Any table of numbers is called a spreadsheet. For example, this spreadsheet deals with money:

A spreadsheet can show how many dollars you earned (or spent or plan to spend), how many goods you have in stock, how people scored in a test (or survey or scientific experiment), or any other numbers you wish!

A spreadsheet program helps you create spreadsheets, edit them, and analyze them.

 

The first spreadsheet program was invented in 1979. It was designed by Dan Bricklin and coded by Bob Frankston. (That means Dan Bricklin decided what features and menus the program should have, and Bob Frankston wrote the program.) They called the program VisiCalc because it was a “visible calculator”. VisiCalc’s first version ran on the Apple 2 computer and required 64K of RAM; later versions ran on the Radio Shack TRS-80 and IBM PC.

The second spreadsheet program was called SuperCalc because it was superior to VisiCalc. It was invented by a company called Sorcim (which is “micros” spelled backwards). The original version of SuperCalc ran on computers using the CP/M operating system. The most popular CP/M computer — the Osborne 1 — came with a free copy of SuperCalc. Later versions of SuperCalc ran on the Apple 2 and IBM PC. Eventually, Sorcim became part of a big conglomerate called Computer Associates.

Multiplan was the first spreadsheet program that could handle multiple spreadsheets simultaneously — and the relationships among them. Invented by Microsoft, it ran on a greater variety of computers than any other spreadsheet program: it ran on CP/M computers, the Radio Shack TRS-80, Commodore 64, Texas Instruments 99/4, IBM PC, Apple 2, and Apple Mac.

Context MBA was the first spreadsheet program that had extras: besides handling spreadsheets, it also handled graphs, databases, word processing, and telecommunications. But it ran slowly and its word processing was limited (it couldn’t center and wouldn’t let you set tab stops). It required a strange operating system (the Pascal P System). It was invented in 1981 by Context Management Systems, which later invented an MS-DOS version called Corporate MBA.

All those spreadsheet programs became irrelevant in 1983, when a much better spreadsheet program was invented. It was designed by Mitch Kapor and coded by Jonathan Sachs for the IBM PC. They called the program
1-2-3, because it ran fast and was supposed to handle 3 things: spreadsheets, graphs, and word processing; but when Jonathan examined Context MBA, he realized that putting a good word processor into 1-2-3 would consume too much RAM and make the program run too slowly. He omitted the word processor and replaced it with a stripped-down database processor instead. 1-2-3 handled spreadsheets well, graphs okay, and databases slightly. Mitch and Jonathan called their company Lotus Development Corporation, because Mitch was a transcendental-meditation instructor who got entranced by contemplating lotus flowers.

After inventing 1-2-3, Jonathan Sachs tried to invent a program called 1-2-3-4-5, which was to handle the same five tasks as Context MBA: spreadsheets, graphs, databases, word processing, and telecommunications.

Other companies invented cheap imitations of 1-2-3. The imitations were called 1-2-3 clones or 1-2-3 twins. The first 1-2-3 twins were The Twin (published by Mosaic Software) and VP-Planner (published by Paperback Software). Lotus sued both of those publishers and put them out of business.

In 1983 — the same year that Lotus invented 1-2-3 — Apple invented Lisa Calc. It was the first spreadsheet program to use a mouse. It ran just on the Lisa computer, which was expensive ($8,000). When Apple began selling the Mac computer the next year (1984), Microsoft began selling Multiplan for the Mac, which ran on the Mac and combined the best features of Multiplan and Lisa Calc. The next year, 1985, Microsoft invented a further improvement, called Excel because it’s excellent. Like 1-2-3, Excel handles spreadsheets, graphs, and databases.

Apple wanted to sue Microsoft for inventing the Windows operating system (which makes the IBM PC resemble a Mac). To avoid the suit, Microsoft agreed to put Excel on just the Mac for a year. Exactly one year later, when that agreement expired, Microsoft put Excel on the IBM PC.

So now Excel runs on both the Mac and the IBM PC. It’s the best spreadsheet program. The newest version,
Excel 2007, requires that you buy Windows.

Another fine spreadsheet program is called Quattro, because it’s what came after 1-2-3. It was invented by Borland, which later invented an improved version, called Quattro Pro. In 1994, Borland sold Quattro Pro to another company, Novell, which later sold it to Corel. So now Quattro Pro is published by Corel.

 

Get a spreadsheet program!

The best spreadsheet program is Excel, which requires that you buy Windows or a Mac.

To pay less, use the stripped-down spreadsheet programs that are part of Microsoft Works (for Windows) or AppleWorks (which has sometimes been called Claris Works and is available for the Apple 2, Mac, and Windows).

This chapter explains how to use the most popular spreadsheet programs: Excel and Microsoft Works. I’ll explain these versions:

All those versions run in Windows. (Other versions are similar.)

Some of those versions have alternative names:

Prepare yourself

Before using spreadsheet programs, practice using word-processing programs, which are simpler and explained in my word-processing chapter. Each program comes on a CD-ROM disk; the word-processing chapter explains how to copy the CD-ROM disk to your hard disk.

Launch the spreadsheet program

Here’s how to start using your spreadsheet program.…

Excel 97 Click “Start” then “Programs” then “Microsoft Excel”. (If the computer shows a button labeled “Start using Microsoft Excel”, click that button.)

