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Spreadsheets for ECDL V4 Module 4

What is a Spreadsheet ................................................................. 1 Opening Excel ............................................................................. 2 Modify Basic Options.................................................................... 4 Entering Text and Numbers into your Spreadsheet ........................... 7 Altering Column/Row Width/Depth................................................. 7 Saving Your Worksheet ................................................................ 10 Closing your Spreadsheet/Worksheet ............................................. 13 Closing your Spreadsheet Application ............................................. 14 About Formulae .......................................................................... 14 Using Simple Formulae................................................................. 16 Using Autosum............................................................................ 17 Undo Command .......................................................................... 18 Common Error Messages .............................................................. 19 Replicating Formulae ................................................................... 21 Replicating Text .......................................................................... 22 Formatting Numbers/Cells ............................................................ 23 Inserting Columns/Rows............................................................... 27 Deleting Columns/Rows................................................................ 29 Obtaining an Average .................................................................. 31 Opening Multiple Spreadsheets (or Applications) .............................. 33 Modify Toolbar Display ................................................................. 34 Applying Gridlines ....................................................................... 36 Printing Row/Column Headings...................................................... 37 Printing Formulae ........................................................................ 37 Freeze/Un-Freeze Row/Column Titles ............................................. 39 Calculating Percentages ............................................................... 40 Using Minimum/Maximum Functions .............................................. 41 Using Count and CountA Functions................................................. 42 Using the IF Function ................................................................... 44 Using Help/Relative and Absolute Cell References ............................ 45

General Formatting
Font Formatting .......................................................................... 50 Copy Formatting ......................................................................... 53 Changing Cell Background Colour .................................................. 54 Centre a Title Across Relevant Cells ............................................... 55 Orientation ................................................................................. 56 Border Effects ............................................................................. 57 Landscape/Portrait ...................................................................... 60 Fit to 1 Page ............................................................................... 61 Changing Specified Page Size........................................................ 62 Using Headers and Footers ........................................................... 62 Automatic Column/Row Headings .................................................. 64 Cut/Copy and Paste ..................................................................... 65

Search/Replace ........................................................................... 67 Sorting Text/Numeric Data ........................................................... 68 Using the Spellcheck in Excel ........................................................ 69 Changing the Margin Settings ....................................................... 70 Print Selection ............................................................................ 71 Selecting Columns/Rows that are NOT next to each other ................. 72

Graphical Representation
Creating a Pie Chart..................................................................... 73 Deleting a Completed Chart .......................................................... 77 Creating a Bar Chart .................................................................... 78 Changing the Type of an Existing Chart .......................................... 80 Creating a Line Graph .................................................................. 82 Creating a Comparative Bar Chart ................................................. 84 Specifying Data to be Used Within an Axis ...................................... 85 Amending a Completed Chart........................................................ 89

Spreadsheets for ECDL V4 Module 4


What is a Spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet allows you to enter and store data in a grid format on a computer system. It will provide you with a means of performing numerical and statistical calculations.

Why Use a Spreadsheet?


With a spreadsheet, once you have entered the appropriate formulae, the program will perform the necessary calculations. Any of the entries can be changed, including numeric data and formulae. The effects that these changes have on the results of the calculations will be displayed automatically. You will not have to calculate or recalculate figures yourself.

Spreadsheet Contents
Numeric Data When numbers are entered into a spreadsheet they can form the basis of any calculation required. There are several ways in which numeric data can be displayed, you can choose; how many decimal places to display to display in pounds and pence to display in integer format (rounding to the nearest whole number) to justify your display to the right or left (numbers are justified on the right by default), top or bottom.

Text You can enter words into cells on your spreadsheet. This will provide important information to help you and others understand the numeric entries on your spreadsheet. Text can be used for titles, headings and any notes. Text entries can include numbers even if they are not required for calculation purposes. Formulae Formulae are instructions to the program to perform calculations. They will allow you to multiply, divide, add and subtract any numbers of your spreadsheet, together with enabling you to apply logic calculations to your spreadsheet.

Spreadsheet Structure/Display
Row This is the line of cells across the spreadsheet. reference number. Each row has a

Column This is the column of cells running down the spreadsheet. Each column has a reference letter. 1

Cell Each box on the spreadsheet is called a cell. Cell References Each cell can be identified by giving its column and row reference i.e., A1, B2, C9 etc.

Opening Excel
To open the Spreadsheet application, either click on Start and Programs and then select Microsoft Excel from the list, or if there is a Shortcut icon like this on the Desktop, simply double-click on it.

You will then have opened Excel ready for use, and your first Spreadsheet will be ready for use

Book 1, Book 2, Book 3 etc., etc.

Each spreadsheet that is opened is called a Workbook, called Book1, Book2, Book3 etc., until you call it something else. I shall save this as Example

You will notice that the new name has been given instead of Book 1

You will notice that within each spreadsheet (Workbook), there are a number of Sheets.

Sheet 1, Sheet 2, Sheet 3 etc., etc.

The amount of sheets that your computer provides with each workbook is set by default and can be changed from the Tools Menu, under Options (see Modify Basic Options). You can change the Sheet/Tab Titles by clicking on them, then right mouse, and select Rename as illustrated

You can then type in your replacement Sheet/Tab Name and press return

Notice that sheets can be inserted, deleted, moved or copied using this method. You can work on the different sheets within your spreadsheet by clicking on the Sheet/Tab Title which will take you from one to the other (these are merely different pages of the same spreadsheet/workbook).

