnsand entirerangeswithafewclicksofthemouse.

Open Sales Report from your sample files folder.


Thisreportcontainsarangeofcells.Therangeistheblockofcells fromA3toE19.

Select all cells within the range to the right of cell A7.
1. 2. ClickincellA7tomakeittheactivecell. HoverovertherighthandborderofcellA7untilyouseethe fourheadedarrowcursorshape.

3. Whenyouseethiscursorshapeholddownthe<Shift>key anddoubleclick.

AllcellstotherightofA7,butwithintherange,areselected.

Sales Report

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Select all cells within the range except the header row.
1. 2. ClickincellA4tomakeittheactivecell. HoverovertherighthandborderofcellA4untilyouseethe fourheadedarrowcursorshape.

note
Other ways to use AutoSelect Using the keyboard.
Hereshowyouwouldselect theentirerangeintheWeekly SalesReport(includingthe headerrow)usingthekeyboard method. MakecellA3theactivecellby navigatingtoitwiththe <Arrow>keys. 1. Press: <Ctrl>+<Shift>+ <DownArrow> CellsA3:A19areselected. 2. Releaseallkeysandpress: <Ctrl>+<Shift>+ <RightArrow> Theentirerange(including theheaderrow)isselected.

3. Whenyouseethiscursorshapeholddownthe<Shift>key anddoubleclick. AllcellstotherightofcellA4,butwithintherange,are selected. 4. Hoveroverthebottomborderoftheselectedrangeuntilyou seethefourheadedarrowcursorshape.

5. Whenyouseethiscursorshapeholddownthe<Shift>key anddoubleclick.

Theentirerange(excepttheheaderrow)isselected.

From the Ribbon.


TheRibbonmethodisntas powerfulastheothermethods butdoesprovideawaytoselect thecurrentrange(describedas theregioninthedialog). Makesurethattheactivecellis withintherange. 1. Click HomeEditing Find&Select GoToSpecial... TheGoToSpecialdialogis displayed. 2. ClicktheCurrentRegion optionbuttonandthen clicktheOKbutton.

Youcanalsousethistechniquetoselectcellstotheleftofthe activecellorabovetheactivecell.

Theentirerange(includingthe headerrow)isselected.

Close the workbook without saving.

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Lesson 2-9: Re-size rows and columns


1
Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-4 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open).
NoticethatcolumnsB,C,DandEarefartoowidefortheir contents.Itwouldbeusefultomakethemnarrowertokeepthe worksheetcompact.

Re-size column B so that it is just wide enough to contain the January sales figures.
HoveroverthelineseparatingthelettersAandBuntilyouseethe resizecursorshape: Whenyouseethisshape,keepthemousestillandclickanddrag totheleft.ColumnBwillresizeasyoudrag.Makeitnarrowerso thatthevaluesjustfitinthecolumn.Noticethatthecolumnwidth inpointsandpixelsaredisplayedasyoudrag(onepoint=1/72 inch).

note
Why are you calling the pound sign a hash?
YoulikepotatoandIlikepotahto, YouliketomatoandIliketomahto; Potato,potahto,tomato,tomahto! Letscallthewholethingoff! SonglyricbyGeorgeGershwin, AmericanComposer(18981937) IntheUSAandCanadathe hashsymboliscalledthe poundsignorthenumber sign. IndifferentUSA/Canada regionsthesinglesymbolhas differentnamesbecauseitcan beusedtodenoteanumber(as incontestant#5)orasaweight (asin3#ofbutter). ThroughoutthisbookIwill refertothe#asahashbecause thatisthetermusedinmost otherEnglishspeaking countries.

Re-size column B so that it is too narrow to contain the January sales figures.
Noticethatwhenthecolumnisntwideenoughtocontainthe contents,hashsignsareshowninsteadofvalues(ifyoureusedto hashesbeingcalledpoundsignsornumbersignsseethesidebar).

Automatically re-size column B so that it is a perfect fit for the widest cell in the column.
HoveroverthelineseparatingthelettersAandBuntilyouseethe resizecursorshape:

First Quarter Sales and Profit-4

Whenyouseethisshape,doubleclicktoautomaticallyresize columnB.

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note
Other ways to re-size rows and columns
Youcanalsoresizerowsand columnsusingtheRibbon. ClickHomeCellsFormat. Adropdownmenuappears.

Automatically re-size every column in the worksheet in one operation.


1. Selecteverycellintheworkbookbyclickingtheselectall buttoninthetopleftcorneroftheworksheet(youcanalso selectallbypressing<Ctrl>+<A>):

2. Hoverovertheintersectionofanytwocolumnsuntilyousee theresizecursorshape andthendoubleclick.

Everycolumnisnowperfectlysized. NoticethatAutoresizehasdoneitsjobrathertoowell.ColumnA isnowwideenoughtoaccommodateallofthetextincellA1.