Excel 2000 Click “Start” then “Programs” then “Microsoft Excel”. (If the computer shows a button labeled “Start using Microsoft Excel”, click that button.) Do this unmask procedure:

Excel 2002 Click “Start” then “Programs” then “Microsoft Excel”. Do this unmask procedure:

Close the New Workbook window (which is at the screen’s right edge) by clicking its X button.

Excel 2003 Click “start”. If you see “Microsoft Office Excel 2003”, click it; otherwise, click “All Programs” then “Microsoft Office” then “Microsoft Office Excel 2003”. Do this unmask procedure:

Close the Getting Started window (which is at the screen’s right edge) by clicking its X button.

Excel 2007 Click Start. If you see “Microsoft Office Excel 2007”, click it; otherwise, click “All Programs” then “Microsoft Office” then “Microsoft Office Excel 2007”.

Works 4.5 Turn the computer on, so you see the Start button. Double-click the icon that says Shortcut to Microsoft Works. (If the computer says “Click the OK button to see a short demonstration”, click the Cancel button.) Click Works Tools then the Spreadsheet button. At the screen’s top, you see the menu bar, which looks like this:

Click the menu bar’s last word, which is “Help”. You see a Help menu. From that menu, choose Hide Help (by clicking it).

Works 5&6&7 Turn the computer on, so you see the Start button. Double-click the Microsoft Works icon (which Works 6 might call the Microsoft Works Suite icon). Click Programs (which is near the screen’s top left corner) then Works Spreadsheet (which is near the screen’s left edge) then Start a blank spreadsheet. At the screen’s right edge, if you see a Works Help window, close it (by clicking its X button).

Works 8 Turn the computer on, so you see the “start” button. Click “start” then All Programs then Microsoft Works then Microsoft Works Task Launcher then Works Spreadsheet. At the screen’s right edge, if you see a Works Help window, close it (by clicking its X button).

Fill in the cells

The screen shows a grid that begins like this:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │

├────╔════════╗────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 ║        ║        │        │        │        │        │

├────╚════════╝────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │        │        │        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

The grid’s columns are labeled A, B, C, D, E, etc.

The grid’s rows are labeled 1, 2, 3, etc.

The grid is called a spreadsheet or worksheet.

Notice that the computer puts a box in column A, row 1. If you tap the right-arrow key, that box moves to the right, so it’s in column B. If you tap the down-arrow key, the box moves down, to row 2. By tapping the four arrow keys, you can move the box in all four directions, to practically anywhere on the grid. Try it!

Each possible position of the box is called a cell.

The box’s original position (in column A, row 1) is called cell A1. If you move the box there and then tap the right-arrow key, the box moves to column B, row 1; that position is called cell B1.

Just move the box from cell to cell, and put into each cell whatever words or numbers you wish!

For example, suppose you run a small business whose income is $7000 and expenses are $5000. Those are the figures for January; the figures for February aren’t in yet. Let’s put the January figures into a spreadsheet, like this:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 │        │January │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │Income  │    7000│        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │Expenses│    5000│        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │Profit  │        │        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

To begin, move the box to cell A2. Type the word Income. As you type that word, you see it appearing in cell A2. It also appears temporarily at the screen’s top, in an input line (which Works calls the entry bar and Excel calls the formula bar).

Press the down-arrow key, which moves the box down to cell A3. Type the word Expenses.

Press the down-arrow key (to move to cell A4). Type the word Profit.

Move the box to cell B1 (by pressing the up-arrow three times and then the right-arrow once). Type the word January.

Press down-arrow. Type 7000.

Press down-arrow. Type 5000.

Press down-arrow again.

Backspace key

If you make a mistake while typing the words and numbers, press the Backspace key to erase the last character you typed.

Alternative keys

Instead of pressing the right-arrow key, you can press the Tab key. Instead of pressing the down-arrow key, you can press the Enter key (except in Works 4.5).

Type a formula

Although the computer’s screen shows the words you typed (Income, Expenses, and Profit), the computer doesn’t understand what those words mean. It doesn’t know that “Profit” means “Income minus Expenses”. The computer doesn’t know that the number in cell B4 (which represents the profit) ought to be the number in cell B2 (the amount of income) minus the number in cell B3 (the dollars spent).

You must teach the computer the meaning of Profit, by teaching it that the number in cell B4 ought to be the number in cell B2 minus the number in cell B3. To do that, move the box to cell B4, then type this formula:

Notice that every formula begins with an equal sign. The rest of the formula, B2-B3, tells the computer to subtract the number in cell B3 from the number in cell B2 and put the answer into the box’s cell (which is cell B4).

When you’ve finished typing the formula, press the Enter key. Then the computer automatically computes the formula’s answer (2000) and puts that number into the box’s cell (B4), so the screen looks like this:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 │        │January │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │Income  │    7000│        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │Expenses│    5000│        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │Profit  │    2000│        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

The formula “=B2-B3” remains in effect forever. It says that the number in cell B4 will always be the B2 number minus the B3 number. If you ever change the numbers in cells B2 and B3 (by moving the box to those cells, retyping the numbers, and pressing Enter), the computer automatically adjusts the number in cell B4, so the number in cell B4 is still B2 minus B3 and still represents the correct profit.

