pbdd.org€¦ · Web viewIn this lesson you will continue to change, rearrange and enhance the contents of those spreadsheets. Simple formulas will be added to the sample spreadsheets

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Module Two: Editing in ExcelIn this lesson you will continue to change, rearrange and enhance the contents of those spreadsheets. Simple formulas will be added to the sample spreadsheets to provide more meaningful results. After completing this lesson, you should have a good understanding of how to overcome many “start-up” problems while building your first spreadsheet.

TopicsTypes of Spreadsheet Entries..................................................................................................2.2Move and Copy Cell Data......................................................................................................2.2Resize Rows and Columns.....................................................................................................2.4Create Simple Formulas.........................................................................................................2.7Fill Cells Automatically..........................................................................................................2.7Autofill and Moving Formulas...............................................................................................2.9

ExercisesExercise A - Edit the Budget Spreadsheet............................................................................2.11Exercise B - Edit the Auto Mileage Spreadsheet..................................................................2.15Exercise C - Edit the Temperatures Spreadsheet..................................................................2.17Summary...............................................................................................................................2.19

Objectives Rearrange and copy cell contents to save time and typing effort Add formulas to a spreadsheet to enhance the value of the spreadsheet Automatically fill cells with commonly used information

Excel 1 2007 Module 2 ©1998-2011 Peoples Resource Center All rights reserved.

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Types of Spreadsheet EntriesIn the last lesson you learned how to enter text and numbers. In this lesson you will learn how to enter formulas and how to move information around in a spreadsheet. There is one important concept to understand before you do this. Text and numbers are different from formulas in that they are static, unchanged by movement from one location in a spreadsheet to another. In contrast, formulas that contain cell references are almost always changed by a movement to a new location. The reason this can cause confusion is that a formula displays the result of its calculation in the cell where it is located. While the cell looks like it contains a number, if that cell is moved, most of the time the displayed number will change because the formula is changed.

In the last lesson, when you entered text like a budget category or a city name, the entry looked like text. What you saw is what you got. When you enter a number, though, it might be a number you could use to perform an arithmetic operation, called a numeric constant, or it might not. This happens when the number is something like a phone number or a zip code. You don’t want to add or subtract zip codes! Excel gives you a way to enter numbers that behave like text. Simply put an apostrophe ( ‘ ) as the first character in the entry. The apostrophe will not appear in the cell (although it will show in the Formula bar), and the entry will be left justified.

All together, entries which are not formulas can be numeric constants, text, and numerics that behave like text. Collectively, these entries are called data. This lesson looks first at moving and copying data, then at entering formulas, and finally at moving and copying formulas.

Move and Copy Cell DataAs you begin to build a new spreadsheet or modify an existing one, you may have a need to move information around from cell to cell. Microsoft Excel provides two ways to move and copy information.

Figure 2.0 The Cut, Copy and Paste commands on the Home tab , Clipboard group


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Figure 2.1 Right click on a cell provides a shortcut menu that contains the Cut, Copy and Paste commands

The first method for moving and copying cells involves the “Windows Clipboard.” The clipboard is a holding area for information, both text and graphics.

* Step one requires that you select (highlight) the cell or cells you want to move or copy.

* Step two you must move (Cut) or copy (Copy) the cell(s) to the clipboard using the commands found on the Home tab, Clipboard group. (Figure 2.0)

You can also right click on the selected cell which will open up a shortcut menu with the Cut, Copy and Paste commands (Figure 2.1)

* Step three, select the new location by clicking once with the left mouse button in the destination cell(s) in the spreadsheet.

* Step four, you must go back to the Home Tab, Clipboard group and select the Paste command to transfer the information from the clipboard to the new location in the spreadsheet.

Shortcut: Rather than clicking on the Cut, Copy and Paste commands from the Clipboard group, you can use the combination keystrokes Ctrl+X for cut, Ctrl+C for copy and Ctrl+V for paste.

The second method is much easier but uses the mouse to drag the cell contents to the new location. Keep an eye open for changes in the look of the mouse pointer.

* Step one requires that you select the cell(s) you want to move or copy. This step is the same as in the first method.


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Figure 2.2 The drag and drop mouse pointer

* Step two involves positioning the mouse pointer on the darkened border around the selected cells. The mouse pointer will change to an arrow indicating that you have the opportunity to move the cell contents.