YoucanusetheRowHeightand ColumnWidthsettingstosetthe roworcolumntoaspecific numberofpoints(apointis 1/72ofaninch). YoucanalsousetheAutoFit RowHeightandAutoFitColumn Widthoptionstoautomatically sizetheroworcolumn(you achievedthismoreefficiently withadoubleclickinthe lesson). DefaultWidth...oftenconfuses asitdoesntappeartowork. Thisisbecauseitresetsall columnstodefaultwidthexcept thosethathavealreadybeenre sized.

Automatically re-size column A so that it is only wide enough to contain the longest city name (Los Angeles).

1. 2. SelectcellsA4:A9. ClickHomeCellsFormatAutoFitColumnWidth.

Thistimethecolumnisautomaticallysizedsothatitiswide enoughtocontainallofthetextintheselectedcells. NoticethatthetexthasspilledoverfromcellA1intotheadjoining columnsB,C,DandE.Thisalwayshappenswhenacellcontains textandtheadjoiningcellsareempty.

note
Making several columns or rows the same size.
Sometimesyouwillwantto makeseveralcolumnsexactly thesamewidth. Todothis,selectthemultiple columnsandthenclickand dragtheintersectionofanyof theselectedcolumns.Thiswill makeeachofthecolumns exactlythesamewidth.

Manually size row 3 so that it is about twice as tall as the other rows.
Dothisinexactlythesamewayyouresizedthecolumnbut,this time,hoverbetweentheintersectionofrows3and4untilyousee theresizecursorshape,andthendragdownwards.

Auto-resize row 3 so that it is the same size as the other rows again.

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Lesson 2-10: Use AutoSum to sum a non-contiguous range


Inthepreviouslesson,youlearnedhowtoviewthesumofJanuaryand Marchsalesusingthestatusbar.Buthowcanyouputthatvalueontothe worksheet? Nowthatyouhavethehangofselectingnoncontiguousrangesyoucan usethisinconjunctionwithyourAutoSumskillstocreateaformulathat willcalculatethetotalofanoncontiguousrange.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-4 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Enter the text Jan/Mar Sales in cell A10 and press the <Tab> key.
TheactivecellmovestocellB10.

Re-size column A so that it is wide enough to contain the text.


1. HoveroverthelineseparatingthelettersAandBuntil youseetheresizecursorshape: 2. Whenyouseethisshape,keepthemousestillandclick anddragtotheright.ColumnAwillresizeasyoudrag. MakeitwidersothatthewordsJan/MarSalescomfortably fitinthecolumn:

Click HomeEditing

(the AutoSum button).

AnAutoSumappearsincellB10butitisntanythinglikewhatwe wantyet.Itguessesthatwesimplywanttorepeatthevalueinthe USASalescell.

First Quarter Sales and Profit-4

Select the range B4:B8 with the mouse.

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Hold down the <Ctrl> key and select the range D4:D8 with the mouse.
NoticethatthenoncontiguousrangeB4:B8,D4:D8isshowninthe AutoSumsformula:

Press the <Enter> key or click the AutoSum button again to view the sales for January and March in cell B10.

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-5.

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Lesson 2-11: Use AutoSum to quickly calculate averages


ExcelsAutoSumfeatureisntonlyrestrictedtoaddition.Itisalsoableto computeaveragesandmaximum/minimumvalues. InthislessonwelluseAutoSumtocalculatetheaveragesalesforeach month.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit 5 from your sample files folder (If it isnt already open). Delete cells E3:E4.
SelectcellsE3andE4andpressthe<Delete>keyonyour keyboard.

Type the word Average in cell E3 and press the <Enter> key.
ThecursormovestocellE4:

Use AutoSum to create a formula that will show the Average New York sales.
1. ClickHomeEditingAutoSumDropdownarrow(see sidebar). Adropdownmenuisdisplayedshowingallofthedifferent waysinwhichAutoSumcanoperateuponarangeofcells: 2. 3. ClickAverage. ExcelgeneratesanAveragefunctionandinsertsthecellrange B4:D4.Thisisexactlywhatwewant:

4. Pressthe<Enter>keyorclicktheAutoSumbutton toseetheaveragesalesforNewYork: again

5 6
First Quarter Sales and Profit-5

Type the word Maximum in Cell F3 and then press the <Enter> key. Use AutoSum to create a formula in cell F4 that will show the Maximum New York Sales for this period.

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1.