For example, suppose you move the box to cell B2, then type 8000 (to change the January income to $8000), and then press Enter. As soon as you press Enter, the profit in cell B4 immediately changes to 3000, right in front of your eyes!

A typical spreadsheet contains dozens of numbers, totals, subtotals, averages, and percentages. Each cell that contains a total, subtotal, average, or percentage is defined by a formula. Whenever you retype one of the numbers in the spreadsheet, the computer automatically readjusts all the totals, subtotals, averages, and percentages, right before your eyes.

Remember to begin each formula with an equal sign. The rest of the formula can contain these symbols:

It can also contain E notation and parentheses. For details about how to use those symbols, E notation, and parentheses, read pages 370-373, which explain QBasic’s fundamentals and math.

Less typing When you’re creating a formula such as “=B2-B3”, you do not have to type the “B2”. Instead, you can choose one of these shortcuts:

Edit old cells

To edit what’s in a cell, move the box to that cell. Then choose one of these editing methods.…

Functions

Here’s how to perform functions.

Sum of a column To make a cell be the sum of cells B2 through B9, you can type this formula:

Instead of typing all that, you can type just this:

A function is a word that makes the computer calculate (such as SUM). After each function, you must put parentheses. For example, you must put parentheses after SUM.

Since the computer ignores capitalization, you can type:

Here’s how to type the formula =sum(b2:b9) quickly. Begin by typing:

Then drag from cell B2 to cell B9. To do that, move the mouse to cell B2, then hold down the mouse button while moving to B9. That makes the computer type the “B2:B9”. Here’s what to do next.…

AutoSum button Here’s an even faster way to type the formula =SUM(B2:B9). Click the AutoSum button, which has the symbol S on it.

(The symbol S is called “sigma”. It’s the Greek version of the letter S. Mathematicians use it to stand for the word “sum”.)

Clicking the AutoSum button makes the computer type “=SUM()”. It also makes the computer guess what you want the sum of. The computer puts that guess inside the parentheses.

If the computer’s guess differs from what you want (B2:B9), fix the guess (by dragging from cell B2 to cell B9). When you finally see the correct formula, =SUM(B2:B9), press Enter.

Sum of a row To find the sum of cells B2 through H2 (which is B2+C2+D2+E2+F2+G2+H2), type this:

Sum of a rectangle To find the sum of all cells in the rectangle that stretches from B2 to C4 (which is B2+B3+B4+C2+C3+C4), type this:

Average To find the average of cells B9 through B13, you can type this:

But this way is shorter.…

Here’s how to type that quickly.…

Excel 2002&2003&2007 provide this faster way to type the formula “=average(b9:b13)”: click the _u that’s next to the S button, then click “Average”.

To find the average of cells C7, B5, and F2, you can ask for (c7+b5+f2)/3, but a nicer way is to type this.…

Undo

If you make a big mistake, click the Undo button, which shows an arrow turning back to the left.

That makes the computer undo your last activity, so your spreadsheet returns to the way it looked before you made your boo-boo.

To undo your last two activities, click the Undo button twice. (Exception: Microsoft Works lets you undo just one activity.)

Redo If you click the Undo button, the computer might undo a different activity than you expected. If clicking the Undo button accidentally makes the spreadsheet look even worse instead of better, and you wish you hadn’t clicked the Undo button, here’s how to “undo the undo”.…

 

Here’s how to be quick as a bunny and hop far in your spreadsheet.

Farther rows

The screen shows just a few rows, which are numbered 1, 2, 3, etc. Row 1 is at the top of the screen. Row 15 is near the bottom of the screen.

Try this experiment. Move the box down to row 15 (by pressing the down-arrow key repeatedly). Then press the down-arrow key several more times. Eventually, you’ll get to row 30, and later to row 100, and much later to row 1000. (The largest row number you can go to is 16384 in Works, 65536 in Excel 97&2000&2002&2003, 1048576 in Excel 2007.)

To make room on the screen for those new rows, row 1 disappears temporarily. If you want to get back to row 1, press the up-arrow key repeatedly.

Farther columns

The screen shows just a few columns, which are lettered A, B, C, etc. If you press the right-arrow key repeatedly, you’ll eventually get to column Z.

After column Z, you can still continue pressing the right-arrow key. The next 26 columns are lettered from AA to AZ. The next 26 columns are lettered from BA to BA. And so on.

Here’s how many columns you can have:

AutoRepeat

Here’s a shortcut: instead of pressing an arrow key repeatedly, just hold down the key awhile.

Mouse

To move the box to a distant cell even faster, use the mouse: just click in the middle of the cell you wish.

Screenfuls

To move far down, press the Page Down key. To move far up, press the Page Up key. To move far to the right, do this.…

To move far to the left, do this.…

Each of those keys moves the box far enough so that you see the next screenful of rows and columns.

Home key

Cell A1 is called the home cell, because that’s where life and your spreadsheet begin: at home! Column A is called the home column.

Your keyboard has a Home key. Here’s how to use it:

Spreadsheet’s edge

To move to the spreadsheet’s edge, press an arrow key while holding down the Ctrl key.

For example, to move the box to the spreadsheet’s right edge, press the right-arrow key while holding down the Ctrl key. That moves the box moves to the right, until it reaches the final column (IV or XFD) or a boundary cell (a cell containing data and next to an empty cell).