Figure 2.3 Selected cells about to be moved or copied

* Step three, while holding the left mouse button down, drag the cell border to the new location and release the mouse button. The cell contents will be moved to the new location.

If you wanted to copy the cell contents rather than move the cell, press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard while you have the left mouse button held down. Drag the cell border to the new location and release the mousebutton and the Ctrl key. The cell contents will be copied to the new location in the blink of an eye.

Resize Rows and ColumnsFrom time to time, especially after data has been moved from one location to another, you will find that a column or row is not wide enough to hold your information. A number entered into a column that is too narrow will be displayed as ####### (pound signs).

Figure 2.4 The pound signs indicate the cell is too narrow

Text entered into a column that is too narrow might looked truncated; that is, as if the right end of the text has been cut off. This happens when the cell to the right of the text also contains information. Actually, it only looks like it has been cut off. This can be verified by looking at the Edit bar where the text, in full, is displayed. The appearance


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of the spreadsheet can be improved by resizing the column to display the whole numeric or text entry.

To adjust the column width, position the mouse on the rightmost borderline of the column heading that needs widening. You will know you’re in the correct location when the mouse pointer changes to a double vertical line with outward pointing arrows. When you see the mouse pointer change, press and hold the left mouse button and drag the borderline to the right.

Figure 2.5 The mouse pointer for adjusting column width

This technique works equally well with rows. You can adjust the height of a row(s) by dragging the bottom most borderline. The mouse pointer is different as well.

Figure 2.6 The mouse pointer for adjusting row height

Shortcut: An easier method is to double-click the right borderline in the column heading, no dragging required.

For those of us who demand greater precision when sizing a row or column, Microsoft Excel includes Row Height... and Column Width... commands. These commands can be found on the Home Tab, Cells group, on the Format drop down menu Note: Height and width are measured in points, where 72 points is equal to one inch.


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Figure 2.7 The Home Tab, Cells Group, Format Menu

Figure 2.8 Row height dialog box

Figure 2.9 Column width dialog box


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Create Simple FormulasNumbers entered into a cell can be added, subtracted, multiplied and divided by numbers contained in another cell. To accomplish this you must create a formula. A formula always starts with an equal sign. For example, the formula to add the contents of cell A1 with the contents of cell A2 is =A1+A2.

A1 and A2 in the above example are called cell references. If you wanted to add up the contents of cell A1 and A2 and A3 you would enter an equal sign followed by the cell references separated by math operators, or =A1+A2+A3.

The Table 2.1 shows the keyboard symbols used for the various math operations you might want to perform in your spreadsheet.

Symbol FunctionPlus + Addition

Minus - SubtractionAsterisk * Multiplication

Slash / DivisionCaret ^ Exponentiation

Parentheses ( ) Precedence

Table 2.1 Keyboard symbols used in formulas

The last entry in the table above indicates that parentheses are used to force a specific order when Microsoft Excel evaluates a formula. The following example shows how powerful the parentheses can be in determining a result.

5*(2+3)=25(5*2)+3=13

Both formulas use the same math operators, but different results are obtained by changing the order of precedence using parentheses.

Formulas may also contain numbers. The formula =(A1+B1)*.16 will add the contents of cell A1 with the contents of cell B1 and multiply the result by .16 or 16%. In a later Lesson you will learn how to use functions. A function is basically a formula written by someone else. A function can save time and add more value to your spreadsheet.

The real power of a spreadsheet is its ability to include formulas and automatically recalculate the formulas when the base numbers change.

Fill Cells AutomaticallyPerhaps one of the best features found in Microsoft Excel is the “Automatic Fill” capability. AutoFill can save time by eliminating the manual task of entering commonly used text labels and number series.

In the bottom right corner of a selected cell or range of cells there is a small black square known as the fill handle. When the mouse pointer is directly on top of the fill handle the mouse pointer will change to a thin plus sign. This is your visual clue that you can AutoFill by dragging the fill handle down or to the right.

FILL

Figure 2.10 The fill mouse pointer


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In this example, we would like to automatically fill cells with the names of the 12 months. The first cell must contain the word January.

Fill HandleFigure 2.11 The fill handle, a small black square in the right corner

If you drag the fill handle to the right for 11 columns, AutoFill fills the other 11 cells with February, March, April, May, June, July, August, September, October, November and December.

