Lesson 2 Building Simple

Workbooks
Lesson Objectives
• Use the mouse and keyboard to select single cells,
contiguous and noncontiguous ranges, rows, columns,
and worksheets.
• Select and print a range.
• Set and clear a print area.
• Clear the contents of one or more cells.
• Undo and redo changes.
• Insert and delete rows and columns.
Lesson Objectives (cont.)
• Adjust column width and row height.
• Save a workbook in a different file format.
• Spell check a worksheet.
• Use the AutoCorrect feature to correct common
mistakes.
• Find and replace data.
• Use the Search command to find files.
• Align and rotate data.
Lesson Objectives (cont.)

• Move and copy the contents of one or more cells.

• Create, revise, and copy formulas.
• Understand the order of arithmetic operations.
• Use the AutoSum button.
• Use the SUM, AVERAGE, MINIMUM, and MAXIMUM
functions.
• Use AutoCalculate.
Lesson Objectives (cont.)
• Understand and use relative and absolute cell
references.
• Perform a what if analysis.
• Identify the elements of a chart.
• Create a chart using the Chart Wizard.
• Move, modify, resize, and print a chart.
• Add hyperlinks to a worksheet.
Selecting Groups of Cells
• Before you apply a command to a group of cells, you
should select or highlight the cells.
• After you select a group of cells, you can perform an
action on those cells.
• A selected cell or group of cells is called a range.
– A range that consists of an adjoining block of cells is called a
contiguous or adjacent range.
– You can also select multiple groups of cells to form a
noncontiguous or nonadjacent range.
Selecting Groups of Cells (cont.)
• It’s easy to select a noncontiguous range.
– Select the first range.
– Press and hold Ctrl and select the second range.
– Continue pressing Ctrl and selecting ranges until all desired
ranges are selected.
• A range of cells is referred to by a range reference.
– A range reference consists of any two cells in opposite corners
of the range separated by a colon (A5:C7, for example).
 FIGURE 2.1 THREE SELECTED RANGES

Range A9:B9

Range A13:A19

Range C16:D19

Active cell is white.

Selecting Groups of Cells (cont.)
• You can select rows, columns, and even an entire
worksheet at once.
• Click a row heading to select the entire row.
• Drag across row headings to select multiple adjacent
rows.
• Click a column heading to select an entire column.
• Drag across column headings to select multiple adjacent
columns.
• Click the Select All button to select the entire worksheet.
 FIGURE 2.2 SELECTED NONCONTIGUOUS RANGES

Click the Select All

button to select the Click a column
entire worksheet. heading to select the
entire column.

Click a row heading to

select an entire row.

Noncontiguous (nonadjacent)
columns are selected.
Selecting Groups of Cells (cont.)
• You can also use the mouse and/or keyboard to enter
the cell references for a range.
– Click the Name Box.
– Type the range.
– Press Enter.
• Excel provides two ways for you to specify a range for
printing.
– Select the range you want to print and then choose the
Selection option in the Print dialog box.
– Set a print area.
• This method lets you “hold” the print settings so you can
repeatedly print the same section of your worksheet.
 FIGURE 2.3 PRINTING A SELECTED RANGE

Click the Selection

option to print the
selected range of cells.

The range A22:D28

is selected.
Deleting and Restoring Data
• Excel makes it easy to delete data.
– To clear the contents of a cell, right-click the cell or range and
click Clear Contents on the shortcut menu.
– To clear the contents of an entire worksheet, click the Select All
button and press Delete.
• If you accidentally delete data that you didn’t mean to
delete, use the Undo command to reverse your actions.
– You can use the Undo command to reverse several types of
actions (not just accidental deletions).
– You can reverse as many as 16 of your most recent actions.
• Use the Redo command to reverse the most recent
Undo command.
Restructuring Your Worksheet
• Excel provides several ways to restructure your
worksheet.
– Insert cells, rows, and columns.
– Delete cells, rows, and columns.
– Move data.
– Copy data.
• Use menu commands, keyboard shortcuts, or shortcut
menus to perform the restructuring actions.
– A shortcut menu is a context-sensitive menu that you activate
by right-clicking an object.
 FIGURE 2.4 SHORTCUT MENU