Modify Basic Options


As mentioned, you can alter the amount of worksheets that are provided by default on opening your spreadsheet application. Click on Tools from the File Menu and then Options as shown here

Then, under the General Tab, you will see that you have the option to specify how many sheets are to appear in a new workbook. We shall specify 10 as shown here

Lets open a new workbook now and see how many sheets are now available

It is under the Tools Menu, Options, General Tab that you can also change the font and font size that will be used as Standard, together with specifying a default file location. Notice from the above illustration that I have changed the default file location to specify Student Name, this means that when I either open or save a spreadsheet the Open/Save options will default to this location

Entering Text & Numbers into your Spreadsheet


The spreadsheet below shows the sales figures for Crest Products for a number of differing products. Enter the data into the spreadsheet. Move to Cell A1 and type CREST PRODUCTS Move to Cell A2 and type DAY etc., etc. Continue to copy the entries until your spreadsheet looks the same as this example

Altering Column/Row Width/Depth


You will notice that when you type in your text that the entire entries do not fit

In order to alter the column width you will need to position the cursor at the border of the column reference that you wish to widen, until you get a double arrow symbol (as shown above), then double-click. This will widen the column to accommodate the largest entry within that column. Alternatively, once you have the double arrow symbol, you can click and drag the column width to the desired measurement. These same actions can be applied to the row depth in the same way you merely position the cursor to the top of the row reference and double click or click and drag as desired.

Now enter the following numbers into your spreadsheet as per the example given below

It is common practice to align the first column to the left and the rest of the columns to the right, as numbers are automatically aligned to the right, you align the title text to the right, to match. In order to do this, highlight the second column onwards by clicking and dragging across the desired area but start on the column references and this will highlight the entire column at once here is an example

Select Align Right Notice that the column references are highlighted not just the columns/cells that contain entries You can of course, align your text to the left, right, top, bottom or centred as per your own requirements. Lets look at the same area aligned to the left 8

and Centred

You can also align text or numeric entries within a cell to the top or bottom, stay with the highlighted area, but this time, click the right mouse and you will be presented with the following drop down menu

Select Format Cells to introduce the Format Cells dialogue box and then click on the Alignment Tab

Select Centre Horizontal and Top Vertical as illustrated here

Your spreadsheet will now look something like this

Saving your Worksheet


As with other Microsoft Applications, it is very easy to save your work. Select File, then Save As as illustrated

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Select desired location Name your document

You will then be presented with the Save As dialogue box, into which you can enter your saving instructions (name your document CREST PRODUCTS). Notice, that you also have the option to Save as Type, take a minute to look at the different options available

You can save your worksheet as a text file, as illustrated above.

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You can save your worksheet as a Web Page, as illustrated above.

You can save your worksheet as a Template, as illustrated above, whereby you can utilise the design over and over again for differing worksheets.

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You can save your worksheet as a different software version of Excel, as illustrated above, this would enable you to take the Excel worksheet to another computer, with that software version installed and work with it there.

Closing your Spreadsheet/Worksheet


In order to close your spreadsheet/worksheet you can either click on the cross in the top right-hand corner, as illustrated

Close Worksheet

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Or alternatively, select File and Close, as illustrated

Closing your Spreadsheet Application


In order to close your spreadsheet application you can either click on the larger cross in the top right-hand corner, as illustrated

Close Spreadsheet Application Or alternatively, select File and Exit, from the Menu Toolbar.

About Formulae What are They?


Formulae are instructions to the system to perform calculations. They will allow you to multiply, divide, add and subtract any number on your spreadsheet, together with allowing you to perform other functions such as counting cell contents, averages, and logic calculations. Formulae are recognised by the computer as an instruction rather than a normal number entry by the use of an equals sign (=). A series of cell references can be referred to together by the use of a colon (:), this is called a range.

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REMEMBER:
Always enter your formula where you wish your answer to appear. Always refer to the cell reference and NOT the content of the cell. ALWAYS START YOUR FORMULA WITH =

+ * / > < >= <= =A1+A2+A3

Add Subtract Multiply Divide More than Less than Greater than and equal to Less than and equal to Will add the content of the 3 cells listed =A1-A2 Will take the content of cell A2 from A1 =A1*A2 Will multiply the content of cell A1 by A2 =A1/A2 Will divide the content of cell A1 by A2 =SUM(A1:A10) Will add the contents of the entire range between and including A1 to A10 =AVERAGE(A1:A10) Will provide an average of all the figures in the entire range between and including A1 to A10 =COUNT(A1:A10) Will count the numeric entries in the range of cells =COUNTA(A1:A10) Will count ALL entries in the range of cells - numeric or text =IF(A1>A2,Y,N) Will enter Y in all cells where the content of A is more than in B, and will enter N where it is not
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Using Simple Formulae


We are now going to enter some simple formulae to make calculations on our data. Re-open the Crest Products worksheet. Firstly, we are going to add cells F3, G3, and H3 to give us the total of Milk Sales in Cell I3. Click on cell I3 and type in the following formulae - as this is where you want the answer to appear: =F3+G3+H3 Command Line

You will notice that the formula appears in the cell and also in the Command Line The Command Line will show the full content of any cell when it is selected, this is used for the preparation of formulae and also provides the ability to make amendments to the content of any given cell without having to retype the entire content. Obviously, the use of individual cell references and the plus sign (+), is not the ideal way to achieve the required answer, as it would take ages if you had to enter each individual cell reference for any calculation. We therefore use one of Excels built in functions SUM to abbreviate our formula and to provide the same answer - heres how =SUM(E3:H3) The word SUM means you do not have to enter individual plus signs and the use of the brackets and the colon to define a range means that you do not have to list individual cell references.

