The
second half of the Standard toolbar contains these tools:
Insert
Hyperlink: Allows you to link text or data to a Web
site or another file.
AutoSum:
If you have a list of numbers and need a total, like below,
choose the cell for the total and then this button. Excel
shows you which cells will be added together. You can
either change the cells to be added by clicking and dragging
over a new set, or accept the cells Excel has chosen by pressing
Enter.
Paste
Function: Functions in Excel help you to perform
complex calculations. To learn about this feature, see the
tutorial on Using Functions.
Sort
buttons: The Sort Ascending and Sort Descending
buttons sort a column or set of data in either ascending or descending
order. Select the cells you want to sort by clicking and
dragging, or click the letter of the column to select the entire
column. Then, choose the appropriate button.
Chart
Wizard: You can add a chart or graph of your data to
your spreadsheet by using this wizard. Select the data in
the sheet that you want to be in the chart, then choose this
button to start the wizard. The wizard walks you through
creating the chart step-by-step.
Drawing:
Opens the Drawing toolbar at the bottom of the screen
where you can add AutoShapes like arrows and callout boxes, text
boxes, circles, WordArt and much more. Look for a tutorial
on the Drawing toolbar coming soon.
Zoom:
Changes the size of the worksheet on your screen so that you can
see either more or less of the sheet when working with it.
You can also click in this box and type a percentage for the
zoom.
Help:
Opens Microsoft Excel Help where you can get help on a number of
topics dealing with Excel's features and tools.
The
Formatting Toolbar
The
first half of the Formatting toolbar contains these tools:
Font & Font Size: Select
the cell(s) and use the drop-down arrows to change the font face
and font size of data in your worksheet.
Bold, Italic & Underline:
Select the cell(s) and choose the appropriate button(s) to
change the attributes. Alternatively, you can use these
keyboard shortcuts: Ctrl + B (bold), Ctrl
+ I (italic), Ctrl + U (underline).
For more shortcuts, see the tutorial on Excel
Shortcuts.
Align Left, Center, Align Right:
These buttons change the alignment of the data in the
cell. Text by default is aligned left and numbers are
aligned right in the cell. To change this, select the cell
and choose one of these buttons on the toolbar. More
alignment options are available by choosing Cells and the
Alignment tab from the Format menu.
Merge and Center: Let's say you
have a sheet with a title and data in several cells below
it. You want the title to be centered above the data in a
single cell that spans the width of the data set. To do
this, you would select the cells above the data that you want
merged together into a single cell and choose the Merge and
Center button. You now have one single cell with the
title centered above the data set.
The second half of the Formatting toolbar
contains the following:
Currency Style: Select the cells
that need this style and choose the Currency Style button
to apply a dollar sign and decimal points.
Percent Style: Quickly add a
percent sign by selecting cells and choosing this button.
Comma Style: Select the cells in
the worksheet and add commas with the Comma Style button.
Increase Decimal & Decrease
Decimal: Select the cell(s) and increase or decrease
the decimal places by choosing the appropriate button. One
decimal place is either added or subtracted with each click.
Decrease Indent & Increase Indent:
Select the cell and decrease or increase the indention of the
data in the cell by two spaces with each click.
Borders: Select the cell(s) and add
a basic border by selecting the drop-down arrow next to this
button and choosing where you want the border to be placed on
the cell(s). For example, you can outline the entire cell
or just place a line at the bottom (see below). You can
also remove cell borders by choosing the first option
below. More options are available for bordering cells by
going to Cells and the Border tab from the Format
menu.
Fill Color: This is for shading the
background of a cell or group of cells. Choose the
drop-down arrow next to the button to select from standard
colors, or remove a fill color by selecting No Fill.
More options are available for shading cells by going to Cells
and the Patterns tab from the Format menu.
Font Color: Choose the drop-down
arrow next to this button and select one of the standard colors
to change the font color of a cell.
The Formula Bar
Name Box: This box displays the
current active cell location. You can jump to another cell
in the worksheet by clicking in this box, typing a cell
reference, and pressing Enter. You can also use
this box to give a group of cells a more meaningful name that
can be used in formulas (like Quarter1). To learn how to
create and use these named ranges, see the tutorial on Using
Named Ranges.
Although a formula can be typed directly into an
active cell by typing an equal sign and the formula, you can also
enter a formula into a cell by using the Formula Bar.
Select the cell that will contain the formula and click in the Type
Field in the Formula Bar. Enter the data for the
formula, and choose the Enter button. Cancel
removes anything you have typed in the Type Field. The Edit
button is used when you need to edit a formula that has already been
entered into a cell. Select the cell and choose the Edit
button to edit the formula in the Type Field. It should
be noted that you can also double-click on the cell containing the
formula and edit the formula directly in the worksheet.
Learn more about entering and editing data in a
worksheet in The Basics - Part 2.
Notice: You have the author's
permission to use the tutorials on this site for your personal
use only. If you would like to use these tutorials for
training classes or other commercial use, please contact kstille@esmartweb.com.
Distribution in print or on the Web without the author's permission
is strictly prohibited.
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