Other series which AutoFill has built-in are days of the week, time, and dates to mention a few. You can even use a series like Week 1, Week 2, Week 3, Week 4, etc. Microsoft Excel will increment the numeric portion of the text.

You can also use this AutoFill capability to quickly repeat a value throughout a range of cells. By clicking on the cell that contains the value you want to repeat, simply drag the fill handle down and/or to the right to repeat the same value in all new cells.

If you want to create your own series, enter the beginning number in the first cell, enter the second number in the second cell, select both cells and drag the one fill handle down.

In the example pictured in Figure 2.12, the column of numbers on the right was created by dragging the fill handle for the two numbers on the left.

Figure 2.12 Before and after of creating a series using Autofill

In this case, Microsoft Excel was able to determine the difference between 1 and 1.25 and repeat that difference for all new numbers.

Using that same logic, if you needed a list of “every other month”, type January in the first cell, type March in the second cell, select both cells and drag the fill handle down.

Using the fill handle is quick; however, you can also access the same features using the Fill Menu found on the Home Tab, Editing Group. Learning to use the fill handle provides better control and more choices than the Fill Menu commands.


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Autofill and Moving FormulasThe last topic in this lesson is somewhat difficult, but useful and important. Make sure you are comfortable with the term “cell reference.” A cell reference is the row and column address of a cell. In the formula =A1+B1, the A1 and B1 are both Cell References.

Very often you will need to repeat the same formula in several different rows. In Figure 2.13, the formula in cell D3 which multiplies Quantity by Price to give Total needs to be copied to cells D4, D5, and D6.

Figure 2.13 A sample spreadsheet with a formula in cell D3

Copying D3 can be easily accomplished by selecting cell D3 and dragging D3’s Fill handle down to D6. Magically, all the formulas are changed as well. The result is pictured in Figure 2.14.

Figure 2.14 The result of dragging D3’s fill handle down to D6

Notice the cell references were changed “relative” to their new row number. This is called Relative Cell References. This is the normal case; you don’t have to do anything special to achieve this result. Cut or Copy followed by Paste will produce the same kind of change in cell reference; that is, relative cell references in formulas will be preserved. Drag and Drop assumes you simply want to relocate the formulas without changing them; that is, the formulas will remain unchanged and the relative cell references will not be preserved.

There are several things to note about Figures 2.13 and 2.14. First, the numbers in the range B3:C6 (under Quantity and Price) are left justified. Numbers are usually right justified. You cannot tell, without selecting each of the cells, if they are numbers entered as text with a leading apostrophe or if they are actually numbers that can be used in arithmetic formulas but which were given left justification for some undetermined reason. The answer is to select one of the cells and look at the Edit bar. If the apostrophe appears as the first symbol in the Edit bar then the cell contains text and the formula in column D that refers to it will generate an error.

Next, the formula in D3 will be displayed in the cell only until the Enter key is pressed. As soon as the Enter key is pressed the result of the multiplication, 236.85, will be displayed.


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Last, if D3 is selected and then the fill handle is dragged down to D6 and released, Figure 2.15 is what you will actually see.

Figure 2.15 What’s really displayed

Figure 2.14 shows what happens behind the scene so you can visualize how formulas change when relative references are used. You can force cells to display as shown in Figure 2.14, but you won’t learn how until a later lesson.

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This concludes the text portion of Lesson Two. The following exercises will help solidify the topics taught in this lesson. The sample spreadsheets can be found on your computer in the Excel 1 2007 Files folder. Explore the samples and have fun making changes


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Exercise A - Edit the Budget SpreadsheetIn this exercise you will continue working on the budget spreadsheet that you modified in Lesson 1. The budget spreadsheet can be found on your lab computer as 1.2budget.xls Make changes to the spreadsheet and save it as 1.2budget_rev.xls

1 Start Microsoft Excel by selecting it from among the Programs in the Start Menu.

It should open with a blank spreadsheet named Book1

2 Select Open under the Office button.3 In the Open dialog box, click on My Documents icon

Figure 2.16 The File | Open Dialog Box

4 Click on (Select) the Excel 1 2007 Files folder5 Click on (Open) to open the folder containing the Excel files6 From the list of files, click on 1.2budget and then click the Open button.