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You are still telling it to add up the contents of cells F3 to H3 inclusive (i.e., everything between the two) this is called a range. The brackets are used to define the range, and are also used to divide more complex calculations into the required order.

Practice inputting the same calculation for the next days of the week, until your spreadsheet looks like this

Using Autosum
If you click on the cell where you wish your answer to appear and click on the Autosum button which looks like this

The computer will highlight the required cells and produce the correct formula for you but watch out the computer may not think the same as you do lets see

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If the formula is not as required, simply click and drag over the area that you do want and when the formula reads correctly, either press enter/return or click on the tick on the Command Line to approve the formula. Click on Tick to confirm/agree formula given

Continue down the column, using the Autosum facility to produce the correct formula.

Undo Command
Dont worry if you make a mistake, click on the Undo Command Icon that can be found on the Standard Toolbar and looks like this

Each time that you click on the Undo Command Icon, the last action will be reversed, if you want to go back over what you are doing at any time, simply click on the Undo Icon until you have returned to the desired stage of your work. The Redo Command Icon (next to the Undo Icon on the Standard Toolbar), works on the same principle but will re-do the last action that you undid.

Recognising Common Error Messages


If you have made a mistake in the formula entered, the computer will let you know what you have entered an error and give you the opportunity to amend it, with suggestions as to how to do so

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I have deliberately included the cell reference in which I require the answer to appear, with my selection, this is called a Circular Reference and the computer will display the following error message

Other Common Error Messages & What They Mean


##### Occurs when the cell contains a number, date or time that is wider than the cell. This error message also occurs in the case of a date or time formula entered in reverse (ie subtracting a later date/time from an earlier date/time). DIV/0 N/A Occurs when a formula divides by 0 (or by a blank cell). Occurs when a value is not available to a function or formula. You can enter N/A into a cell where the information is not yet available formula relating to these cells will return the value N/A instead of trying to calculate a value.

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NAME?

Occurs when Excel does not recognise text within a formula. The most likely occurrence of this is when you are using a LOOKUP function, referring to a named range, that has not yet been named within the worksheet.

NULL

Occurs when you specify an intersection of two areas that do not intersect. For example, if the formula refers to two separate ranges, these must be divided by a comma A3:A6,B3:B6 Occurs when there is a problem with a number in a formula or function. For example, using an unacceptable argument in a function that requires a numeric argument.

NUM!

REF!

Occurs when a cell reference is invalid. For example the cell reference referred to has been deleted or moved to another worksheet. Occurs when the wrong type of argument or operand is used within a formula. This means that the formula is incorrect or a part of the formula is missing.

VALUE!

More Formulas
Next we are going to look at the required calculation formula for Cell C10 we have to total the days of the week, and then multiply that total by the price Click on Cell C10 and type in the required formula: =SUM(C3:C8)*C9 This formula will first add up the specified range and then multiply the total by the price in Cell C9.

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Practice inputting the same calculation for the next products, until your spreadsheet looks like this

Replicating Formulae
An alternative to keep typing in formulae for the same calculation but in differing columns/rows is replicating formulae this is where the computer copies the calculation but applies the new cell references to the calculation as you copy it down or across. Delete the contents of cells D10, E10, F10, G10 and H10

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Then click on cell C10 and position your cursor over the bottom right hand corner until a black plus sign/cross appears as illustrated below

+ sign will appear here Then click and drag across the other cells in the row to which you want to apply the same formulae and when all required cells are highlighted, release the mouse

You will see that the same calculation has been carried over to the next column, but with the new cell references applied, and so on.

Replicating Text
It is also possible to replicate certain text entries in the same way, delete the text entries for Tuesday, through to Saturday in Cells A4 to A8 Then select Cell A3 (containing the entry Monday), and position your cursor over the bottom-right corner as demonstrated previously.

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Click and drag down to cover Cells A4 through to A8 and the progress through the days of the week will appear in a small box to the right, as illustrated below, and then when you let go the entries will be made.

Practice beneath the text using these methods for both days of the week and months (other Custom Lists can be added under Tools and Options).

Formatting Numbers/Cells
You will notice that some of the numbers have two decimal places and some do not. You need to specify the required format for cells or columns. You may be required to format your numbers to integer (rounded up to the nearest whole number, no decimal), or to a specific amount of decimals, 1, 2, or 3, or as a percentage or as currency. Select the Row(s)s (or Column(s)) that you wish to format, in this case the Income row, then use the right mouse click to produce the following drop-down menu select Format Cells as illustrated

Alternatively, you can select Format from the Toolbar and then select Cells either method will produce the following Format Cells dialogue box

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The Format Cells range of options enables you to specify number formats, alignment, fonts, borders and patterns. We will look at the other options in the General Formatting section. In order to specify the format of the numbers in our selected row, click on Number and in this instance, take off the decimal places by taking the decimal box down to zero, as illustrated below

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Now the numbers on the selected row are in integer format and because we selected the entire row from the row selector, prior to formatting, anything that is added to this row at any point, will be formatted in the same way.

