If you see the Restore Down button (Figure 1-11 ) in the upper right-hand corner of your window that means that your window is currently at its maximum size. You can’t shrink the size of the window while your screen is maximized.
1. If the Restore Down button is displayed click it.
2. Move your cursor to the right edge of the window. The cursor will change to a
double arrow. Drag the right edge toward the left to shrink the window. As you drag the window notice how the buttons start aligning vertically and as you drag farther to the left the buttons in the group start disappearing.
3. Click the Maximize button (Figure 1-12 )
Your window should now be maximized and the Ribbon should be displaying all of its command buttons .
Using Dialog Box Launchers
At the bottom right corner of some Ribbon groups are boxed arrows. See Figure 1-13 . They are called dialog box launchers. Dialog box launchers present a set of options to select from. A dialog box is a window that has options to select from, which you must respond to before you can return to another window. It usually has an OK button and a Cancel button.
Figure 1-11. Restore Down button
Figure 1-12. Maximize button
If you click the Font group’s dialog box launcher the Font tab will be selected. If you click the Alignment group’s dialog box launcher the Alignment tab will be selected. We will work with dialog box launchers in later chapters.
Minimizing and Hiding the Ribbon
If you think the Ribbon is taking up too much of your window space, you can either minimize it so that it only displays the tab names or you can hide it completely. Clicking the Ribbon display button in the upper right-hand corner of the Excel window displays three options. See Figure 1-15 .
Figure 1-14. Format Cells dialog box started from the Font dialog box launcher
The options are:
• Auto-hide Ribbon: Puts your Excel workbook in full-screen mode and hides the Ribbon completely. When your Ribbon is in Auto-hide mode you will see this in the top right corner of your window. Clicking the three dots or anywhere to the left of them at the top of the screen will bring back the Ribbon.
When you click inside the spreadsheet the Ribbon will disappear again.
• Show Tabs: Shows only the Ribbon tabs. Clicking a tab will display the groups with their buttons. Clicking anywhere on the spreadsheet will hide the groups and their buttons again. Pressing Ctrl + F1 works like a toggle switch while in this mode by hiding and unhiding the groups and buttons.
• Show Tabs and Commands: This options makes the Ribbon display in full at all times.
You can also collapse the Ribbon by clicking the up arrow at the far right side of the Ribbon.
Using Ribbon Shortcuts
You were always able to use keyboard shortcuts when selecting menu items in Microsoft Office 2003 and previous versions. Microsoft kept this capability with the Ribbon. Pressing the Alt key on your keyboard brings up the shortcut keys as shown in Figure 1-16 for each of the Tabs as well as the QAT. Keying one of the shortcut keys for one of the Quick Access Toolbar buttons will perform that command.
Entering the shortcut key for a Ribbon tab will make that tab active. As you can see from Figure 1-16 pressing the F key will make the File tab active and pressing the H key will make the Home tab active. Notice that the N key is used for the Insert tab. Most of the letters have no relation to the names of the options.
Figure 1-15. Three Ribbon options
When you press the letter key for the tab you want to use, shortcut keys appear for every option on that tab. Figure 1-17 shows the shortcut keys for all the options on the Home tab. Notice, you may need to enter more than one letter for the shortcut.
Pressing a shortcut key from a tab performs that command or it will display more shortcut keys if the command has more options available. For example, to use the keyboard to apply the Merge & Center option you would do the following:
1. Press the Alt key then press the H key to select the Home tab.
2. Press M to select the Merge button.
3. Then press C to select the Merge & Center option. See Figure 1-18 . Figure 1-17. Shortcut keys for Home tab commands
Figure 1-18. Shortcuts for commands under the Merge & Center category
■ Note Even if the tab is active for the command you want to use, you must still press the Alt key and then the shortcut key for the tab. In other words, if the shortcut key isn’t displayed, you can’t use it.
You should now be able to use the Ribbon to move around and enter data into the worksheet. The Ribbon drives the functionality of the Excel program.
Besides using commands from the Ribbon you can select them from a QAT, which is what we’ll cover in the next section.
Quick Access Toolbar
The Quick Access Toolbar provides a quick and convenient place for you to store and access
• the tools that you use most often
• tools that are not normally found on the Ribbon
• macros that you create
By default, the Quick Access Toolbar shown in Figure 1-19 is located above the Ribbon in the upper left- hand corner of the Excel window.
By default, the QAT displays
• the save button, which uses a diskette for an icon
• the undo and redo buttons
• a drop-down button from which you can select other tools to be displayed on the QAT Clicking the drop-down button on the right side of the QAT displays the Customize Quick Access Toolbar from which you can select other buttons to be added to your QAT. See Figure 1-20 .
Figure 1-19. Quick Access Toolbar
The QAT can be moved below the Ribbon by selecting the Show Below the Ribbon option from the drop-down menu. This may be a better place for it since it will provide more room for additional tools.