PlaceanAutoSumincellF4butthistime,chooseMaxfromthe dropdownmenu. Thistimewehaveasmallproblem.AutoSumisincludingthe averagevalue(23,333)inthecalculation.

2. SelectcellsB4:D4withthemouse ThemarqueecorrectsandtheaveragevalueincellE4isno longerincluded. NoticethattheMaxfunctionisnowworkingwiththerange B4:D4. 3. Pressthe<Enter>keyorclicktheAutoSumbutton once moretoseethemaximumsalestheNewYorkofficemanaged duringthefirstquarteroftheyear:

Change the words USA Sales in cell A9 back to Sales and press the <Tab> key. Press the <F2> key on the keyboard (or double-click cell B9) to bring back the marquee (shown as a blue box). Adjust the marquee using click and drag so that all offices are included in the Sales total.
Noticethatthereisasmallbluespotoneachcorneroftherange. Thesearecalledsizinghandles. 1. Hoverthemousecursoroverthebottomright(orbottomleft) sizinghandleuntilthecursorshapechangestoadouble headedarrow.Itisreallyimportantthatyouseethedouble headedarrowandnotthefourheadedarroworwhitecross.

tip
Anotherwaytobringbackthe blueboxshowingarangeisto clicktherangeintheFormula bar.

8 9

2. 3. Whenyouseethedoubleheadedarrowclickanddragwith themousedowntocellB8. Pressthe<Enter>keyorclicktheAutoSumbuttonagain.

10

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-6.

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Lesson 2-12: Create your own formulas


TheAutoSumtoolisveryusefulforquicklyinsertingSum(),Average(), Count(),Max()andMin()formulasintocells.ManyExcelusersneverget anyfurtherwiththeirformulasthanthis. Inthissessionwellcreateourownformulaswithouttheuseof AutoSum.Youllbeamazedathoweasyitis.

1 2 3 4

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-6 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Select cells A10:B10 and press the <Delete> key once.
ThepreviouscontentsofcellsA10:B10areremoved.

Type the word Costs into cell A11 and Profit into cell A12. Type the value 83,000 into cell B11 and press the <Enter> key to move down to cell B12.

Enter a formula into cell B12 to compute the profit made in January.
1. 2. Type:=B9B11intocellB12 Pressthe<Enter>key.

TheprofitforJanuaryisdisplayed:

important
Formulasautomatically recalculatewheneveranyofthe cellsintheformulachange. Forexample:Ifyouwereto changetheParissalesto45,000 thiswouldcausecellB9tore calculateto139,000.BecauseB9 haschangedthiswould,in turn,causetheprofittore calculateto56,000.

Enter the formula again using a better technique.


Themethodthatyouhavejustusedtoentertheformulaworks justfinebutitisntthebestmethod.Soonerorlateryouwillmake amistake.ForexampleyoucouldeasilytypeB8:B11resultingin anincorrectanswer. Toeliminatesucherrorsyoushouldalwaysselectcellreferences visuallyratherthansimplytypethemin.Youcanvisuallyselect cellsusingeitherthemouseorthekeyboard.Firstwellusethe mousemethod. 1. 2. ClickincellB12andpressthe<Delete>keyonthekeyboardto cleartheoldformula. Presstheequals<=>keyonthekeyboard. Clickonceonthevalue129,000incellB9.

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3.

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4. 5. 6.

Presstheminus<>keyonthekeyboard. Clickonceonthevalue83,000incellB11. Pressthe<Enter>keyonthekeyboard.

Ifyoufollowedtheabovestepscarefullyyouwillseethatyou havecreatedthesameformulabutwithamuchlowerpossibility ofmakingamistake.

Enter the formula again using the visual keyboard technique.


TheverybestExcelexpertshardlyusethemouseatall.Youwaste valuablesecondseverytimeyoureachforthemouse. Herestheexperttechniqueofvisualselectionviakeyboard: 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. UsethearrowkeystonavigatetocellB12andthenpressthe <Delete>keyonthekeyboardtocleartheoldformula. Pressthe<=>keyonthekeyboard. Pressthe<UpArrow>keythreetimestomovetocellB9. Pressthe<>keyonthekeyboard. Pressthe<UpArrow>keyoncetomovetocellB11. Pressthe<Enter>keyonthekeyboard.

Enter a formula that uses the multiplication operator.


Thisemployerisverygenerousandpaysthestafftenpercentofall profitsasanincentivebonus. IncellA13typethewords10%Bonusandthenpressthe<Tab> keyonthekeyboardtomovetocellB13.

important
The Excel Operators
+ * / % ^ Name Addition Subtraction Multiplication Division Percent Exponentiation Example 1+2 75 6*3 15/5 25% 4^2

Enter a formula that uses the multiplication operator.