Lets format the Income Row to show pound signs, select the row using the row selector, right mouse and select Format Cells. Now we need to select Currency from the list and choose the pound sign () from the symbols list as illustrated below

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Practice formatting your numbers in this way, change the Income row back to just two decimal places without the pound sign ().

You can also format dates to a specified format in the same way select the w/c Date column and format the date as follows

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Inserting Columns/Rows
Next we are going to insert a new column for Premium Gold, between Juice and Full Cream. Select column F (Full Cream), by clicking on the column reference, then right mouse to present the drop down menu illustrated and select Insert

Type in the new column heading and enter the following data

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Replicate the formulae from cell E10 to cover the new column, cell F10. Having done that take a look at the formulae in column J what is wrong with it? -

It is essential when adding or deleting columns or rows that you check all of the calculation formula included in your spreadsheet to ensure that it retains accuracy/relevance. As you will no doubt have realised this formula no longer provides the Milk Sales Total - as it does not include the new column. Click on the Command Line and amend the formula to include the Premium Gold column, and then replicate it to cover the other days.

Your spreadsheet should now look like this

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Insert a row, in the same way, below Price and above Income Click on the row selector for the Income row, as illustrated and Right mouse, selecting Insert from the resulting drop-down menu

Your spreadsheet should now look something like this

Deleting Columns/Rows
To delete a column or row you need to select the column or row using the reference as illustrated before when inserting columns, right mouse and this time select Delete this will delete the column or row and close the spreadsheet up, leaving no gaps. If you merely select the content of cells, then you will be left with empty cells and you would not have actually deleted the row We are going to delete the Saturday row from our spreadsheet the first illustration shows the deletion of merely the content of these cells

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The following illustrates the correct selection of the row, and the deletion of the actual row

You will see that the entire row has been deleted, and the gap left has been closed up.

Have another go - delete the blank row that we inserted earlier, in the same way.

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More Formulas Obtaining an Average


Next we are going to produce an average of the total milk sales for each day listed. Insert a column after Milk Sales, entitled Average Milk Sales. We are going to use another of Excels inbuilt functions, instead of =SUM, we need to enter =AVERAGE and define the required range as follows =AVERAGE(F3:I3)

Alternatively, you can obtain the average by dividing the total milk sales by the amount of entries taken to produce that total e.g., =J3/4 Replicate your chosen formula to cover the remaining days and format the column to display two decimal places.

Text Wrap
In order to reduce the width of the Average Milk Sales column we can use the Text Wrap facility. Firstly, reduce the column width so that the text does not fit. Then select Cell K2 and right click to produce the drop down menu and select Format Cells as illustrated

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This time we need to look under the Alignment Tab and select Wrap Text as indicated.

Notice that the title text has wrapped around giving much tidier presentation.

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Apply the same text wrap formatting to the columns Premium Gold, Full Cream, Semi Skimmed and Milk Sales

Opening Multiple Spreadsheets (or Applications)


Like any windows application, you can open a number of spreadsheets simultaneously (or different applications) by minimising one, you can open another, and work on it, minimising and maximising each as required The minimise and maximise buttons can be found at the top right hand side of the screen next to the Close Button (this applies to all Microsoft Office applications) Maximise

Close Button Minimise With the Crest Products spreadsheet open, click on File and Open and locate the spreadsheet called ECDL STATS from your Candidate Disk. The open documents/files will be displayed across the bottom the screen and you simply click on the required document to move between the two worksheets.

Current Documents

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Modifying Toolbar Display


As with any Microsoft Application, you can choose to display any or none of the Toolbars available to you. You will notice that there are differing Toolbars available for your use within each of the Applications you would normally display those that you use most often within each simply click on View and Toolbars as illustrated

I shall click on a couple of extra Toolbars for insertion to demonstrate what happens

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You will see from the following illustration that the extra Toolbars have been introduced as floating Toolbars.

These can be moved around the screen to your desired location i.e., out of the area in which you wish to work by simply clicking and dragging using the title bars. At the moment our Crest Products spreadsheet is displaying the Menu Toolbar, the Standard and the Formatting Toolbars on separate lines

Edge Line If we click and drag the Formatting Toolbar, by the edge line, upwards to the Standard Toolbar and let go Hey presto the two Toolbars are now accommodated on the same line.

Note that the edge line remains visible at the division of the two Toolbars and that there are now extending arrows at the end of each Toolbar indicating the fact that there are more options available under each.

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Applying Gridlines
In order to present your spreadsheets clearly, it is always best to apply gridlines without them a spreadsheet can be very difficult to read/follow.