Switch Between Touch and Mouse Mode
Because many monitors today are touch screen, Microsoft has added a Touch/Mouse Mode button . This button can be added to the QAT by selecting it from the QAT drop-down menu. See Figure 1-20 . Clicking the down arrow of the Touch/Mouse Mode button displays the two options shown in Figure 1-21 .
Figure 1-20. Click the drop-down button to select Items to Add to or Remove from the QAT
The Touch option is for those users who are using touch monitors. Selecting the touch option places more space between the Ribbon buttons as shown in Figure 1-22 , making it easier to select the correct button with your finger.
Figure 1-21. Options for optimizing Ribbon for using the Mouse or Touch Monitor
Figure 1-22. Ribbon setup for Touch screen monitors
Changing the Touch/Mouse mode in any of the Microsoft Office products changes it for all the office products.
You can easily remove a button from the QAT by either right-clicking the button you wish to remove and selecting Remove from Quick Access Toolbar or you can click the drop-down button, then click the checked item you wish to remove.
Your QAT is not limited to the items appearing in the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu. Buttons that are on the Ribbon can be added to the QAT by right-clicking a Ribbon button and then selecting Add to Quick Access Toolbar from the menu. See Figure 1-23 .
In this exercise, you will add command buttons to your QAT.
1. Click the drop-down button of the Quick Access Toolbar and then select Print
Preview and Print from the Customize Quick Access Toolbar menu.
2. Click the drop-down button of the Quick Access Toolbar and then select New .
3. Click the drop-down button of the Quick Access Toolbar and then select Open .
The Print Preview and Print, New, and Open buttons have been added to the end of
your Quick Access Toolbar. See Figure 1-24 .
Notice that the tools appear in the order that they were selected.
4. Right-click the Print Preview and Print button on the QAT and select Remove
from Quick Access Toolbar
5. Right-click the QAT and then select Show Quick Access Toolbar Below the
Ribbon.
6. Click the Review tab on the Ribbon. In the Proofing group, right-click the Spelling
button and select Add to Quick Access Toolbar . Your QAT should now appear as follows. See Figure 1-25 .
Figure 1-24. Quick Access Toolbar
Figure 1-25. Quick Access Toolbar
Identifying the Current Cell
Columns are represented by letters. Rows are represented by numbers. A combination of a column letter and a row number gives each cell a unique address. The first cell in a worksheet would have an address of A1. A cell that is at the intersection of column G and row 5 would have a cell address of G5. The cell address is also called a cell reference . Individual cells contain text, numbers, or formulas. The result of a formula is displayed in the same cell where you inserted the formula.
The current (active) cell in Figure 1-26 is B6. The current cell can be identified by the following:
• Its border is bolded.
• Its column head and row head are highlighted.
• The address appears in the Name Box.
• The cell’s value or formula is displayed in the formula bar.
Once you’ve identified the current cell, you are ready to start entering your data!
Entering Data into a Worksheet
The data you enter in a cell is not accepted until you do one of the following:
• Press the Tab key—cursor moves to the next cell
• Press the Enter key—cursor moves to the next cell
• Press any of the arrow keys—cursor moves to the next cell in the direction of the arrow.
• Click the check mark icon on the formula bar—cursor remains in the cell.
Figure 1-26. Different ways of identifying the current cell
In this exercise, you will enter data in cells and use different options for accepting the entries.
1. First, enter some column headings and use the Tab key to accept them:
a. Type Assets in cell A1. Notice that as you’re typing the text in cell A1 it is also being typed into the formula bar. Press the Tab key.
b. Type Cash in cell B1. Press the Tab key.
c. Type Supply in cell C1. Press the Tab key.
d. Type Land in cell D1. Press the Enter key. Cell A2 becomes Active,
2. Next, type Liability in cell A2 but don’t press the Tab key. Move your cursor over the
check mark in the formula bar. If the data in the cell hasn’t been accepted, it will change color. See Figure 1-27 . Click the Enter button (the check mark). The data is accepted and the button becomes grayed out. See Figure 1-28 .
Figure 1-28. Once the data is accepted the button becomes grayed out Figure 1-27. Click the Enter button to accept the data
3. Press the Tab key.
4. Type Loan in cell B2 but don’t press the Tab key. Click the Cancel button on
the formula bar. The entry is cleared. Type Loan in cell B2 again. Press Ctrl + Enter.
Cell B2 remains the active cell. The cursor is still in cell B2 but you can’t see it.
■ Note Another way to cancel the text you are entering or to clear it even after it has been accepted is to move your cursor over the square at the bottom right of the cell (see the cell on the left). The cursor will change to cross-hairs. Drag the cursor toward the center of the cell. The text will fade, as in the cell on the right, and
when you let go of the mouse button the text will be gone.
5. Press the Tab key. Notice the word Ready in the bottom left corner of the status bar.
This means that the cell is ready for you to enter data into.