To preserve the original spreadsheet, save the spreadsheet using a new name.

7 Select the Office button and then select the Save As...command. Choose Excel Workbook from the available choices

8 In the File name: text box, type the new name 1.2budget_rev9 Verify that the Excel1 2007 Files folder is displayed in the Save In: text box

(if not see steps 4 & 5 above)10 Click on the Save button


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The budget spreadsheet should now be open.

Copy fixed expenses, such as the rent amount to the empty cells June and July.

Technique #1 - Using the Clipboard Method for copying information

11 Click in cell F4 to select the cell12 Select the Copy command from the Home tab, Clipboard group13 Click in cell G414 Select the Paste command from the Home tab, Clipboard group

Cell G4 should now contain a copy of cell F4

15 Click in cell H416 Select the Paste command from the Home tab, Clipboard group17 Complete the June and July columns for the following expense items; Phone, Entertainment, Church,

Food, Dues (June only), Hygiene (July only), and Clothes by repeating the previous Clipboard Method.

Technique #2 - Using the Mouse Drag Method for copying information

18 Click in cell F13 to select the cell19 Press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard20 Position the mouse pointer on the bottom border around cell F13. The pointer will change into an arrow21 Press and hold the left mouse button22 Drag the cell outline to cell G1323 Release the mouse button, then release the Ctrl key.

You have successfully copied the May Car Payment expense to June. In the next 5 steps you will copy June to July.

24 Press and hold the Ctrl key on the keyboard25 Press and hold the left mouse button on cell G13’s border26 Drag the cell outline to cell H1327 Release the mouse button, then release the Ctrl key.

You have successfully copied the June Car Payment expense to July.

28 Complete the June and July columns for the following expense; Auto Insurance, Gasoline and Repairs (June only) by repeating the previous Mouse Drag Method.


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Technique #3 - Using Automatic Fill to copy information

Add month names to the income section

29 Click in cell B22 and type the word January and press the Enter key30 Position the mouse pointer on the bottom right corner of cell B22 on top of the small black square. The

pointer will change into a small plus sign (see Figures 2.10 and 2.11).31 Hold down the left mouse button and drag the fill handle to cell M2232 Release the mouse button to automatically fill the cells.

If at any time you want to “undo” your last action, use the Undo command on the Quick Access Bar. The shortcut key is Ctrl+Z. Hold the Ctrl key down and tap the Z key on the keyboard.

Copy St. Joe’s income from May, to June, July and August

33 Click in cell F2334 Position the mouse pointer on the bottom right corner of cell F23 on top of the small black square. The

pointer will change into a small plus sign35 Hold down the left mouse button and drag the fill handle to cell I2336 Release the mouse button to automatically fill the cells.

Copy Interest Income, Pension and Job income to June and July, all at once.

37 Select multiple cells by clicking in cell F25 and dragging downward to F2738 Position the mouse pointer on the bottom right corner of cell F27 on top of the small black square. The

pointer will change into a small plus sign39 Hold down the left mouse button and drag the fill handle to cell H2740 Release the mouse button to automatically fill the cells.

Savings Bond income is misplaced, move from August to July

41 Click in cell I24 to select the cell42 Position the mouse pointer on the bottom border around cell I24. The pointer will change into an arrow43 Press and hold the left mouse button44 Drag the border to cell H24

Adjusting the height and width of rows and columns

45 Position the mouse pointer on the borderline between the Column A heading and the Column B heading. The mouse pointer will change to the ADJUST pointer.

46 Click and drag the vertical dotted line to the right approximately 3 inches.47 Release the mouse button

Too far...

48 Click once in the column heading for Column A49 Select the FormatButton in the Cells group in the Home tab.50 Click the Autofit Column Width button and your column will be resized to the longest text.

Allow more space for the month titles

51 Click once in the row heading for Row 352 Select the Row Height... command on the Format button in the Home Tab, Cells group.53 Increase the row height to 24 points by Typing 24 in the Row height: text box, then click the OK button54 Change the row height in Row 22 - Repeat steps 52 and 53


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55 Return to cell A1 by Pressing and holding the Ctrl key on your keyboard, then tap the Home key one time, then release the Ctrl key.

Your completed spreadsheet should look like the one in Figure 2.17.