Shortcut menus provide

context-sensitive commands.
Inserting Cells, Columns, and Rows
• You may need to insert cells, columns, and rows in your
worksheet to make room for new data.
• When you insert cells, columns, and rows into your
worksheet, Excel moves the existing data out of the
way.
– New cells are inserted either to the right of or below the cell
pointer.
– New rows are inserted above the cell pointer.
– New columns are inserted to the left of the cell pointer.
• Whenever possible, insert entire columns or rows rather
than individual cells.
– Otherwise, your data may become misaligned.
 FIGURE 2.5 INSERTED COLUMN

New column

Insert Options button

Existing columns
move to the right.
Deleting Cells, Columns, and Rows
• You can delete cells, columns, and rows you no longer
need.
• Deleting a column or row is not the same as clearing the
contents of a column or row.
– When you delete a column or row, the entire column or row is
removed.
– Excel moves up the remaining rows or moves over the
remaining columns.
• When you delete a cell, the remaining cells are moved
to fill the hole created by the deletion.
• Whenever possible, delete entire columns or rows rather
than individual cells.
– Otherwise, your data may become misaligned.
Copying and Moving Data
• You can copy or move data that is in the wrong location
on your worksheet.
• Excel provides more than one way to copy or move
data.
– You can use the Cut or Copy commands and then Paste your
data in the new location.
– You can use the drag-and-drop method to copy or move your
data to the new location.
– Regardless of the method you use, the data you move or copy
will replace any existing data in the new location.
Copying and Moving Data (cont.)
• The drag-and-drop method is an intuitive way to move
data.
– Select the cell(s) you want to move.
– Point to the cell border until the pointer changes to the Move
Cell Contents pointer.
– Click and drag the selection to the new location.
• You can also use the drag-and-drop method to copy
data.
– Select the cell(s) you want to move.
– Point to the cell border until the pointer changes to the Move
Cell Contents pointer.
– Press and hold Ctrl while you drag the selection to the new
location.
Copying and Moving Data (cont.)
• When you use the Cut or Copy commands to move or
copy data, Excel uses the Clipboard to temporarily store
the data.
– Select the cell you want to copy or move.
– Click the Cut button to move the data to the Clipboard, or the
Copy button to copy the data to the Clipboard.
– Position the cursor in the cell where you want the data to
appear.
– Click the Paste button to place the data in the new location.
• Use the Paste Options feature to copy a cell’s formatting
along with the data.
 FIGURE 2.6 COPIED AND PASTED RANGE

Copy button Paste button

Moving border indicates
data is copied to the
Clipboard.

Data from A11:D11 has

been pasted to A21:D21.

Paste Options button

Status bar indicates data
has been copied to the
Clipboard.
 FIGURE 2.7 CLIPBOARD TASK PANE

Up to 24 items can be
copied to the Clipboard.

Clipboard data will

be pasted here.