F5 key

To make the box go to a distant cell immediately: press the F5 key (or press Ctrl with G), then type the name of the cell where you want to go (such as C9) followed by Enter.

Excel lets you also use this alternative:

 

How many rows and columns are in your spreadsheet, and how big are they? Here’s how to adjust them.

Widen a column

When you start a new spreadsheet, here’s what happens.…

Here’s how make column D be wider, so each cell in column D can hold long numbers and long words:

Widen several columns Excel lets you widen columns D, E, F, and G simultaneously. Here’s how:

Perfect width Here’s how to make column D just wide enough to hold the widest data in it.…

(If the column doesn’t contain data yet, the computer will leave the column’s width unchanged.)

Excel lets you make columns D, E, F, and G have perfect widths simultaneously. Here’s how:

Long numbers If you try to type a long number in a cell that’s too narrow to hold the number, the cell might display number signs (#) instead of the number.

For example, if you try typing a long number in a cell that’s just 4 characters wide, the computer will display 4 number signs (like this: ####).

Although the cell displays just number signs, the computer remembers the long number you typed. To see the long number, widen the cell (by widening its column).

So if you see number signs in a cell, the computer is telling you the cell’s too narrow and should be widened.

Long words Try this experiment. Make cell B1 be just 4 characters wide. Then try to type the word “January” in that cell.

That cell, B1, might show just the first 4 letters (Janu). But if the next cell (C1) is blank, cell B1 will temporarily widen to hold “January”, then contract to its original size (4 characters) when you enter data in cell C1.

Delete a column

Here’s how to delete column D:

The computer erases all the data from column D, so column D becomes blanks, which the computer immediately fills by shifting some data from other columns. Here’s how.…

Into column D, the computer moves the data from column E. Then into column E, the computer moves the data from column F. Then into column F, the computer moves the data from column G. And so on.

At the end of the process, the top of the screen still shows all the letters (A, B, C, D, E, F, G, etc.); but now column D contains the data that used to be in column E; and column E contains the data that used to be in column F; etc.

After rearranging the spreadsheet, the computer fixes all formulas. For example, after column E’s data has moved to column D, the computer hunts through all formulas in the spreadsheet and fixes them by changing each “E” to “D”. The computer also changes each “F” to “E”, each “G” to “F”, etc.

Delete several columns You’ve learned how to delete column D. Here’s how to delete several columns. To delete columns D, E, F, and G, drag from the D to the G, then do the following.…

Delete a row

Here’s how to delete row 2:

Then the computer erases all the data from row 2, so row 2 becomes empty; but then the computer immediately fills that hole, by shifting the data from other rows. Here’s how.…

Into row 2, the computer moves the data from row 3. Then into row 3, the computer moves the data from row 4. Then into row 4, the computer moves the data from row 5. And so on.

At the end of the process, the left edge of the screen still shows all the numbers (1, 2, 3, 4, 5, etc.); but now row 2 contains the data that used to be in row 3; and row 3 contains the data that used to be in row 4; etc.

The computer fixes all formulas.

Insert a column

Here’s how to insert an extra column in the middle of your spreadsheet:

The computer will move other columns out of the way, to make room for the extra column. The computer will also fix each formula.

Insert a row

Here’s how to insert an extra row in the middle of your spreadsheet:

The computer will move other rows out of the way, to make room for the extra row. The computer will also fix each formula.

Zoom

You can make your screen show twice as many rows and columns.

Here’s how in Excel 2007:

Here’s how in Excel 97&2000&2002&2003:

Here’s how in Works:

All those Zoom choices affect just what you see on the screen. They do not affect what’s printed on paper.

Panes

On your screen, you see a window that contains part of your spreadsheet. (That window is big enough to usually show columns A through I on a cheap screen, and more columns on a fancier screen.)

You can divide that window into two windowpanes, so that each windowpane shows a different part of your spreadsheet.

Vertical panes Here’s how to divide your window into two windowpanes, so that the left pane shows columns A, B, and C, while the right pane shows columns X, Y and Z.

Get column A onto the screen (by pressing the Home key).

In Excel, do this:

In Works, do this:

As you drag, you’ll see a vertical gray bar move across your spreadsheet. Drag until the vertical gray bar is in the middle of the spreadsheet. For best results, drag until that bar is slightly to the right of column C’s right edge.

That bar splits the screen into two panes. The left pane shows columns A through C; the right pane shows column D and beyond.

Then click anywhere in the right pane. That puts the box in the right pane, and makes the right pane active. Press the right-arrow key several times, until you reach columns X, Y, and Z.

If you want to move the box back to the left pane, just click the left pane.

To stop using vertical panes, double-click the vertical gray bar.

Horizontal panes Here’s how to divide your window into two panes, so that the top pane shows rows 1, 2, and 3, while the bottom pane shows rows 97, 98, and 99.

Get row 1 onto the screen (by pressing the Page Up key several times).

At the spreadsheet’s top right corner, you’ll see the scroll bar’s up-arrow pointing at a horizontal bar. Put the mouse pointer on that bar; when you do, the pointer becomes the symbol ^═_¤^£ (and in Works is labeled “ADJUST”). Drag that bar down. As you drag, you’ll see a horizontal gray bar move down your spreadsheet. Drag until the horizontal gray bar is in the middle of the spreadsheet. For best results, drag until that bar is slightly under row 3’s bottom edge.