ThemultiplicationoperatorisnotanXasyoumightexpectbutan asterisk(*).TheotherExceloperatorsareshowninthesidebar. Youneedtopress<Shift>+<8>toenteranasterisk.Ifyouareusing afullsizekeyboardwithanumerickeypadattherighthandside youcanalsousethenumerickeyboards<X>key. Whicheverkeyyouuseyoullstillseeanasteriskintheformula. UseeithertheMouseclicktechniqueorthevisualkeyboardtechnique toentertheformulashownbelowintocellB13andthenpressthe <Enter>keytoseehowmuchbonuswasearned:

10

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-7.

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trivia
ThefeaturethatExcelusesto helpyououtwithfunctioncalls firstmadeanappearancein VisualBasic5backin1996and hadthewonderfulname: IntelliSense.TheExcel implementationiscalled FormulaAutoComplete. In1996Iwasworkingin Switzerlanddevelopingaski schoolmanagement application.Iwasextremely impressedbyhoweasy IntelliSensemademyjob.I didnthavetoremember hundredsoffunctionnames anymore. Iwasevenslightlyworriedthat justaboutanybodycouldnow program(but,ofcourse,Iwas wrong). RecentlyIwasinLondonbeing drivenbyaHackneycabdriver (Hackneycabdriversknow everyshortcutandbackstreet inLondon).Hewasworried thatSatelliteNavigationwould nowmeanthatanybodycould becomeaLondoncabbie. Ofcourse,hereallyhad nothingtoworryabouteither!

Lesson 2-13: Create functions using Formula AutoComplete


1 2
Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-7 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Type the words USA Sales into cell A15 and European Sales into cell A16.
NoticethatthetextEuropeanSalesspillsoverintocolumnB becausecolumnAisntwideenoughtocontainit.

Re-size column A so that it is wide enough for the words European Sales to fit within the column.
Youlearnedhowtodothisin:Lesson29:Resizerowsandcolumns.

Click into cell B15 and type =S into the cell.


Somethingamazinghappens:

AlistdropsdownshowingeveryfunctionintheExcelfunction librarybeginningwithS.ThisisagreatnewfeatureforExcel2007 thatMicrosoftcallFormulaAutoComplete(ifAutoCompletedidnt displayasexpectedseethesidebar). YouvealreadyencounteredtheSum(),Average()andMax() functionscourtesyofAutoSum. Youmaybepleased(ordismayed)toknowthatthereareover300 functionsintheExcelfunctionlibrary.Thegoodnewsisthatmost untrainedExcelusersonlyevergettounderstandSum()and Average()! Whenyoutyped=SExcellistedallfunctionsbeginningwithS.

note
Enabling and disabling AutoComplete.
Aswithsomanyotherfeatures, Microsoftallowsyoutoturn thisveryusefulfeatureoff. Youdneverwanttodothisbut youmayworkonamachine thathashadFormula AutoCompleteswitchedoff andyouneedtoturniton again. ClickOfficeExcel OptionsFormulasandmake surethattheFormula AutoCompleteboxischecked.

Continue typing: =SU.


NoticethatthelistnowonlyshowsfunctionsbeginningwithSU andlooktherestheSUM()functionweneedthreedowninthe list. Youcouldsimplyclickonitwiththemousebutletsbehavelike anExcelproanddoitwiththekeyboard.

6
First Quarter Sales and Profit-7

Press the <Down Arrow> key twice to move the cursor over the SUM function.
TheSumfunctionnowhasatiptellingyouwhatthefunctiondoes:

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Display detailed information about the SUM() function.


ThetiptellsyoualittleabouttheSUM()functionbuttogetthefull storypressthe<F1>keywhileSUMisstillhighlightedinthe dropdownlist: TheExcelhelpsystemopensshowingdetailedhelpfortheSUM() function. Readthehelptextifyouareinterestedandthenclosethehelp window. NoticethatExcelhasnowleftyouwithonly=SUinthecell. CompletetheformulabytypingM(

note
The syntax box
TheSyntaxboxtellsyouwhat arguments(sometimescalled parameters)thefunctionneeds. Thefirstargumenthasno squarebracketsmeaningthat youcantleaveitout.The argumentinsquarebracketsis optional. Forsuchasimplefunctionas SUM()thesyntaxboxishardly neededbutlaterwelldiscover functionsthatrequireseveral argumentsandthenthesyntax boxwillbeinvaluable.

Noticethatalittleboxhasappearedbeneaththefunctioncall.This istheSyntax(seesidebarformoreinformation).