Figure 2.17 Exercise A completed spreadsheet

56. Save your work using the Save command under the Office Button.57. Select the Close command..

Congratulations! You have successfully completed Exercise A


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Exercise B - Edit the Auto Mileage SpreadsheetIn this exercise you will continue working on the auto mileage spreadsheet that you modified in Lesson 1. The auto mileage spreadsheet for this lesson can be found on your computer as 1.2auto.xls. Make changes to the spreadsheet and save it as 1.2auto_rev.xls.

1 Close all open Excel documents.2 Using the Office Button, Open sequence, open 1.2auto in the My Documents / Excel1 2007 Files folder


3 Using the Office Button, Save As… sequence, save the document as 1.2auto_rev in the same folder

The auto mileage spreadsheet should now be open.

Entering new information - Your car gets 22 Miles per Gallon and the cost of fuel these days is $1.43 per gallon.

4 Click once in cell E2 and type the number 22 and press the Enter key5 Click once in cell E3 and type 1.43 and press the Enter key

Entering your first formula, the number of gallons of fuel needed for trip (Miles divided by Miles per Gallon)

6 Click in cell D6 and type the formula =C6/22 and press the Enter key7 Position the mouse pointer on the bottom right corner of cell D6 on top of the small black square. The

pointer will change into a small plus sign8 Hold down the left mouse button and drag the fill handle to cell D54.9 Release the mouse button to automatically fill the cells.10 Click in cell D13 and look up in the formula bar. Verify that the formula references cell C13. In other

words, that relative cell references were preserved.

Entering another formula, the cost of fuel used in the trip (Gallons of Gas Used times the Cost of Fuel)

11 Click in cell E6 and type =D6*1.43 and press the Enter key12 Using the same technique as before, fill the formula down to E54

Change the width of the columns

13 Click and drag the mouse pointer across the column headings A through E to highlight all 5 columns14 Under the Format Menu (Home tab, Cells group), select AutoFit Column Width


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15 Press Ctrl+Home to return to cell A1


Figure 2.18 Exercise B completed spreadsheet

16 Save your work by selecting the Office Button and then select the Save command.17 Select the Close command

Congratulations! You have successfully completed Exercise B


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Exercise C - Edit the Temperatures SpreadsheetIn this exercise you will use a different spreadsheet to become familiar with the replace command. The temperatures spreadsheet for this lesson can be found on your computer as 1.2temps.xls. Make changes to the spreadsheet and save it as 1.2temps_rev.xls.

1 Close all open Excel documents.2 Using the Office Button, Open sequence, open 1.2temps in the My Documents / Excel1 2007 Files folder


3 Using the Office Button, Save As… sequence, save the document as 1.2temps_rev in the same folder

The spreadsheet contains errors in Column D. The word Dreary should be replaced with the word Overcast, except on February 10th. February 10th really was Dreary.

4 Verify the selected cell is A1 by pressing Ctrl+Home5 Select the Find & Select command on the Home tab, Editing group. Choose the Replace command.6 In the Find what: text box type dreary7 In the Replace with: text box type Overcast8 Click the Find Next button

The first occurrence of the word dreary has been located.

9 Click the Replace button

You may have to move the dialog box out of your way.

10 Click the Replace button a second time to change the second occurrence11 Click the Find Next button to avoid changing the word Dreary on February 10th12 Click the Replace button to change the next occurrence of Dreary

When you are satisfied that the Replace command is working properly, then...

13 Click the Replace All button14 Press Ctrl+Home to return to A1



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Figure 2.19 Exercise C completed spreadsheet

15 Save your work by selecting the Office Buttonand then select the Save command.

Congratulations! You have successfully completed Exercise C


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SummaryNow you can...

Use the Cut, Copy and Paste commands to move or copy cell contents. Drag a cell using the mouse to move its contents to another cell. Combine the Ctrl key with a mouse drag to change a move operation into a copy operation. Automatically size columns by dragging or by double-clicking a column heading borderline. Create formulas to enhance the value of the spreadsheet. Repeat or create additional cell contents using the fill handle, the small black square in the bottom right

corner of a selected cell.

In this lesson you changed, rearranged and enhanced the contents of several spreadsheet. You added formulas to the sample spreadsheets and you tackled the difficult subject of cell references.

In the next lesson you will work on the appearance of a spreadsheet both on the display screen and on paper.

NOTES
