Introduction

Microsoft Excel is a powerful spreadsheet application with the ability to create charts and graphs from numeric and alphanumeric data. Excel charts and graphs can be used in presentations, papers, web pages, or any situation where data needs to be expressed visually in a clear and precise manner.

Accessing Excel

From the start menu, select Programs. Another menu will pop up, and it is in this new menu that you will find Microsoft Excel. Select to launch the application. You are now ready to start typing. You can also look for the MS Excel icon on the taskbar next to the Start Menu and click there to launch the application.

Navigating a Spread Sheet:

The following picture is a simplified Excel window with some basic Excel terminology:

Help!

Before you start using Excel, it is helpful to know that there is a help option within Excel if you run into problems. The help index is located in Contents and Index under the Help menu. If additional help is needed, the Office Assistant is located in Microsoft Excel Help under the Help menu (this can be selected also by the question mark button on the right-hand side of the top toolbar). In Excel, or any other Microsoft Office application, when you point the arrow at any pictorial button, a little yellow flag will appear that describes its function in a few words.

Manipulating Rows and Columns

Selecting or Highlighting Cells, Rows, and Columns
It is often necessary to select cells, rows, or columns to enter data, apply formulas, or change formatting of cell(s).
Individual cells can be selected by a single mouse click in the desired cell.
A series of continuous cells can be selected by clicking and holding down the mouse button in the first cell of the series and then dragging to the last cell of the desired series. A series of non-continuous cells can be selected by highlighting one cell, and then while holding down the Ctrl key, clicking on the other desired cells.
Entire rows and columns can be selected by clicking once on their row or column headings.

Adding Rows and Columns
Rows are added by selecting a cell below the desired destination of the new row, and then selecting Rows from the Insert menu. Columns are added by selecting a cell to the right of the desired destination of the new column, and then selecting Columns from the Insert menu.

AutoSum: the SUM function

Excel can compute sums of the data you input. If choosing a particular row or column of numbers to add, click on the square that you want the sum to appear in, then highlight the row or column of numbers that you want to be computed. Once the proper numbers are highlighted, click on the Sum button on the toolbar that is the Greek letter, Sigma.

At the top of the screen right beneath the program tool bar, you will notice a formula that will write out which numbers will be computed. The formula which looks like this, SUM(A1:A3), shows you that the numbers in column A from row 1 to 3 will be added. Always make sure to check that this formula is correct prior to hitting the return key to execute the formula. In order to calculate a series of numbers that are in more than one row and column, simply highlight the cell in which you want the sum to appear, then click the sum button. This allows you to choose which cells you want to be added together by highlighting them. When the SUM formula looks correct, then press the Enter key to compute the total. (The formula may also be changed manually by clicking on the formula and typing the components yourself).

Auto Fill

Auto Fill is a time saving tool that allows the computer to do any repetitious typing your document might require. In situations which require the same information to appear in several cells, type the information in one cell, then, highlight the cells in which you want the same information to appear. After highlighting the desired information and cells, select "Fill" under the Edit menu. When another menu appears, select "Series".
By clicking on AutoFill and then "OK", the highlighted cells in the text will be filled with the designated information. If you want a pattern such as Sunday, Monday, etc, or January, February,etc, Excel will be able to complete the pattern for you to save time. Type the first part of the pattern (for example, "Sunday" for the days of the week). After highlighting the desired cells in which you want the pattern to appear, go to the Edit menu selecting "Fill" and the "Series", just like you did before. Click on AutoFill and "OK" again and the computer should have finished the remaining days.
If you have an increasing pattern, such as 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, ..., or 20, 40, 60, 80, ..., complete the first part of the pattern as you did earlier, highlight the desired cells, go back into "Series" under "Fill" in the Edit menu. This time, select "Linear" and make sure you complete the step value on the bottom of the window (by entering "20", the pattern will list numbers in intervals of 20).

Entering Mathematical Formulas

Formulas are a sequence of constant values, cell references, names, functions, or operations that produce a new value from existing values. Click on the cell in which you want the formula to appear, then enter the formula which you want the computer to execute preceded by an equal sign (=). Click on the AutoSum button to compute the formula. Once the value is computed, it may change if you edit any of the values which you used to compute the function.
Note: Do not use parentheses to indicate a negative number (-), a comma to show thousands, or a number sign before a value or else the function will not execute correctly.

Freeze Panes

When your spread sheet becomes larger than the size of your computer screen, you may not be able to see information in different areas of your spread sheet. For this purpose, a tool called "Freeze Panes" exists. To use the "Freeze Panes" option, select a cell where you would like the cells above and to the left of the designated cell to be frozen (visible at all times), and then under the Window menu, select the Freeze Panes option. These cells will now be visible, even during scrolling.

Creating Charts

Excel has the distinction of being able to produce custom-tailored charts and graphs. The Chart Wizard is a macro which will guide you though the Excel charting process. In four steps, you can select your data and produce charts in any format from pie charts to three dimensional bar graphs. The 4-step process leads you through the choice graphically so that you can try to visualize how you would like to present your data. To create a chart, enter the data you want to chart and click the Chart Wizard button which looks like this: . The Office Assistant will appear as well to walk you through the chart-making process.

Saving, Printing, and Opening a Document

All three of these functions can be found in the File menu. Save your document before doing anything else to prevent losing it. When you select "Save" under the File menu or click on in the toolbar, a window will appear for you to save onto a floppy disk or onto your hard drive. Click on the black down arrow to view the list of save options.
If you want to save to a floppy disk, make sure that the disk is in the disk drive, and that "3 1/2 Floppy" drive is selected. If you want to save your document onto your hard drive, select "Desktop" instead of "3 1/2 Floppy". At the bottom of the window, the name of your document ("Book3") can be changed by highlighting it, and typing in the desired name. Then click "Save" to save your document.
To print your document, go back into the File menu and select or click on from the toolbar. Press "OK" to print your document (your computer's printing settings should already be configured).
To open an already existing document, select under the File menu or click on from the toolbar. If you are opening a document that is saved on the hard drive of you computer, highlight the appropriate drive in the "Look in" option. If the document is on a floppy disk, make sure you highlight the floppy disk drive (3 1/2 Floppy). Highlight your document by clicking once on the icon. Then click "Open".