Select the cells that you need to sum (cells B4:B5) with the mouse or keyboard.
Ifyouwanttobearealproyoushouldselectthemwiththe keyboard.Todothis: 1. 2. Pressthe<UpArrow>keyrepeatedlyuntilyoureachcellB4. Holddownthe<Shift>keyandpressthe<DownArrow>key oncetoselectcellsB4:B5.

Type a closing bracket to complete the formula and then press the <Enter> key.
ThetotalUSAsalesaredisplayedincellB15.

10

Use the same technique to create a SUM() function in cell B16 to show the total European sales (cells B6:B8).
1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. ClickincellB16. Type=SU. Pressthe<DownArrow>keytwicetomovethecursorover theSUMfunction. Pressthe<Tab>keytoautomaticallyentertheSUMfunction intocellB16. SelecttherangeB6:B8. Typetheclosingbracketfollowedbythe<Enter>key.The formulashouldnowbe:=SUM(B6:B8).

11

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit 8.

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Lesson 2-14: Use AutoFill for text and numeric series


1 2
Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-8 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Delete the text Feb and Mar from cells C3:D3.
SelectcellsC3:D3andthenpressthe<Delete>keyonyour keyboard.

note
If you dont see the AutoFill handle somebody has switched it off
ItsalmostcertainthatAutoFill willbeenabledonany computerthatyouworkon.It issuchausefulfeaturethatyou wouldntwanttodisableit. IfyoudontseetheAutoFill handle(theblackspotonthe bottomrighthandcornerofthe activecell)itsbecause somebodyhasswitched AutoFilloff. Bringitbacklikethis: ClickOfficeExcel OptionsAdvanced Inthefirstsection(Editing Options)checktheboxnextto Enablefillhandleandcelldrag anddrop.

Make B3 the active cell.


Noticethatthereisablackborderaroundthecellandablackspot onthebottomrighthandcorner.ThisistheAutoFillhandle.Ifyou dontseeit,refertothesidebar.

Hover over the AutoFill handle with your mouse until the cursor shape changes to a black cross.
Manyofmystudentshavegreatdifficultywiththiswhentheytry itforthefirsttime. Youdontwantthefourheadedarrow: thecell. Youdontwantthewhitecross: cell. Youwanttheblackcross: thatwouldmove

thatwouldselectthe

theAutoFillcursor.

When the black cross cursor is visible hold down the mouse button and drag your mouse to the right to AutoFill the other months: Feb and Mar.

Noticethetipthatappearsasyoudrag,previewingthemonththat willappearineachcell.

6 7
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In cell A18 type Monday and AutoFill down to cell A24 to show the days of the week. In cell B18 type the number 1 and in cell B19 type the number 2. Select cells B18 and B19.

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tip
Youdonthavetoentertwo numbersifyouwanttocreatea numericrange. Ifyousimplytypeanumber intoacellandthenAutoFill whileholdingdownthe<Ctrl> keyyouwillautomatically generatesequentialnumbers.

AutoFill down to B24 to create sequential numbers:

10 11

In cell C18 type 9 and in cell C19 type 18. SelectcellsC18andC19.

12

AutoFill down to B24 to create the nine times table.

13

Use AutoFill to create sequential dates.


1. 2. 3. 4. Type01Jan08intocellD18. Type02Jan08intocellD19. SelectCellsD18:D19. AutoFilldowntoD24tocreatesequentialdates.

14

Use AutoFill to quickly copy values.


Sometimesyouwillwanttoduplicatethevaluefromonecellinto manyotherstotherightof,leftof,beneath,orabovetheactivecell. Whenacellcontainingtextistheactivecellanditisntdefinedasa fillseries(thebuiltinfillseriesaredaysoftheweekandmonthsof theyear),AutoFillwillsimplyduplicatethecontentsofthecell: TypethetextAdjustedintocellE18andthenAutoFillitdownas farascellE24. Thesametextisnowshownineachofthecells:

15

Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-9.

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Lesson 2-15: Use AutoFill to adjust formulas


AutoFillcansaveyoualotoftimewhenextendingorcopyingtextand numberranges.Butthestorysnotoveryet. AutoFillsabilitytocopyandadjustformulasisoneofthemostpowerful toolsinExcelsimpressivearmory.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit 9 from your sample files folder (If it isnt already open). Consider the formula in cell B9.
ClickontocellB9andviewtheformuladisplayedintheformula bar(theformulabarisatthetoprightofthescreengrabbelow).