That bar splits the screen into two panes. The top pane shows rows 1 through 3; the bottom pane shows row 4 and beyond.

Then click anywhere in the bottom pane. That puts the box in the bottom pane, and makes the bottom pane active. Press the down-arrow key several times, until you reach rows 97, 98, and 99.

If you want to move the box back to the top pane, just click the top pane.

To stop using horizontal panes, double-click the horizontal gray bar.

Freeze title panes You should put a title at the top of each column. For example, if column B contains financial information for January, and column C contains financial information for February, you should put the word January at the top of column B, and the word February at the top of column C. Since the words January and February are at the top of the columns, they’re in row 1. They’re called the column titles.

If row 2 analyzes Income, and row 3 analyzes Expenses, you should put the word Income at the left edge of row 2, and the word Expenses at the left edge of row 3. Since the words Income and Expenses are at the left edge of the spreadsheet, they’re in column A. They’re called the row titles.

So in a typical spreadsheet, the column titles are in row 1, and row titles are in column A.

Unfortunately, when you move beyond column L or beyond row 24 (by pressing the arrow keys repeatedly), the titles normally disappear from the screen, and you forget the purpose of each row and column. Here’s how to solve that problem.

Get cell A1 onto the screen (by pressing Ctrl with Home).

Click cell B2. Then do this:

Now the window is divided into four panes, separated by thick black gridlines. The main top pane contains the column titles (January, February, etc.); the main left pane contains the row titles (Income, Expenses, etc.); a tiny pane in the upper-left corner contains a blank cell; and a huge pane contains all the spreadsheet’s data.

Then move through the huge pane, by using the arrow keys or mouse. As you move, the column and row titles stay fixed on the screen, since they’re not in the big pane.

Here’s how to stop using freeze title panes.…

 

On your spreadsheet, find these cells: B2, B3, B4, C2, C3, and C4. Those six cells are next to each other. In fact, they form a giant rectangular area, whose top left corner is B2.

Here’s how to take all the data in that rectangle and move it to a different part of your spreadsheet.

Drag from the rectangle’s first cell (B2) to the rectangle’s last cell (C4). The entire rectangle turns dark (except for the first cell, which stays white).

Surrounding the rectangle, you’ll see four walls. Those walls are the four sides of the rectangle.

Using your mouse, point at one of the rectangle’s walls. (Do not point at a corner.) When you’ve pointed correctly, here’s what happens.…

Then hold down the mouse’s button and drag the wall. While you drag the wall, the rest of the rectangle drags along with it. Drag until the entire rectangle is at a part of the spreadsheet that was blank. Then lift your finger from the mouse’s button.

That’s how you move a rectangle of data to a new place in your spreadsheet that had been blank.

Try it!

After moving the rectangle of data, the computer automatically adjusts all formulas mentioning the moved cells. For example, if the data in cell B2 has moved to cell E7, the computer searches through the entire spreadsheet and, in each formula, changes “B2” to “E7”.

Spreadsheet programs let you copy info in several ways.

Fill to the right

Here’s how to make lots of love with the computer!

Go ahead! Try turning your computer into a lovemaking machine! Do it now! This is an important exercise to try before you get into more advanced computer orgies!

Here’s another example:

Fill down

When you point at a cell’s bottom right corner and drag, you usually drag to the right. But if you prefer, you can drag down, so you’re copying to the cells underneath (instead of the cells to the right).

Extend a series

You’ve learned that if the original cell said “love”, the adjacent cells will say “love”; and if the original cell said “tickle”, the other cells will say “tickle”.

But if the original cell said “January”, the adjacent cells will not say “January”. Instead, the computer makes them say “February”, “March”, “April”, “May”, etc.

So here’s how to put the words “January”, “February”, “March”, “April”, etc., across the top of your spreadsheet:

Your computer performs fundamental tricks:

Works performs these extra tricks:

Excel performs these extra tricks:

Limitation: if you start with just a plain number (such as 1), the computer will just copy that number; it will not say 2, 3, 4, etc. If you start with just the plain number 2001, the computer will just copy that number; it will not say 2002, 2003, 2004, etc. To make the computer do more than just copy, include a word. For example, instead of saying just 1, say “Idiot 1”; then the computer will say “Idiot 2”, “Idiot 3”, “Idiot 4”, etc. Instead of saying just 2001, say “Year 2001” or “2001 Results” or “People We Accidentally Shot In 2001”; then the computer will generate similar headings for 2002, 2003, etc.

Copy a formula’s concept

If you ask the computer to copy a formula, the computer will copy the concept underlying the formula.

Here’s an example:

Here’s another example:

Here’s another example:

Absolute addresses Notice again how copying from B4 to C4 turns the formula =B2+B3 into =C2+C3: it turns each B into a C.

If you want to prevent those changes, put dollar signs in the original formula. For example, if you want to prevent B3 from turning into D3, put dollar signs around the B3, so cell B4 contains this formula:

When you copy that cell to C4, the dollar signs prevents the computer from turning the B3 into C3; C4’s formula will become =C2+$B$3 (instead of =C2+C3).