Select File, Page Setup then select the Sheet Tab and click on Gridlines to produce a tick in the box as illustrated below

I think you will agree that the use of Gridlines clarifies the detail and makes the data far easier to follow

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Printing Row & Column Headings


Under the same Page Setup, Sheet Tab, there is also the option to print Row & Column Headings, click on this option now, and print preview the results

Printing Formulae
You will find it necessary to print the formulae used within your spreadsheets for examination/testing purposes although you are unlikely to need to use this facility in a working capacity. Select Tools then Options as shown below

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You will then be presented with the following dialogue box, select the View Tab as shown and click on the Formulas box to introduce a Tick as shown

All of the columns will widen, and formatting will no longer be applied - it is only the formulae used that we are looking for. If you adjust your column widths, whilst viewing formulae dont forget to re-adjust the widths when you return to normal view (values).

I shall now remove Show Formula by reversing the process (Tools, Options and de-select Formulas to take the tick off) and look what happens

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Notice the series of hash symbols (#) that have replaced the data in the w/c Date column. This will occur wherever the column is not wide enough to accommodate numeric data.

Freeze/Un-Freeze Row and/or Column Titles


When working on a spreadsheet containing extensive data, it can be very frustrating when you have moved down the screen and can no longer see the column titles. You can freeze the titles, so that they remain visible, however far down the screen you move. Lets have a look at how this works Click on the row selector, below the headings which we wish to freeze

Then from the Menu Toolbar select Window and then Freeze Panes, as shown above.

You will notice that a line has appeared under the column titles. This will not show when printed but is merely an indication that the area containing the column titles has been frozen. Scroll down the spreadsheet to observe how the columns titles remain frozen and therefore visible, no matter how far down the spreadsheet you go.

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To unfreeze the column headings, simple select Window and then the Unfreeze Panes option, which is now available.

You can of course freeze row headings in the same way. Have a go yourself at freezing and unfreezing different panes/areas of your spreadsheet.

More Formulas Calculating Percentages


In order to obtain a percentage you have to multiply the number in question by the required percentage. Re-open the spreadsheet entitled Crest Products. For example, if we were to produce a projection showing a 5% increase on Milk Sales we would multiply the total milk sales figure by 5% and then add back the original figure (otherwise we would only achieve 5% of the Milk Sales rather than 5% increase of the Milk Sales). Lets insert another column entitled Milk Sales + 5% after the Average Milk Sales column (format this cell to wrap text as before). When using Excel the % percentage sign can produce incorrect results when used in calculations. It is therefore recommended that the following method of input be used...

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Replicate the formula, as displayed above, for the remaining days. Format the cells to display two decimal places and save your spreadsheet as Crest Products 2.

More examples of Percentages


0.10 = 0.15 = 0.175 = 1.175 = 10% 15% 17 % 117 %

If you were going to apply VAT at 17 % to a figure your formula would look something like this =(C6*0.175)+C6 or =C6*1.175

Using Minimum/Maximum Functions


Like the Sum and Average functions, these are built into the system to work for you by simply applying the function to a range of cells. For example, if we wanted to find out the Minimum figure within the Total Milk Sales we would need the formula: =MIN(J3:J7)

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Alternatively, if we wanted to find out the Maximum figure within the Total Milk Sales we would need the formula: =MAX(J3:J7)

Using Count and CountA Functions

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Like the Sum, Average, Minimum and Maximum functions, these are built into the system to work for you by simply applying the function to a range of cells. For example, if we wanted to find out how many entries were in the Total Milk Sales column we would need the formula: =COUNT(J3:J7)

If we wanted to count entries that were not numeric, we would simply add the letter A to the end of the function. Lets count how many entries are in the Days of the Week column

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There are many different functions built into the system for the users convenience and these can be built up simply by using the Insert Function option which looks like this

It is a very useful tool, however, it is better that you have an understanding of how formulae work and how they are put together in order that you can get the most from your spreadsheets and put these capabilities to best use.

Using the IF Function


The IF function enables you to produce a logical test, and check whether a condition is met, it will return one value if True and another, if False. For example, we want to know which of the milk products are cost effective and which are not. Lets say that any income under 150 is deemed not to be cost effective and anything above that figure is deemed to be cost effective. How would we apply this to our Crest Products spreadsheet. We would need to use the IF function as shown here =IF(F9<150,"NOT","YES") Enter this formula into Cell F10

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Replicate the formula across the remaining milk product columns

Using Help Absolute and Relative References


We are going to look at the difference between relative cell references and absolute cell references lets have a look at what Microsofts Help facility has to say on the subject. There is a relevant Help Facility available under each of the applications. Select Help from the Menu Toolbar and Microsoft Excel Help as illustrated below

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Type in the question/search absolute and relative cells and then click on About cell and range references as illustrated above. Scroll down until you get to the description we are looking for

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Read the text and then click on More information about relative and absolute references. This should result in the following information being displayed

About cell and range references

A reference identifies a cell or a range of cells on a worksheet and tells Microsoft Excel where to look for the values or data you want to use in a formula. With references, you can use data contained in different parts of a worksheet in one formula or use the value from one cell in several formulas. You can also refer to cells on other sheets in the same workbook, and to other workbooks. References to cells in other workbooks are called links. A relative cell reference in a formula, such as A1, is based on the relative position of the cell that contains the formula and the cell the reference refers to. If the position of the cell that contains the formula changes, the reference is changed. If you copy the formula across rows or down columns, the reference automatically adjusts. By default, new formulas use relative references. For example, if you copy a relative reference in cell B2 to cell B3, it automatically adjusts from =A1 to =A2. 47