Theformulais=SUM(B4:B8).AutoSumcreateditforusin: Lesson23:UseAutoSumtoquicklycalculatetotals.Theformulauses theSUM()functiontoaddtogetherthevaluesintherangeB4:B8. ThinkabouttheformulathatwouldworkincellC9(thetotalsales forFebruary).Itwouldbe:=SUM(C4:C8).Similarlytheformula thatwouldworkincellD9(thetotalsalesforMarch)wouldbe =SUM(D4:D8). Aswemovetotherightallthatisneededistoincrementtheletter foreachcellreferenceintheformulaandwellgettherightanswer everytime. NowAutoFillisverycleverandrealizesthis.WhenweAutoFilla cellcontainingaformulatotheright,AutoFillincrementsthe lettersineachcellreference. Mostofthetimethatisexactlywhatwewant.

AutoFill cell B9 to the right as far as cell D9.


YoumayseearowofhashesinCellC9.Thisisbecausethevalue istoowidetofitinthecell.Ifthisisthecase,AutoFitthecolumn usingtheskilllearnedin:Lesson29:Resizerowsandcolumns.

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ThecorrectanswersforFebandMarsalesareshownonthe worksheet.ClickontheFebtotalcell(C9)andlookattheformula intheformulabar.

YoucanseethatAutoFillhasdoneitsworkperfectly,creatinga sumofthevaluesincellsC4:C8.Ourfivebrancheshavesold exactlythesameamountinbothJanuaryandFebruary,butalittle lessinMarch.

Consider the formula in cell E4.


ClickontocellE4andviewtheformuladisplayedintheformula bar.

Theformulais=AVERAGE(B4:D4).AutoSumcreateditforusin: Lesson211:UseAutoSumtoquicklycalculateaverages. ThinkabouttheformulathatwouldworkincellE5(thetotalsales forLosAngeles).Itwouldbe:=Average(B5:D5).Similarlythe formulathatwouldworkincellE6(thetotalsalesforLondon) wouldbe=Average(B6:D6). Aswemovedownwardallthatisneededistoincrementthe numberforeachcellreferenceintheformula.

5 6 7

AutoFill cell E4 down to E8 to see the Average sales for each branch. AutoFill cell F4 down to F8 to view the maximum sales for each branch. Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-10.

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Lesson 2-16: Use AutoFill options


SometimesAutoFillbeginstomisbehaveandactuallygetsinthewayof efficientworkbywronglyanticipatingwhatyouneed.

1 2 3

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-10 from your sample files folder (If it isnt already open). In cell F18 type the date 1-Jan-2009. AutoFill down as far as cell F24.
Thecellsarepopulatedwithsequentialdates:

4 5

In cell G18 type the date 31-Mar-2009. AutoFill down as far as cell G24.
Atsometimeyoullneedtoaddtransactiondatestoaworksheet andwillhavefourorfiveentrieswiththesamedate. AutoFillisperfectforeliminatingtheneedtoretypethedatefor eachtransaction,butitsinsistenceuponincrementingthedate everytimecouldbeveryfrustrating. Fortunatelywecanchangethedefaultbehavior.

Click the Auto Fill Options Smart Tag corner of the filled cells.

at the bottom right

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Click Copy Cells to tell AutoFill not to increment the date.


ThepurposeoftheFillFormattingoptionswillbeclearlaterinthe coursewhenyouhavecompleted:SessionFour:MakingYour WorksheetsLookProfessional. Hereswhattheotheroptionswilldo:

CopyCells
Thisiswhat wejustdid.

FillSeries

FillDays
Thedate increments byoneday atatime.

FillWeekdays
Because3rdApril 2009isaFriday theweekend daysareomitted andtheseries jumpsfrom3rd Aprilto6thApril.

FillMonths
Normallythiswould showthesameday numberforeach month.Inthis example,thereare only30daysintwoof themonthsso30this showninsteadof31st.

FillYears
Thesame calendarday isshownfor each subsequent year.

Thedefault fordatesthat includethe Thefirstcellis day. copiedtothe othercells. Thedate increments byonedayat atime.

Access fill options using right-click AutoFill.


1. 2. ClickagainoncellF18tomakeittheactivecell. AutoFilloncemorebut,thistime,holddowntherightmouse button. Whenyoureleasethemousebuttonyouarepresentedwith theAutoFilloptions(seesidebar). ThismethodispreferredtotheSmartTagmethodbecauseitis faster(oneclickinsteadoftwo)!

Change back to Fill Series or Fill Days.


InthisexampleFillSeriesandFillDaysproduceexactlythesame result.

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Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-11.

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Lesson 2-17: Speed up your AutoFills and create a custom fill series
InthislessonweregoingtolearnsomeAutoFilltechniquesthatwill massivelyspeedupyourefficientuseoftheAutoFillfeature.

