Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 1 Lesson 1 Getting S tarted w ith E xcel Les s on Topics Using Excel The Workbook Exiting Excel Les s on Objectives At the end of the lesson, you will be able to: Identify the primary components of the Excel screen, including the application window, the document window, the task pane, the toolbars, the Menu bar, the scroll bars, the Status bar, the Formula bar, and sheet tabs; Make a particular cell active; Use the mouse or the keyboard to move the pointer around a worksheet; Exit Excel. Student Files Us ed You will not use any files from your student folder. Student Files Crea ted You will not save any new files to your student folder. Copyright 1985-2007, Finney Learning Systems, Inc. All rights reserved.
2 Microsoft Excel 2003 - Beginning and Beyond Using Excel Microsoft Excel is a spreadsheet program, which means it works primarily with numbers. Spreadsheets are used to perform calculations, such as those needed to generate financial statements, tax forms, budgets, invoices, and investment plans. Excel is not limited to spreadsheets, though. You can use it to create charts and graphs, and it has a database capability, which means it can be used to manage and analyze information. The spreadsheet capability, however, is the heart of the Excel program. You are going to start Excel and explore some of Excel s basic components. Starting Excel There are a number of different ways in which to start Excel. You can use the Start button, you can double-click an Excel icon (more accurately, a shortcut) that might be on your Desktop, or you can double-click an icon for an Excel document. There may be other ways available to you but these are the standard methods. You are going to use the Start button to open Excel. 1. Click the Start button. 2. Usually, the Excel item can be found through the All Programs submenu. On the Start menu, point to the All Programs item. A submenu appears. 3. Point to Microsoft Office. If you do not see it, click a downward pointing double chevron at the bottom of the submenu to see more items. A submenu appears. 4. Point to Microsoft Of fice Ex cel 2003 and click. After a few moments, the Excel application window appears. There is a document window on top of it, although at the moment you might not be able to recognize it. Your screen should look similar to the one on the following page. Underneath the windows, and probably out of view, is the Desktop.
Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 3 Moving the Pointer When you move the mouse around the gridlines in the document window, a hollow cross moves with you. This is called the mouse pointer, which we are going to shorten to simply pointer. When you move the pointer to other areas of the screen, it takes on different shapes so you can choose menu items and perform other tasks. 1. Move the mouse around the gridlines and watch the pointer (the hollow cross) move. 2. Move up the screen and notice how the pointer changes to other shapes. The Task Pane At the right of the window is the task pane. If it is not there, as in the example above, do not worry. In Setting Up Excel, p. viii, we recommended that you close it. Task panes are used to coordinate various activities associated with some functions. You will be learning about task panes later. 1. You are going to close this task pane so there will be a larger work area. Click on the close button in the upper right corner of the task pane.
4 Microsoft Excel 2003 - Beginning and Beyond The Application and Document Windows As mentioned, there are two windows on your screen the application window and a document window on top of it. The document window will ultimately hold the workbook information. There can be many document windows, but only one application window. We are going to take you through a few steps so that you can easily distinguish the two windows. 1. First, you are going to maximize your application window to give yourself plenty of room in which to work. It may already be maximized, but you are going to go through the following steps to be sure. The buttons at the right of the Title bar (not the Menu bar) are for the application window. If there is a Restore button, rather than a Maximize button, the window is maximized. You do not have to do anything. If there is a Maximize button, the window is not maximized. Click the Maximize button. You are now sure that the application window is maximized. 2. If the document window is maximized, it can be difficult to tell the two windows apart. Therefore, you are going to verify that it is not maximized. The buttons at the right of the Menu bar (not the Title bar) are for the document window. If there are no buttons at the right of the Menu bar, the window is not maximized. You do not have to do anything. If there is a Restore button on a second set of buttons, the document window is maximized. On the second set of buttons, click the Restore button to reduce the size of the document window. Your screen should look something like the example at the top of the following page. Do not be concerned if elements are missing. You can now see the two windows. On the Title bar of both windows, notice the System menu on the left and the Minimize, Maximize, and Close buttons on
Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 5 the right. Notice that the document window does not have its own Menu bar; it uses the application window s Menu bar. 3. A document window can be moved around on the application window. You are going to move the document window diagonally down and to the left. We will refer to it as the Book1 window. Point to an empty area of the Book1 Title bar. Remember, if you double-click on a Title bar, the window will be maximized. If this happens to you, click the Restore button and start again. 4. Drag the window down and to the left a little ways. Your screen should look like the example at the top of the next page. Notice that you cannot drag the document window off the application window. Document windows always remain on the application window. You can, however, open other document windows and place them on top of each other or resize them and place them side by side on the application window.