Relative references

Absolute references An absolute cell reference in a


formula, such as $A$1, always refer to a cell in a specific location. If the position of the cell that contains the formula changes, the absolute reference remains the same. If you copy the formula across rows or down columns, the absolute reference does not adjust. By default, new formulas use relative references, and you need to switch them to absolute references. For example, if you copy an absolute reference in cell B2 to cell B3, it stays the same in both cells =$A$1. The above text taken from the Help Facility refers to copying, referred to in this training material as replicating. I think you will now have the understanding that a relative cell will be replicated, i.e., the formula will be copied whilst changing the row/column reference as it goes along. Whereas an absolute cell reference will remain the same upon replication. To make a cell reference absolute you simply insert a dollar sign ($) either side of the cell reference. Lets open a new spreadsheet and enter the following text/data, by way of a working example

We need to enter a formula into cell C3 that calculates the value of the sales taken on Monday. To do this we need to multiply the Sales taken (cell B3), by the Unit Cost (in cell C11). Enter the correct formula in cell C3

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Replicate this formula to cover the remaining days

You will notice that this results in zero values across the remaining days but can you tell me why?

Look at the formula in cell C4

Because the cell references used in the original formula were both relative cell references when we replicated them down, they were altered to reflect the new location and now the second cell reference no 49

longer relates to the required cell, as it refers to the empty cells underneath it. It is for this reason that we need to use an absolute cell reference for the Unit Cost (cell C11). Change the original formula so that it includes the required absolute cell reference

Then replicate the formula down to cover the remaining days

Look at the formula in cell C4 now

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General Formatting
As already mentioned, you can format the contents of cells in much the same way as in other applications.

Font Formatting
Open the original Crest Products spreadsheet. We are now going to change the font, font style, font colour and size of the text entries in the first column. Select the cells that you wish to format, right mouse and select format cells

Select the Font tab as illustrated and you will see that you can change the font, font style, size and colour etc., have a go at the two example settings shown below and then try some different styles of your own

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Copy Formatting
If you wanted to apply this formatting to other cells, simply click on the Format Painter icon which can be found on the Standard Toolbar and looks like this

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Click in the cell that contains the format that you wish to copy, then click once on Format Painter, then click on the destination cell

You will notice that once you have clicked on the Format Painter icon, the mouse pointer will change from the standard arrow symbol, to that of the format painter symbol. If you double click on the Format Painter icon, you can carry on applying the required format to repeated cells, until you press the Escape (Esc) key to end the process.

Changing Cell Background Colour


You can also change the background colour and/or shading of given cells. Highlight the column headings, as shown below, and right mouse, Format Cells

This time, from the Format Cells dialogue box, select the Patterns Tab 54

Centre a Title Across Relevant Cells


In order to centre the title Crest Products across cells A to I, simply click on the required title, and then drag across to highlight the columns that you wish to cover, in this case, drag across to highlight cells A1 to I1

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Then simply click on the Merge and Centre icon, which can be found on the Formatting Toolbar, and looks like this

Orientation
We have already covered alignment left/right but if you select the first column again, right mouse, Format Cells and select the Alignment Tab, this time we are going to change the orientation of the text within these cells

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Click and drag the red arrow on the orientation scale, to 90 degrees, as illustrated

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This can be a very effective tool and can considerably enhance the presentation

Border Effects
In order to apply a border effect to any area of your spreadsheets, you need to highlight the cells that you require, in this case, the Milk Sales section, then right mouse and select Format Cells

Then select the Border Tab

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and make your selections.

I have chosen a thicker line in purple, and to outline the total area

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The use of borders, plain or coloured, can enhance the presentation of your information and draw attention to certain areas of information very effectively. These methods can be used to apply borders to any part of a cell (top, bottom, left and/or right), and these can be in many different styles

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Landscape/Portrait
Quite often, you will find that your spreadsheet data/information is too wide for a standard portrait page. You can, like in other Microsoft Applications, simply change the layout of the page to Landscape to accommodate the wider display Select File and Page Setup, and then from the Page Tab, click on Landscape to alter the layout

Fit to 1 Page
When working with a larger spreadsheet it is possible to reduce the size of the print to Fit to 1 Page (or a specific number of pages). Select File and Page Setup again, and this time select the Fit to 1 page option as shown here

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Notice, that you can choose Fit to 1 Page or you can specify Fit to 2 Pages, or other, depending upon the size of your spreadsheet. You can use the option above Adjust to and enter the required percentage whichever method you find to be most appropriate.

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Changing the Specified Page Size


Still using the File, Page Setup options, you can specify an alternative paper size, as illustrated here

Using Headers/Footers
It is very useful to print your name, date and other relevant information on each page of your spreadsheet. The best way to do this is to apply a Header or Footer to your document. Select View and Header/Footer and you will be presented with the following dialogue box

Select Custom Footer and you will be presented with the sections, Left, Centre and Right, for completion. You can simply type in the required 63

data and then tab to the next box and so on, or alternatively, click on the Insert Fields options available, as shown here

I have chosen to enter Page, Date and File Name using the Insert Fields options. When you have completed your entries, click on OK and you will be able to see that your entries have been made successfully

Practice with the different Insert Fields options, together with typing your own entries. Select both Custom Header and Custom Footer options. 64

Automatic Column/Row Headings


Open a new spreadsheet and click on the Sheet Tab at the bottom of the screen, and click on the Select All Sheets option, then type in the required column (or row) headings, and observe that these will now appear on each sheet.