Here’s how to type “=B2+$B$3” quickly. Type the “=” sign, then move the box to cell B2, then type the “+” sign. Finally, create the $B$3 by using this trick: move the box to cell B3, then press the F4 key. When you’ve finished creating the entire formula, press Enter.

A cell’s name (such as B3) is called the cell’s address, because the cell’s name tells you where to find the cell. An address that contains dollar signs (such as $B$3) is called an absolute address, because the address is absolutely fixed and will never change, not even when you copy the formula. An address that lacks dollar signs is called a relative address, because when you copy that address you’ll be copying the cell’s relationship to the other cells.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Finished creating your spreadsheet? Here’s how to copy it to the disk and printer and move on to another task.

Find the buttons

Most spreadsheet programs have 4 buttons near the screen’s top left corner:

Each spreadsheet program is peculiar.

Here’s how to use the helpful buttons.…

Save button

To save the spreadsheet (copy it onto the disk), click the Save button.

If you haven’t saved the spreadsheet before, the computer will say “File Name”. Invent a name for your spreadsheet. Type the name and press Enter.

That makes the computer copy the spreadsheet onto the hard disk.

For example, if you named the spreadsheet “mary”, here’s what happens:

Afterwards, if you change your mind and want to do more editing, go ahead! When you finish that extra editing, save it by clicking the Save button again.

Save often If you’re typing a long document, click the Save button about every 10 minutes. Click it whenever you get to a good stopping place and think, “What I’ve typed so far looks good!”

Then if an accident happens, you’ll lose at most 10 minutes of work, and you can return to the last version you felt good about.

Print button

To print your spreadsheet onto paper, click the Print button. (If you’re using Excel 2007, then press Enter.)

Page Setup

Before clicking the Print button, you can tell the computer what kind of printing you prefer. Here’s how.…

Works Choose Page Setup from the File menu.

Click the Margins tab.

Click the tab called “Source, Size & Orientation”.

Click Other Options.

When you finish expressing all your preferences to the computer, click OK then the Print button.

Excel 97&2000&2002&2003 Choose Page Setup from the File menu.

Click Page.

Click Margins.

Click Header/Footer.

Click Sheet.

When you finish expressing all your preferences to the computer, click OK then the Print button.

Excel 2007 Click Page Layout.

Click Insert then Header & Footer.

When you finish expressing your preferences to the computer, click Home then the Office button then the Print button then Enter.

Leave the spreadsheet

When you finish working on a spreadsheet, do this.…

Excel 2007 Click the Office button. Then click
Exit Excel or Close.

Excel 97&2000&2002&2003 Choose Exit or Close from the File menu.

Works 4.5 Choose Exit Works or Close from the File menu.

Works 5&6&7&8 Click the X at the screen’s top right corner. Then you have three choices:

Didn’t save? If you didn’t save your spreadsheet yet, the computer asks, “Do you want to save the changes?” If you click “Yes”, the computer copies your document’s most recent version to the hard disk; if you click “No” instead, the computer ignores and forgets your most recent editing.

Congratulations! You’ve learned all the fundamental spreadsheet commands!

 

Here’s how to make the cells in your spreadsheet look beautiful.

First, if you’re in the middle of typing a number or word, finish typing it and then press the Enter key.

Next, select which cells you want to beautify. Here’s how.

When doing one of those selections, use the mouse.

The part of the spreadsheet you’ve selected is called the selection (or range). It’s turned entirely dark, except for the cell where the box is. (In Excel 2007, “dark” is gray; in Excel 2002&2003, “dark” is blue; in Excel 2000, “dark” is purple; in Excel 97 and Works, “dark” is black.)

If your selection includes at least 2 numbers, Excel can make the screen’s bottom show you statistics:

After you’ve made your selection, tell the computer how to beautify it. Choose one of the following forms of beauty.…

Italic

Here’s how to make all writing in the selection be italicized (like this).

Find the I button, which is near the screen’s top.

Activate that button by clicking it. Activating the button changes the button’s appearance:

That makes all writing in the selection be italicized.

If you change your mind and want the writing not to be italicized, select the writing again (so it turns dark again) then deactivate the I button (by clicking it again).

Bold

Here’s how to make all writing in the selection be bold (like this).

Find the B button, which is near the screen’s top and next to the I button.

Activate that button by clicking it. That makes all writing in the selection be bold.

If you change your mind and want the writing not to be bold, select the writing again (so it turns dark again) then deactivate the B button (by clicking it again).

To get bold italics, activate the bold button and also the italic button (by clicking both of them).

Underline

Here’s how to make all writing in the selection be underlined (like this).

Find the U button, which is near the screen’s top and next to the I button.

Activate that button by clicking it. That makes all writing in the selection be underlined.

If you change your mind and want the writing not to be underlined, select the writing again (so it turns dark again) then deactivate the U button again (by clicking it again).

Font size

Above column B, and below the word Format, you see the number 10.

To make all writing in the selection get bigger (like this), click the down-arrow to the right of that 10, then click a font size bigger than 10. (For example, click 14 or 16.)

To make your spreadsheet easier to read, use big writing for the column headings (such as January), the row headings (such as Income, Expenses, and Profit), any totals, and the bottom-line results (such as the $2000 profit).

Align

Here’s how to make all writing in the selection be nudged slightly to the left or slightly to the right.

Click one of these three buttons:

Those buttons are near the top of the screen.

