For this exercise we will create the worksheet shown in Figure 4-49 . The worksheet shows information for students attending the Office Integration and Financial Management classes at Wonderland University.
Figure 4-48. Options for setting the angle of your text
1. If you have closed your workbook from the last practice, you can open the Chapter 4 workbook and then create a new worksheet named “Align.”
2. Type Wonderland University in cell A1. Click the Enter button on the formula bar.
3. Select cells A1:E1. Click the Merge & Center button
4. Select the Lucida Calligraphy font. Change the font size to 18.
5. Type the column head Student ID in cell B2 and then press the Tab key.
6. Type the rest of the Column Heads in row 2.
We want to place the column headings at a 45-degree angle. Before we do that we need to widen the columns.
Figure 4-49. Worksheet you will create
■ Note If you do not widen the columns you will end up with multiple column heads in the same column as shown below.
7. Drag across column heads B through E. On the ribbon’s Home tab in the Cells group
click the Format button. Select Autofit Column Width . 8. Select cells B2:E2.
9. In the alignment group click the Orientation button and then select Angle
Counterclockwise . Each of the column heads should now appear at a 45-degree angle in their separate columns.
10. Type 1357 in cell B3 and then press the Tab key. Since the value is a number it
should appear right-justified in the cell.
11. Type 123A in cell C3 and then press the Tab key. Since the value contains a letter it
is considered a text or string value and is left-justified in the cell.
12. Type a capital X in cell D3 and then press the Tab key. X is text so it is left justified.
13. Type a capital X in cell E3 and then press the Enter key.
14. Continue typing the rest of the data in cells B4:E10.
15. Select cell range A3:A10 by dragging across the cells or by typing A3:A10 in the
Name box and then pressing Enter. Click the Merge & Center button
16. Type Office Integration . Don’t worry about how the text looks at the moment.
Press Ctrl + Enter.
17. Click the Orientation button and then select Rotate Text Up
18. Click the Bold button or press Ctrl + B.
19. Click the Middle Align button in the top row of the Alignment group.
20. Next we want to create a defining space between the two classes:
a. Select cells A11:E11. Click the Merge & Center button
b. Increase the height of row 11 to approximately 22.5 by clicking between row heads 11 and 12 and then dragging down.
21. Type the data in cells B12:E20.
28. Click the dialog box launcher on the Alignment group. In the Text Control area click Shrink to fit . Click the OK button.
29. Click cell A1, hold down the Ctrl key, and then click cells A3 and A12. Click the down arrow for the Fill Color button located in the Font group. Select the Blue-Gray, Text 2, Lighter 80% color. See Figure 4-50 .
Figure 4-50. Color selections
30. We could improve the look of our spreadsheet by having the data appear just a little to the right of the left cell border:
a. Select cells B3:E10. Click the Increase Indent button in the Alignment group.
b. Select cells B12:E20. Click the Increase Indent button .
31. Type your full name in cell B22 and then press Ctrl + Enter. Right-click cell B22.
Select Format Cells. On the Alignment tab, check Shrink to Fit . Click the OK button.
Your name should fit completely within the cell.
32. Right-click cell B22. Select Format Cells. On the Alignment tab, check Wrap Text .
Click the OK button.
33. Type your last name in cell C23 and then press Ctrl + Enter. Right-click cell C23. Select Format Cells. Click the vertical word Text on the left side of the Orientation box. Click the OK button.
34. With cell C23 still selected, click the following buttons on the Alignment group: click the Align Left button, then click the Align Right button, and then the Center button.
35. Click the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar.
You have learned how to use the commands from the Ribbon’s Alignment group to align data both horizontally and vertically within a cell as well as rotating cell data. You practiced Merging Cells so that data can occupy more than one cell. The Word Wrap and Shrink to fit features allowed you to place more text in a cell. Next, you will see how you can copy all the formatting that you applied to a cell to other cells.
Using Format Painter to Copy Formatting
The Format Painter can be used for copying all the formatting in one cell to other cells. The Format Painter button has an icon of a paintbrush. It appears on the Clipboard group of the Home tab. See Figure 4-51 .
Figure 4-51. Clipboard group
The Format Painter not only speeds up the process of applying the same formatting to other cells but also makes it easy to give your workbook a consistent look.
Single-clicking the Format Painter button allows you to copy the formatting of a selected cell to a single range of cells and then it is automatically turned off. Double-clicking the Format Painter button keeps the button turned on so you can keep applying the formatting to as many cell ranges as you want until you click the button again to turn it off.