Type in the required headings

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The required headings are now repeated automatically one each sheet of the workbook.

Cut/Copy & Paste


You can Cut and Paste sections of your spreadsheet either to a different Sheet/Page of the same spreadsheet, to another spreadsheet and indeed to other applications such as Word, Powerpoint or Publisher.

Cut

Copy

Paste
Highlight the bordered Milk Section, and select Copy when you do, the text will be surrounded by a flashing black dashed line

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Open Sheet 2 of your spreadsheet, then click on Paste

Open a new Spreadsheet and click on Paste again, the same copied data will now be part of the new document

The data has been copied into Sheet 2 of your existing worksheet note that you will have to reformat/widen the columns to accommodate the entries transferred

Notice that in both case, accommodate the new data.

the

columns 67

need

to

be

adjusted

to

We can move or copy the selected data to a different part of the same worksheet in the same way, this time, select Cut as illustrated When you are cutting and pasting between different applications, for example, Word. The spreadsheet data will be presented in Table format and can be amended to suit the formatting of your existing document.

Search/Replace
When using Excel it is possible to Search and Replace text or numbers in the same way as with other Microsoft Applications. Click on Edit from the Menu Toolbar and select the Replace option

This will introduce the Find & Replace dialogue box

Make your entries and click on Replace All

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Sorting Text/Numeric Data


Open a new spreadsheet and enter the following data

In order to sort the data entered into alphabetical ascending order, select the entire data, using the column/row selector (if you dont it will only sort the first column, mismatching the numeric data)

Save this document as Shopping List. 69

Try it with numeric data as follows

Save this document as Numeric Data Sort. Get some practice, enter assorted data and practice sorting both numbers and text, either by individual columns or as a whole.

Using the Spellcheck in Excel


It is VERY IMPORTANT to check your work carefully, against the source data that you are working from. Accuracy is particularly important in relation to numeric data, as one error can affect the results of calculation(s) and the entire spreadsheet.

Printing Print Preview/Zoom


Print Preview Re-open the document Crest Products 2 and click on the Print Preview icon from the Standard Toolbar, as illustrated above. The document will be shown as it will appear when printed. This is a good way of checking that your document is correctly laid out and that you have made any required specifications prior to printing. 70

You can click on Zoom to magnify your preview

It is always a good idea to use the Print Preview facilities to avoid wasting both paper and time on incorrect printing.

Changing the Margin Settings


As with other Microsoft Applications, you can amend the margin settings for your document to suit your own requirements. Select File and Page Setup, then select the Margins Tab as illustrated

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As you can see, you can not only alter the margin settings, but also have the option to centre your data horizontally or vertically on the page. You also have the Print Preview option from this Margins dialogue box, so you can amend and preview and adjust until you are entirely satisfied with the results, prior to printing.

Print Selection
You will frequently be required to print only specified columns/rows of your spreadsheet and in working practice, you may often require to only print part of the whole document. Select the Milk Section data as shown, then select File and Print as illustrated below

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Click on Selection as shown and the computer will only send the selected data to the printer for printing

You can also specify the number of copies required for any given print selection by adjusting the number of copies required.

Selecting Columns/Rows that are NOT next to Each Other


You may well be asked to print a number of columns that are not adjacent to each other, for example, Lets print the columns Day, Juice and Milk Sales. In order to highlight only these three columns you need to select the first column by clicking on the column reference in the normal way, then hold down the CTRL key whilst selecting the remaining columns by clicking on their row selector as illustrated

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Graphical Representation for ECDL


There are many different ways of graphically displaying data. You will need to be aware of four of the most commonly used; bar charts, pie charts, line graphs and comparative graphs.

Creating a Pie Chart


Produce a Pie Chart showing the area sales percentages for the Red Brick Company with the heading The Red Brick Co. Firstly, you need to enter the required data into your spreadsheet

Save your spreadsheet as The Red Brick Co. Highlight the data entered ie., A1 to B4. Note, should you need to select information from a number of different columns that are not adjacent to one another, then select the first column and hold down the CTRL key and select the second and subsequent columns. Having selected/highlighted the required data, either select Insert from the Menu Toolbar and click on Chart as illustrated below

Alternatively, click the Chart Wizard Shortcut Key shown on the Standard Toolbar, which looks like this

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You will then be presented with the following dialogue box, asking you to choose your desired chart presentation, make your selection (in this case Pie Chart), as illustrated below

Having made your choices, click on Next and you will then be asked to confirm the cell references originally highlighted for your chart

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Click on Next and you will be given the opportunity to give your chart a title (and Axis Labels when relevant). Enter the title as provided earlier, and you will see that this is subsequently entered as a title in your chart

Select the Legend Tab and this will allow you to made amendments or remove the Legend completely (as in this case). The Legend is the colour coded list of areas relating to the contents of the Pie Chart).

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The chart as it stands, now fails to actually represent anything, and we therefore need to apply Data Labels, select the Data Labels tab Select the Category Name and Percentage options as illustrated below, and you will see that labels together with percentages are now displayed next to the relevant sections of the Pie Chart, which provides greater clarity of presentation

Finally, click on Next again, and you will be asked whether you wish to have your chart appear as an object on the same sheet, or as a new sheet

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Leave it as An object in: and click on Finish. You will see that the completed chart has been produced as an object on the same page as the original data.