1 2 3

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-11 (if it isnt already open). Delete the contents of cells G18:G24. Type 31-Mar-09 into cell G18.

Double click the AutoFill handle to automatically fill cells G19:G24.


Thisisarealmastertip! HoverovertheAutoFillhandle(theblackspotatthebottomright handcorner).Whenyouaresurethatyouhavethecorrectblack crosscursorshape,doubleclicktoautomaticallyfilldown.

5 6

Delete all of the dates from cells G19:G24 leaving only the date 31-Mar-09 in cell G18. Hold down the <Ctrl> key and AutoFill down as far as G24 by dragging the AutoFill handle down with the mouse.
Becauseyouheldthe<Ctrl>keydownAutoFillsimplycopiesthe cellinsteadofcreatingaseriesofvalues.

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Thisisevenfasterthanusingtherightclickmethodwhenyou wanttopreventthedateincrementing.

7 8

Click OfficeExcel OptionsPopular. In the Popular category under Top options for working with Excel click the gray Edit Custom Lists... button.
TheCustomListsdialogappears.

Click in the List entries window and add four custom list entries: North, South, East and West.

10 11 12 13

Click the OK button. Type North in any cell and AutoFill down.
AsyouAutoFillthecustomlistentriesappearintheworksheet.

Delete the North, South, East, West cells from the worksheet. Save your work as First Quarter Sales and Profit-12.

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Lesson 2-18: Use the zoom control


Zoomingisusedtomagnifyorreducetheworksheet.Ifyouhavealotof rowsinaworksheetandhavegoodeyesyoumightwanttozoomout sometimestoseemoreoftheworksheetononescreen.

1 2

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-12 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open). Zoom in and out of a worksheet using the mouse wheel.
Thefastestwaytozoomaworksheetisbyusingthemouse. Mostmicethesedayshaveawheelinthemiddleofthebuttons.To zoomusingthiswheelholddownthe<Ctrl>keyonthekeyboard androllthewheeltozoominandout.

Zoom in and out of a worksheet using the zoom control.


Thezoomcontrolisatthebottomrightofyourscreen, Clickanddragonthezoomcontrolslidertozoominandoutof yourworksheet.Youcanalsozoombyclickingtheplusandminus buttonsoneithersideoftheZoomcontrol.

Select cells A3:D9.


Weregoingtousethezoomdialogtomakethisselection completelyfillthescreen.

Click the left hand side of the zoom bar.


Thezoomdialogisdisplayed.

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Select the Fit Selection option button and click the OK button.

Theworksheetiszoomedsothattheselectedcellscompletelyfill thescreen.

Zoom back to 100% using the Ribbon.


Youllprobablyfindthezoombartobethequickestandmost convenientwaytozoom,buttheViewRibbonalsohasaZoom groupcontainingthreebuttons:

Usethe100%buttontorestorethescreentonormal.

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Lesson 2-19: Print out a worksheet


Wearentgoingtoexploreeveryoptionforpreparingandprintinga worksheetinthislesson.Printingissuchahugesubjectthatwedevotea wholesessiontoitin:SessionSeven:PrintingYourWork. Thislessononlyaimstoteachyouthebareminimumskillsyouneedto putyourworkontopaper.

Open First Quarter Sales and Profit-12 from your sample files folder (if it isnt already open).

2 3 4 5

Click the Office button at the top left of the screen

Hover the mouse cursor over the Print button at the left of the dialog. Click Print Preview from the menu at the right hand side of the dialog. A preview of the printout is shown on screen:

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6 7

Click on the page to see the zoom feature working.


Eachtimeyouclickonthepagethepagezoomsinandout.

Click the Print button screen.

at the top left of the Print Preview

IfyoudontseethisiconatthetopofthePrintPreviewwindowit isbecauseyouhavehiddentheRibbon.Unhideitbydouble clickingthePrintPreviewRibbontab. Theprintoptionsdialogappears:

Click the OK button to print your work.


Forthissimpleworksheettheresnoneedtochangeanyofthe optionsbutyoucanprobablyfigureoutwhatmostofthemarefor.

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Session 2: Exercise 1 2 3
Openanewworkbook. UseAutoFilltoputthethreemonthsJan,Feb,andMarintocellsA4:A6. Usingonlythekeyboardaddthefollowingdata:

4 5 6 7 8 9

UseAutoSumtocomputeLondonstotalprofitforJan/Feb/MarincellB7. UseAutoSumtocomputetheaverageJanuaryprofitincellE4. UseAutoFilltoextendtheLondontotalincellB7,totheParisandNewYorktotalsincellsC7 andD7. UseAutoFilltoextendtheJanuaryaverageprofitincellE4,totheFebruaryandMarchaverage profitsincellsE5andE6. SelectallofColumnAandallofColumnE(atthesametime)andboldfacethevaluesinthem. Selectrow3androw7(atthesametime)andboldfacethevaluesinthem.