6 Microsoft Excel 2003 - Beginning and Beyond When a document window is minimized, it is reduced to a miniature Title bar and placed at the bottom of the application window. You are going to do this. 1. On the right side of the Book1 Title bar, click the Minimize button (if you are not sure what this is, refer to the example on the previous page). Notice that the Book1 window now appears as a minimized Title bar at the bottom of the application window. Also notice that the buttons on the Book1 Title bar are now Restore, Maximize, and Close. 2. You are going to restore the document window. At the right of the minimized Title bar, point to the Restore button and click. Notice that the Book1 window has been restored to its previous size. Tip: You can also restore a minimized document window by double-clicking on an empty area of its mini Title bar.
Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 7 When a document window is maximized, it shares the application window s Title bar. You are going to maximize the document window. 1. On the Book1 window, click the Maximize button. Notice that the Title bars have been combined. There is now one Title bar with Microsoft Excel - Book1 on it. Also notice that when a document window is maximized, its System menu, Minimize, Restore, and Close buttons are placed on the Menu bar. Note: For these lessons, you will work with both windows maximized. This allows you to have as much room as possible in which to work. The Menu Bar You are going to take a look at Excel s menus. If you have worked with other Microsoft Office applications, such as Word, many of the items will be familiar to you. 1. Point to the File menu and click. Notice the drop-down menu. Most Windows applications have a File menu with many of the same items. Notice that some of the items have an ellipsis (...) following them. This indicates that a dialog box will appear when you choose it. You will use dialog boxes throughout this course. 2. Point (you do not have to click) to the Edit menu. Notice that some of the items are dimmed, indicating that they are unavailable to you right now. For example, you cannot choose paste unless something from the document has been cut or copied. The icons to the
8 Microsoft Excel 2003 - Beginning and Beyond left of some items are representations of buttons on the toolbar. Also notice that to the right of some items are keyboard commands, such as Ctrl+X for Cut and Ctrl+C for Copy. These are keyboard shortcuts that let you bypass the menu. 3. Point to the other menus and notice the ellipses, dimmed items, keyboard commands, and check marks (indicating selected options). Other Window Elements There are a number of other window elements that should be addressed. You already know about the Title bar and the Menu bar. Below the Menu bar are the Standard toolbar, the Formatting toolbar, and the Formula bar, which belong to the application window. A Status bar at the bottom of the application window provides you with information about the document. Ready is currently displayed, indicating that Excel is ready for you to enter something into a cell. (You will see other indicators on the Status bar as you work through these lessons.)
Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 9 The Workbook In Excel, a document is called a workbook. A workbook may contain multiple sheets, much like the pages in a three-ring binder. The sheets are originally named Sheet1, Sheet2, etc. The names of the sheets appear on tabs at the bottom of the document window. The Worksheet A worksheet is used to hold the spreadsheet, chart, or database information. Notice that it consists of columns (identified by letters at the top), and rows (identified by numbers along the left side). The gridlines form boxes, called cells. The cell formed by the intersection of column A and row 1 is called A1, which is its cell reference, or address. Notice that this cell has a darker border around it. This indicates that it is the active cell. Notice A1 at the left of the Formula bar. The address of the active cell always appears in this area called the Name box. Indicating a Different Active Cell You are going to make other cells the active cell. 1. Position the pointer (the hollow cross) in cell A2 and click the left mouse button. Notice that the active cell is now A2. Notice the cell reference in the Name box. 2. Position the pointer in cell A3 and click. A3 is now the active cell. Notice its cell reference in the Name box. 3. Position the pointer in cell B3 and click. B3 is the active cell. Notice its cell reference in the Name box. 4. Position the pointer in G14 and click. G14 is the active cell. Notice its cell reference in the Name box. You can also use the ARROW keys to move the active cell around the worksheet. 1. Tap the UP ARROW key.