The chart object, when selected, has a frame with handles, and can be resized proportionately by using the corner handles, or moved simply by clicking and dragging. You could of course, Cut or Copy your completed Chart to a different worksheet/spreadsheet or even a different application.

Deleting a Completed Chart


In order to delete a Chart, you simply click on the object (this will produce the frame), then simply press the Delete key.

Creating a Bar Chart


Produce a Bar Chart showing the monthly sales as illustrated for the South Division. Firstly, you need to enter the required data into your spreadsheet

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Save this worksheet as Monthly Sales. Highlight the data entered ie., A1 to B7. Having selected/highlighted the required data, either select Insert from the Menu Toolbar and click on Chart or use the Chart Wizard Shortcut as shown here

You will then be presented with the following dialogue box, asking you to choose your desired chart presentation, make your selection (in this case Column Chart), as illustrated below.

As Microsoft is American in its origin, the program lists Column Chart as vertical bars, and Bar Chart as horizontal bars. We would normally call a chart a Bar Chart if it has vertical bars. 79

Click on Next and you will be presented with the screen asking you to confirm the data series originally selected

Click on Next and you will be given the opportunity to enter a Title, together with Axis Labels as indicated

Remember to remove the Legend, by selecting the Legend Tab and deselecting Show Legend as illustrated below

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Finally, click on Next again and choose between presenting your Chart as a new sheet, or as an object in the current sheet, select the latter option. Your completed chart will be inserted as illustrated below

Changing the Type of an Existing Chart


Lets look at changing the chart type of the existing Column Chart just created, to the alternative Bar Chart (using horizontal rather than vertical bars). Select the existing Column Chart and right mouse, choosing the Chart Type option from the resulting drop down menu, as illustrated

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Choose the alternative Bar Chart as shown and click on OK

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You have now changed the existing Column Chart to a Bar Chart, whilst retaining the information demonstrated therein. You can choose to change the type to any of the listed options. Have a go yourselves and experiment with the different types of charts available.

Creating a Line Graph


Next we are going to create a Line Graph, enter the following data

Highlight cells A1 to B3 and select Chart Wizard but this time we are going to select Line Graph from the available options

Next you are asked to confirm the data selection

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Again, we are given the opportunity to entitle our chart/graph and apply labels to the axis, enter the data illustrated below

Finally, remove the legend, as it is unnecessary in portraying the particular data, and select finish

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Creating a Comparative Bar Chart


Lets look at a chart which represents comparative data. Enter the following data

Select Column/Bar for your chart and you will see than when you select Next, and then confirm the data selected, the data has been represented as required

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Add the titles and axis labels and select Next

and Finish

Note that in this instance, you need to retain the Legend, as you are displaying comparative data.

Specifying Data Series to be Used within an Axis


Open a new spreadsheet and enter the information as shown below

Select the data and click on the Chart Wizard Shortcut Icon as demonstrated earlier, and this time select Column Chart and Next 86

You will notice that the Chart Wizard has taken the Years to be part of the data series and not a title. We therefore need to amend the criteria accordingly. In order to do this, select the Series Tab

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Remove Series 1 as illustrated. You will see that the data is now being presented as required, however, the years are not presented as part of the Axis. In order to do this we need to specify Category (X) Axis Labels. Click on the Category (X) Axis Labels box, and select the arrow at the end, as shown below

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You will then be given the opportunity to click and drag across the original data series, to select the data series that you wish to use as part of the chart Axis

As you click and drag to select the required data, the data series selected will appear in the floating dialogue box as illustrated above, and to confirm, you simply click on the arrow at the end of the box. The data selected, will then be used for the X Axis titles, as requested

All that remains, is to remove the Legend as this is now superfluous to requirements and to enter an overall title and axis titles as shown here

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Your chart should now look something like this

Amending a Completed Chart


Click on the area of the chart that you wish to amend, to select it, for instance, the Axis

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Use the right-mouse to get the drop down menu, as illustrated above, and select Format Axis as shown to introduce the Format Axis dialogue box

We are going to make amendments to the Scale of this particular chart, and therefore need to select the Scale Tab, as illustrated

Change the Maximum to 1,500 as shown above, and select OK you will see that the Axis has been amended accordingly

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You can click on any area of the completed chart and make amendments as desired, in the same way. For example, this time I have decided to make amendments to the Data Series and have clicked on the data series to select it, then clicked on the right mouse in order to view the following drop down menu

I can then amend the Data Series from maroon to yellow, for instance, or indeed any other colour

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If you wanted to change the bars to alternate colours, you would simply click once to select the data series, then click again to specifically select the bar that you are on and right mouse would then produce the following options

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Further, I can amend the Chart Title in the same manner, by clicking on the Chart Title to select it, right mouse to view the correct formatting dialogue box and amend

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Using the other options, in this case under the Font Tab, change the Font and Font Style as illustrated below

Under the Alignment Tab, make the amendments as illustrated below and click on OK to view the results

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You can format any area of the chart using these methods

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The possibilities are endless have a practice yourselves and see what you can come up with.

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