■ Note If you don’t see the word Ready, then right-click Excel’s Status bar at the bottom of the window and select Cell Mode.
6. Type Wages into cell C2. When you start typing text in the cell the word Ready on
the status bar changes to Enter . Press the Tab key.
7. Double-click inside cell C1. Looking at the bottom left side of the status bar you
should see that you are in Edit mode. Change Supply to Supplies. It doesn’t matter if you make the change in cell C1 or in the formula bar. Press Enter when you are done.
8. Click inside cell A2. Press the F2 key. This is another way of placing the cell in Edit
mode. Change Liability to Liabilities. Press Ctrl + Enter.
9. Click once inside cell D1. Since you didn’t double-click you are not in Edit mode.
The status bar still shows Ready. Notice that the cursor does not display. Type the letter R . The word Land is cleared from the cell. Finish typing the word Replace.
Press Ctrl + Enter .
10. Type Use in cell C5. Press the down arrow key.
11. Type the in cell C6. Press the left arrow key.
12. Type arrow in cell B6. Press the up arrow key.
13. Type keys in cell B5. Press the right arrow key.
Getting Help
Excel provides help to the user within the program. Screen Tips and the Tell me what you want to do features answer questions about formatting and entering data into your worksheet while you are working on it.
Excel’s Tell Me What You Want to Do Feature
This is a new feature for Office 2016; you will also find it in Word and PowerPoint. It is located in the tab area of the Ribbon. When you click the text box it displays your most recent requests. You can select one of the requests or you can start typing into the text box. Excel displays what is available for the characters you have entered so far.
Let’s say that I want help creating a chart. I start by entering a C into the text box. You are probably thinking why did the list in Figure 1-30 display items that don’t all start with a C. The reason is that Math &
Trig, More, and Financial are groups of formulas, some of which start with a C. New from Template appears because some templates start with a C. I can refine what appears in the list by entering more text.
Figure 1-30. Suggested choices for Tell me what you want to do feature Figure 1-29. Screen tip for the Merge & Center button
After I have finished entering the word Chart, the list has changed to items about charts. See Figure 1-31 . If a range of data was already selected, as shown in Figure 1-32 when I clicked Create Chart in Figure 1-31 , then an Insert Chart window as shown in Figure 1-33 would display from which I could pick the chart I wanted.
If I didn’t have any data selected when I clicked Create Chart, then I would get a message saying how to create a chart.
Figure 1-31. Provided suggestions after entering the word Chart for Tell me what you want to do feature
Figure 1-32. Data selected before entering the word Chart for Tell me what you want to do feature
The last item in the list in Figure 1-31 is Smart Lookup on “Chart.” Smart Lookup is another new Office 2016 feature. Clicking Smart Lookup performs an Internet search for what you have entered in the text box.
Smart Lookup can also be used to do a search for text you have entered into a cell. Right-click the cell and select Smart Lookup. Figure 1-34 shows the results of having selected Smart Lookup from a cell that contained the text mammoth. There are two tabs: Explore, which it shows by default, and Define. Clicking Define, gives you the origin of the word and its various meanings as shown in Figure 1-35 .
Figure 1-33. Insert Chart window
Figure 1-34. Result of using Smart Lookup for the word Mammoth
Screen Tips and the Tell me what you want to do features are two of the most convenient help features in Excel. You get intuitive help answering your questions about formatting and entering data into your worksheet while you are working on it. Smart Lookup lets you use Internet resources without leaving your worksheet.
Summary
You’ve learned how to create, save, and open a worksheet and how to use the Ribbon. You’ve practiced customizing the Ribbon and creating a Quick Access Toolbar to meet your specific needs. These are the basic skills you need to begin utilizing the powerful features in Excel. In Chapter 2 , you will practice moving around the worksheet. You’ll learn useful shortcuts to help you move efficiently and easily around the worksheet, reducing the time you spend on repetitive tasks.
Figure 1-35. Origin of the word Mammoth and its various meanings
Navigating and Working with Worksheets
In this chapter, you’ll learn how to navigate the worksheet using the mouse and keyboard commands. You’ll also become familiar with shortcuts that help you move quickly between cells and begin practicing working with multiple worksheets within the same workbook.
After reading and working through this chapter you’ll be able to
• Move between cells using the keyboard
• Select cells
• Work with worksheets
• Move between worksheets
Excel is designed for the beginner to learn and use very quickly. The exercises guide you as you discover how to create, enter, and manipulate data using basic functions. Remember, you build each worksheet cell by cell to meet your needs. It is easy to make changes as you become familiar with Excel’s features.
Moving Between Cells Using the Keyboard
Because there are so many cells, you need a quick way to move around the worksheet. Knowing your movement keys saves time by getting to the desired cell in the shortest amount of time. Click a cell to make it active or use one of the key combinations in Table 2-1 to jump to a particular cell.