10 Microsoft Excel 2003 - Beginning and Beyond Notice that the active cell is now G13. 2. Tap the LEFT ARROW key. Notice that the active cell is now F13. 3. Take a little time and move around the worksheet with the arrow keys and the pointer. Moving Around a Workbook On the screen, you can see only a small fraction of the entire worksheet. It actually contains 65,536 rows and 256 columns. You are going to see more of the worksheet. 1. Hold down the DOWN ARROW key and watch new rows appear at the bottom of the window and other rows disappear at the top. If you held down the DOWN ARROW key long enough, the active cell would go all the way to row 65,536. 2. Holding down the CTRL key while you tap the HOME key returns you to cell A1. Hold down the CTRL key and tap the HOME key (CTRL/HOME). Notice that the active cell is once again, A1. Note: Throughout these lessons, commands using the CTRL, ALT, and SHIFT keys will be notated CTRL/HOME, ALT/F5, SHIFT/F1, etc. Always hold down the first key, tap the other key, and then release. 3. The PAGE UP and PAGE DOWN keys move the active cell up and down the worksheet one window of information at a time. Notice the number of the last row on the screen. 4. Tap the PAGE DOWN key. Notice that the first row is the same as the last row in the previous window. 5. Tap the PAGE DOWN key a few more times and notice how the screen scrolls one window of information at a time. 6. Tap the PAGE UP key and notice how the screen scrolls in the reverse direction.
Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 11 7. Keep tapping the PAGE UP key until the active cell is again A1. You can also move horizontally through a worksheet. Excel names its columns A-Z, AA-AZ, BA-BZ, and so forth up to column IV. If you held down the RIGHT ARROW key long enough, you would go to column 256 (IV). 1. Hold down the RIGHT ARROW key until new columns appear at the right of the screen and other columns disappear off the left. 2. Hold down the LEFT ARROW key to go in the other direction. 3. You can also use the TAB key to move to the right. Tap the TAB key and notice the active cell move to the right. 4. SHIFT/TAB moves you in the opposite direction. Use SHIFT/TAB and watch the active cell move to the left. Note: ALT/PAGE DOWN and ALT/PAGE UP let you scroll horizontally one window at a time. Note: As with most applications, Excel has two scroll bars to help you travel through a document a right scroll bar to scroll a window vertically, and a bottom scroll bar to scroll it horizontally. Tip: When mov ing through a worksheet, it is im por tant to un der stand the dif fer ence be tween us ing scroll bars and us ing key board com mands. When you use the scroll bars, the ac tive cell does not move. When you use the key board com mands, the ac tive cell moves with you. This will take on greater sig nif i cance as you be come more advanced in Excel.
12 Microsoft Excel 2003 - Beginning and Beyond The Status Bar You already know that the Status bar tells you whether you are in Ready or Enter modes. (You will be in other modes in later lessons.) It also tells you whether certain keys are currently on, such as the CAPS LOCK or NUM LOCK keys. 1. Tap the CAPS LOCK key. Notice CAPS at the right of the Status bar. 2. The CAPS LOCK key is called a toggle, because it turns the CAPS LOCK feature on and off. Tap the CAPS LOCK key. Notice that CAPS has disappeared from the Status bar. 3. The NUM LOCK key is usually on by default. If it is on, NUM is on the Status bar. Tap the NUM LOCK key. Notice that NUM has disappeared from the Status bar. 4. The NUM LOCK key is also a toggle. Tap the NUM LOCK key. Notice NUM on the Status bar. Exiting Excel There are several ways to exit an application. In this course, you will use two the Exit command on the File menu and the Close button on Excel windows. When you exit Excel, all open workbooks (i.e., documents) are closed. If there are workbooks that have unsaved changes, Excel will ask if you want to save the changes. Since you may not know how to save a workbook as yet (you will learn how shortly), you are going to lose your work because it is only in memory (i.e., the computer s chips). Do not be disappointed, however. You will soon be creating other workbooks. 1. At the extreme right of the Title bar, click the Close button. (Don't confuse this with the smaller x button below it.)
Lesson 1 - Getting Started with Excel 13 2. If you have typed anything into Excel, an alert box appears asking if you want to save the changes. Click the No button. 3. If there are still documents on the screen (that is, Excel is still open), keep repeating steps 1 and 2 until the screen returns to the desktop. When the screen returns to the Desktop, Word has been exited. This is the end of Lesson 1. Feel free to start Excel and take all or part of the lesson over again. If you want to turn off your computer, do not turn it off manually. Windows should be exited only from the Start button. On the Taskbar, click the Start button and choose Shut Down. Verify that Shut Down is chosen in the dialog box and then click OK or Yes. End of Lesson 1