10 11 12

SelectcellsB4:B6andcellsD4:D6atthesametimeandthenreadthetotalLondonandNewYork salesfigureforJan,FebandMarchfromthesummaryinformationdisplayedonthestatusbar. SelectcellsB4:D6andzoomtheselectionsothatthesecellsfillthescreen. SaveyourworkasExercise2End.

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Session 2: Exercise answers


Thesearethefourquestionsthatmoststudentsfindthemostdifficulttoremember:

Q 10

Q 8

Q 4 and 5
1.ClickincellB7. 2.ClickHomeEditing Autosum(Q4).

Q2
1.TypeJan intocell A4andpressthe <Enter>key. 2.ClickcellA4once tomakeittheactive cell. 3.Hoverthemouse cursoroverthe bottomrightcorner ofthecelluntilyou seetheblackcross cursorshape.

1.Hoveroverthe 1.Clickonthecolumn centreofcellB4sothat Aheader. youseethewhite crosscursorshape. 2.Clickanddrag downtocellB6. 3.Holddownthe <Ctrl>key. 4.HoverovercellD4 untilyouseethewhite crosscursorshape. 5.Clickanddrag downtocellD6. Thiswascoveredin: Lesson27:Selectnon contiguouscellranges andviewsummary information. Thiswascoveredin: Lesson26:Select adjacentandnon adjacentrowsand columns. 2.Holddownthe <Ctrl>key. 3.Clickonthecolumn Eheader. 4.Click HomeFontBold.

OR ClickHomeEditing AutosumAverage(Q5).

4.Clickanddrag downtocellA6. Thiswascovered in:Lesson214:Use AutoFillfortextand numericseries.

3.Eitherpressthe<Enter>key orclicktheAutosumbutton again. Thiswascoveredin:Lesson23: UseAutoSumtoquicklycalculate totals.

Ifyouhavedifficultywiththeotherquestions,herearethelessonsthatcovertherelevantskills:

1 3 6 7 9 11 12

Referto:Lesson22:Createanewworkbookandviewtwoworkbooksatthesametime. Referto:Lesson21:Entertextandnumbersintoaworksheet. Referto:Lesson215:UseAutoFilltoadjustformulas. Referto:Lesson215:UseAutoFilltoadjustformulas. Referto:Lesson26:Selectadjacentandnonadjacentrowsandcolumns. Referto:Lesson218:Usethezoomcontrol. Referto:Lesson15:Saveaworkbook.

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ThankyouforcompletingmyFreeExcel2007course. Perhapsnowyouwillwishtoteachotherswhatyouhavelearnedyourself.AtTheSmartMethodweuse thiscoursetoteachourclassroomExcelcourses.Feelfreetoprintthiscourseoutanduseitinanywayyou wishtospreadagreaterunderstandingofExcel2007. IfthecoursehashelpedyouIdontwantyourmoneybutIDOwantyourfeedback. Theresafacilityatthewebsitewww.LearnMicrosoftExcel.comwhereyoucanpassonanycommentsyou mayhaveorjustEmailmeatfeedback@learnMicrosoftExcel.com. YoullreallybrightenupmydayifyoujustsayHi,thanksforthecourseorsomethinglikethat. Youllmakemyentireweekthough,ifyoutellmewhatwaswrongwiththecourse.Ireallywanttoknow abouttypos,inaccuraciesoranythingatallthatyoufoundconfusingordifficult.Allofyourfeedbackwillbe incorporatedintofuturerevisionsofthecourseso,withyourhelp,itwillgetbetterandbetter. Lookingforwardtohearingfromyou.

My books
IfyouwanttoimproveyourExcelskillsfurther(andtheresahugeamountmoretolearn)IhavetwoExcel booksinprint(orshortlytobeinprintifyouarereadingthispriortoOctober2008). Theyarebothavailablefromamazon.com,amazon.co.ukandanybookshopintheworld.Theresalinkto therightAmazonpageonthewebsiteandthecurrentstatusifeitherisnotyetpublished. Myfirstbookincludesthetwosessionsyouhavecompletedalongwithfivemore.ItiscalledLearnExcel 2007EssentialSkillswithTheSmartMethod.Thesecondbook:LearnExcel2007ExpertSkillswithTheSmart Methodcoversalloftheskillsyouneedtobeatrueexpert.

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