Here’s what those buttons do:

                                                              ┌───────────────────────────┐

clicking the left button makes each cell’s writing be flush left      │like this                  │

                                                              └───────────────────────────┘

                                                              ┌───────────────────────────┐

clicking the center button makes each cell’s writing be centered     │         like this         │

                                                              └───────────────────────────┘

                                                              ┌───────────────────────────┐

clicking the right button makes each cell’s writing be flush right  │                  like this│

                                                              └───────────────────────────┘

Don’t click? If you don’t click any of the buttons, here’s what happens:

Align the headings In a simple spreadsheet, row 1 usually contains words that are column headings. Below those headings are numbers, which are flush right.
To align the headings with the numbers beneath them, make the headings be flush right also. To do that, select row 1 (by clicking the 1), then click the right button.

Delete

To make all writing in the selection vanish (so it’s erased), press the Delete key.

Money

The computer can handle money.

To make each number in the selection look like dollars-and-cents, click the $ button. That makes the computer put a dollar sign before each number and put two digits after the decimal point. If the number is big, the computer inserts commas.

For example, if the number is 1538.4, the computer turns it into:

┌─────────┐

│$1,538.40│

└─────────┘

Rounding If the number is .739, the computer rounds it. Works shows you this:

┌─────────┐

│    $0.74│

└─────────┘

Excel shows you this:

┌─────────┐

│$    0.74│

└─────────┘

Negative numbers If a number is negative (because you lost money instead of gained), the computer follows the tradition of accountants and the Internal Revenue Service: it puts the number in parentheses (instead of writing a minus sign).

For example, suppose the number is -974.25. Works shows you this:

┌──────────┐

│ ($974.25)│

└──────────┘

Excel show you this:

┌──────────┐

│$ (974.25)│

└──────────┘

Excel’s features Excel has these features:

Percent

The computer can handle percentages.

Excel To make each number in the selection look like percentage, click the % button. For example, if the number is .74, the computer turns it into 74%.

When writing the percentage, the computer doesn’t write any decimal point. For example, if the number is .519, the computer rounds it to 52%.

Works To make each number in the selection look like percentage, click “Format” then “Number” then “Percent” then OK.

For example, if the number is .74, the computer turns it into 74%. When writing a percent, the computer shows two digits after the decimal point, so the computer shows:

┌─────────┐

│   74.00%│

└─────────┘

If the number is .51429, the computer turns it into 51.429% then rounds it to two digits after the decimal point, so you see:

┌─────────┐

│   51.43%│

└─────────┘

Negatives If the number is negative the computer puts a negative sign in front.

Decimal places

Excel has these features:

Font

Normally, the characters you type are in a font called Arial. (Exception: in Excel 2007, the characters are in a font called Calibri.) To make all writing in the selection have a different font (such as Times New Roman), click the down-arrow that’s next to “Arial” or “Calibri”, then click whichever font you want.

These four fonts are especially popular:

Arial, Arial Black, and Times New Roman come free as part of Windows 98&Me&XP&Vista. Arial Narrow comes free as part of Microsoft Office & Microsoft Works Suite.

Text color

Normally, the characters you type are black. Here’s how to make all characters in the selection be a different color (such as red).

Excel 2007 Above column D, you see the Font Color button, which has an underlined A on it. Notice the color of the A’s underline.

Excel 97&2000&2002&2003 Near the screen’s top-right corner, you see the Font Color button, which has an underlined A on it. Notice the color of the A’s underline.

Works 6&7&8 Click Format then Font, then click the “Select font color” box’s down-arrow. Look through the list of 15 colors, by using that list’s scroll arrows. Click whichever color you want, then click OK.

Works 4.5&5 Click Format then “Font and Style”, then click the Color box’s down-arrow. Look through the list of 15 colors, by using that list’s scroll arrows. Click whichever color you want, then click OK.

Distorted color Excel 2000&2002&2003&2007 show the text color perfectly. If you used Excel 97 or Works instead and selected several cells, some of those cells temporarily show distorted colors, until you click a single cell.

Background color

Normally, you type on a white background. Here’s how to make the entire selection’s background become a different color (such as yellow).

Excel 2007 Above columns C and D, you see the Fill Color button, which shows a paint can pouring onto a floor. Look at the floor’s color.

Excel 97&2000&2002&2003 Near the screen’s top right corner, you see the Fill Color button, which shows a paint can pouring onto a floor. Look at the floor’s color.

Works 6&7&8 Click Format then Shading. Underneath “Pattern color”, click the background color you want (after using the scroll arrows to see the complete list of 15 colors). Underneath “Pattern”, click “Solid”. Then click OK.

Works 4.5&5 Click Format then Shading. Underneath Pattern, click the solid black bar. Below the word “Foreground” (not “Background”), click the background color you want (after using the scroll arrows to see the complete list of 15 colors). Then click OK.

Distorted color If you selected several cells, some of them temporarily show distorted colors, until you click a single cell.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This spreadsheet shows how three students (Zelda, Al, and Pedro) scored on a test:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │   G    │   H    │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 │Student │Score   │        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │Zelda   │      42│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │Al      │       7│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │Pedro   │     100│        │        │        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

Alphabetize In that list of students, Zelda is on the top; Pedro is on the bottom.

Here’s how to rearrange the rows, to put the students in alphabetical order (from A to Z).