Click Paste to paste the copied

data from the Clipboard to the
selected row.
Understanding Formulas
• A formula is a group of instructions that tells Excel to
perform a calculation and display the results.
• Formulas are made up of values and arithmetic
operators.
• Numbers and cell references are values.
– A cell reference is a cell address in a formula that tells Excel to
perform a calculation using whatever value is currently
contained in the designated cell.
• The plus and minus signs are examples of arithmetic
operators.
– Arithmetic operators perform basic mathematical operations.
Creating User-Defined Formulas
• Formulas that you create from scratch are called user-
defined formulas.
• Formulas begin with an equal sign (=), a plus sign (+), or
a minus sign (-).
– If you begin a formula with a plus sign or a minus sign, Excel
automatically inserts an equal sign at the beginning of the
formula.
Creating User-Defined Formulas (cont.)
• It’s easy to create a user-defined formula.
– Click the cell in which you want the result of the formula to
appear.
– Type the formula.
– Press Enter.
• You can easily edit formulas after you have entered
them.
– Select the cell in which the formula appears.
– Click the Formula Bar.
– Edit the formula.
– Press Enter.
Creating User-Defined Formulas (cont.)
• When you use cell references in a formula, you can
perform calculations involving data you’ve already
entered in other cells.
– When you revise data in those cells, the formula will
automatically calculate new results based on the changed data.
• Excel interprets cell references within a formula based
on their position relative to the cell that contains the
formula.
– Excel reads a formula as a set of general instructions based
upon the position of the cell that contains the formula.
• This means that you can copy a formula and Excel will
automatically adjust the cell references to reflect the
formula’s new location.
Creating User-Defined Formulas (cont.)
• For example, consider this scenario:
– Cell D16 contains the formula =D14+D15
– To Excel, this formula means add together the two cells above
the cell that contains the formula.
– If you copy the formula to cell E16, the formula will read
=E14+E15.
• This kind of cell reference is known as a relative
reference, because when the cell reference is copied it
changes relative to its new position on the spreadsheet.
Understanding Operators and Precedence
• Excel follows a standard order of precedence when it
evaluates formulas.
– This means that Excel follows a set of rules that determines the
order in which mathematical expressions are calculated.
• The standard order of precedence works like this:
– The exponentiation operator (^) has the highest precedence.
– Multiplication (*) and division (/) operators are evaluated next.
– Addition (+) and subtraction (-) operators are evaluated last.
– Operators with the same precedence level are evaluated from
left to right.
Operators and Precedence
• You can use parentheses to change the order in which
formulas are evaluated.
• You can also use parentheses within parentheses, or
nested parentheses, to change the order of evaluation.
• Consider these examples:
Formula: =3+4*5 Result: 23
Formula: =(3+4)*5 Result: 35
Formula: =2*2^3 Result: 16
Formula: =(2*2)^3 Result: 64
Formula: =5*((4+4)/2) Result: 20
Using Functions
• A function is a predefined formula that performs a
specialized calculation.
• Excel offers over 300 functions in a wide variety of
categories.
• Examples of function categories include:
– Statistical functions
– Date and time functions
– Financial functions
– Logical functions
– Mathematical functions
Using Functions (cont.)
• Functions consist of three parts.
– The equal sign
– The name of the function
– The arguments of the function
• An argument includes variable information and must be
contained within parentheses.
• The function operates on the arguments to determine
the results.
Using Functions (cont.)
• You can type a function and its arguments in the
Formula Bar.
• You can also build a function using the Insert Function
button.
• You can create some functions by using the AutoSum
button.
• When you create a function, you can type the range
address, or you can drag to select the range.
Using Functions (cont.)
• The SUM function finds the total for a designated range.
• Excel’s statistical functions perform statistical analysis
on ranges of data.
– The AVERAGE function computes the average value for a
group of cells.
– The COUNT function counts the number of cells in a range that
contain data.
– The MAX function finds the highest value for a range.
– The MIN function determines the lowest value in a range.
AutoSum button FIGURE 2.9 SUM FUNCTION

SUM function appears

in the Formula Bar.

Result appears
in the cell.
AutoSum triangle button FIGURE 2.10 AUTOSUM DROP-DOWN LIST

Choose a function
from this list.
 FIGURE 2.11 MOVING BORDER INDICATES PRESELECTED RANGE

AVERAGE function appears

on the Formula Bar.
Formula cell

Moving border indicates

preselected range.
Using AutoCalculate
• Use Excel’s AutoCalculate feature to quickly display the
total, average, minimum, or maximum value in a range
without entering a formula.
• AutoCalculate is easy to use.
– Select the range you want to calculate.
– View the total on the status bar.
– Right-click the status bar to choose a statistical function (such
as MAX or MIN) from the shortcut menu.
 FIGURE 2.12 AUTOCALCULATE FEATURE

Excel adds data from

selected cells and displays
the result in the status bar.
 FIGURE 2.13 MENU OF AUTOCALCULATE FUNCTIONS

Right-click the
AutoCalculate area to
see other functions.
 End
Lesson 2