That makes the spreadsheet become:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │   G    │   H    │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 │Student │Score   │        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │Al      │       7│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │Pedro   │     100│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │Zelda   │      42│        │        │        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

Increasing scores Here’s how to rearrange the rows, to put the scores in numerical order (starting with the lowest score and ending with the highest).

That makes the spreadsheet become:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │   G    │   H    │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 │Student │Score   │        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │Al      │       7│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │Zelda   │      42│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │Pedro   │     100│        │        │        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

Decreasing scores Here’s how to make the computer put the scores in reverse numerical order (from highest score to lowest score).

That makes the spreadsheet become:

┌────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┬────────┐

│    │   A    │   B    │   C    │   D    │   E    │   F    │   G    │   H    │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  1 │Student │Score   │        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  2 │Pedro   │     100│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  3 │Zelda   │      42│        │        │        │        │        │        │

├────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┼────────┤

│  4 │Al      │       7│        │        │        │        │        │        │

└────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┴────────┘

That list is useful, since it puts the winners at the top and the losers at the bottom.

You can graph your data. In modern spreadsheet programs (such as Excel and and Works), graphs are called charts.

For example, suppose you want to graph the data from a company you run. Your company sells Day-Glo Pink Hair Dye. (Your motto is: “To brighten your day, stay in the pink!”)

You have two salespeople, Joe and Sue. Joe’s worked for you a long time, and sells about $8,000 worth of dye each month. Sue joined your company recently and is rapidly improving at encouraging people to turn their hair pink. She does that by inventing slogans for various age groups, such as:

This spreadsheet shows how many dollars worth of dye Joe and Sue sold each month:

 

 

 

 

 

The spreadsheet shows that Joe sold $8000 worth of dye in January, $6500 in February, and $7400 in March.

Sue’s a trainee. She sold just $2000 worth in January, but her monthly sales zoomed up to $12500 by March.

Here’s how to turn that spreadsheet into a graph (chart).

Chart in Excel

First, type the spreadsheet.

Next, format the numbers. To do that, drag from the first number (cell B2) to the last number (cell D3), click the $ button (to put dollar signs in front of the numbers), then twice click the Decrease Decimal button (to round to the nearest dollar). The spreadsheet becomes this:

 

 

 

 

 

Tell the computer which cells to graph. To do that, drag from the blank starting cell (A1) to the last number (cell D3). Drag just to that cell, since the computer gets confused if you drag across extra cells or rows or columns.

For Excel 2007, do this:

For Excel 97&2000&2002&2003, do this:

The graph is part of your spreadsheet, so your spreadsheet looks like this:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Edit If you change the numbers in the spreadsheet’s cells, the graph will change too, automatically!

The entire graph is inside a white box. Try this experiment: click inside that white box, but near the box’s outer edge. Then you’ll see 8 handles at the white box’s edges. (In Excel 97&2000&2002&2003, each handle is a tiny black square. In Excel 2007, each handle is a group of 3 or 4 dark-gray dots.) Those handles mean the white box is selected. Four of those handles are at the corners; they’re called the corner handles.

Print To print the graph onto paper, do this:

If you click outside the graph’s box and then click the Print button, your printer will print entire spreadsheet, including the graph! (But before you do that procedure, you should move the graph’s box closer to the screen’s left edge and closer to the spreadsheet’s numbers, to avoid wasting paper.)

Save If you click the Save button, your hard disk will store a copy of the entire spreadsheet, including the graph.

Chart in Works

First, type the spreadsheet.

Next, format the numbers. To do that, drag from the first number (cell B2) to the last number (cell D3), then click the $ button (to put dollar signs in front of the numbers). The spreadsheet becomes this:

┌─────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┬──────────┬─────────┬─────────┬─────────┐

│     │    A    │    B    │    C    │    D     │    E    │    F    │    G    │

├─────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤

│  1  │         │  January│ February│     March│         │         │         │

├─────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤

│  2  │Joe      │$8,000.00│$6,500.00│ $7,400.00│         │         │         │

├─────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┼──────────┼─────────┼─────────┼─────────┤

│  3  │Sue      │$2,000.00│$4,300.00│$12,500.00│         │         │         │

└─────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┴──────────┴─────────┴─────────┴─────────┘

Tell the computer which cells to graph. To do that, drag from the blank starting cell (A1) to the last number (cell D3). Drag just to that cell, since the computer gets confused if you drag across extra cells or rows or columns.

Click the New Chart button, which is near the screen’s top right corner and shows vertical bars. (If the computer says “First-time Help”, press Enter.)

The computer says “New Chart”. Press Enter. Then the computer draws the graph on the screen, in a window called Chart1. That window covers up the spreadsheet, so you can’t see the spreadsheet. To see the spreadsheet again, choose Spreadsheet from the View menu. Then you see the spreadsheet again, but don’t see the chart. To see the chart again, choose Chart from the View menu (then press Enter in Works 4.5&5).

Edit If you change the numbers in the spreadsheet’s cells, the graph will change too, automatically!

Print While the graph is on the screen, you can print it onto paper by clicking the Print button. On paper, the computer makes the graph be taller, so it consumes nearly the entire sheet of paper.

Save If you click the Save button, your hard disk will store a copy of the entire spreadsheet, including the graph.