Overview
Did you know that Microsoft's Excel is one of the most popular computer programs in use today? If you are getting ready to enter or reenter the workforce, the ability to create and use spreadsheets can be an asset. Businesses use Excel to track inventory and shipping, compute salaries, and create financial reports, among other tasks. Home users can balance a checkbook and create a budget with Excel. But Excel is not only for numbers and computation. Many people use Excel for other real-world tasks. For example, you can use Excel to
- keep contact information for business associates, friends, and family
- maintain an inventory
- catalog a music CD collection
- monitor a physical exercise program
After completing this course, you will be competent in the use of Excel to manage and compute real-world data.
Although this course is designed for users with varying degrees of visual impairment, it does not provide specific instructions for using access technology. Go to the manual for your screen reader or screen magnification program for such information.
The goal of this course is to enable you to use the basic features of Excel to manage and compute real-world data. The course begins with an orientation. It includes a quick reference list of common Windows and Excel keystrokes and commands. The course is divided into five lessons. Lesson 1 describes Excel and introduces some essential commands for navigation, selection, and input. Lesson 2 guides you through entering and editing information, and it shows you a quick method for entering the current date and time. Lesson 3 explains how to use formulas and functions, which are Excel's greatest strength and advantage. Lesson 4 gives you practice cutting, copying, and pasting data; inserting and deleting rows and columns; and formatting cells. Lesson 5 discusses creating and managing databases. The appendix explains how to print worksheets.
If you have not already done so, now is the time to check the prerequisites for enrolling in "Using Excel." You should have the following:
- access to a computer with a Microsoft Windows operating system installed
- the Microsoft Excel program (version 2003 or later)
- familiarity with the keyboard and the ability to type
- if you require it, access technology software and hardware as well as the ability to use it; this can include a screen reader or screen magnification program, and hardware such as a braille display or video magnifier
- the ability to send and receive email messages and attached files
Each lesson has example situations that lead you through new tasks in Excel. As you work through the steps in these examples, remember that you can always ask your instructor to clarify concepts or discuss your answers.
To complete the course, you are required to submit five assignments, one at the end of each lesson. Four of the assignments have two parts. These assignments enable your instructor to assess your mastery of the material in the lessons. Create and send the assignment files according to the Getting Started instructions and the assignment pages.
Your instructor will send you files for you to use in some lessons and assignments. The following is a list of what you should receive with the feedback from the previous lesson:
Lesson 2: "My Budget.xls"
Lesson 3: "Handyman.xls"
Lesson 4: "Remodel.xls," "New Budget.xls," and "Business Budget"
Lesson 5: "Music.xls", "Restaurants.xls," and "Bowling.xls"
If you are ready to start using Excel, proceed to the course orientation and then to Lesson 1.
Overview1
Orientation
This section first provides a list of commonly used keystrokes and commands. It then explains how to identify the version of Excel you are running.
The instructions provided in this course are generic to all users. In almost every case, there is more than one way of doing a task. Your access technology may provide you with special commands to do various tasks. If you are using access technology software, consult your access technology's help or manual to find out how it works with Excel. Read your manual or talk to experienced users to learn some of the keystrokes. Then use whatever way works efficiently for you. A list of Excel keyboard commands for the most popular screen reading programs is available online. If you do not have online access, ask your instructor to send you a print or braille copy.
Using Common Keystrokes and Commands
Most instructions in this course include both a keystroke and a mouse method. Keystroke instructions appear between square brackets. The following is a list of some commonly used keys. As you read this list, familiarize yourself with the locations of the keys on your keyboard.
Enter or Return
Backspace
Delete or Del
Escape or Esc
Tab
Shift
Control or Ctrl
Alt
Windows logo key (not included on every keyboard)
Application key; usually the third key to the right of the space bar (not included on every keyboard)
Arrow keys (Left, Right, Up, Down)
Home
End
Page Up or Pg Up
Page Down or Pg Dn
=(equals sign) to the left of the Backspace key
+(plus sign) [shift+equals sign]
–(minus sign) to the left of the equals sign key
*(times star, "multiplied by") [shift+8]
/(slash, fraction line, "divided by") to the left of the Shift key
Also, familiarity with the numeric keypad (numpad) is useful. Many people find the numeric keypad easier to use than the numbers on the main part of the keyboard. The numeric keypad is on the far right side of most keyboards.
The numeric keypad commonly contains the following list of keys, going from top left to bottom right. The Num Lock (number lock) key allows you to use the numbers. Be aware that numeric keypads operate in two modes: Num Lock on and Num Lock off. The Num Lock key works as a switch, called a toggle: each time you press it, the mode switches between on and off. Num Lock must be on for the numeric keypad to produce numbers. Turning it off allows you to use the alternative options, which are also included in this list. A screen reader announces "on" or "off" as the user presses the Num Lock key.
First (top) row:
Num Lock
forward slash (divide)
star (times)
dash (minus)
Second row:
number 7, alternative Home
number 8, alternative Up Arrow
number 9, alternative Page Up
plus sign (long key that extends to the third row)
Third row:
number 4, alternative Left Arrow
number 5
number 6, alternative Right Arrow
Fourth row:
number 1, alternative End
number 2, alternative Down Arrow
number 3, alternative Page Down
Enter (long key that extends to the fifth row)
Fifth (bottom) row:
number 0, alternative Insert
period or decimal point, alternative Delete
On some computers, especially laptops, some keys have alphabetic and numeric functions combined. Consult the help or manual for your access technology software to find out if you can use the numpad in Num Lock On mode.
Familiarize yourself with the location of the function keys, F1 through F12, usually located on the top row of your keyboard. One more key you need is the backslash, usually located at the right end of the row that includes the keys Q-W-E-R-T-Y.
Some instructions require you to press two or three keys together. In this case, a plus sign appears unspaced between the letters that represent the keys. Depress each key in turn, holding the first key down while you depress the next. Then release all the keys at the same time. Some of the more common Microsoft Windows and Office keyboard shortcuts and their functions follow:
[ctrl+o] open a file
[ctrl+n] begin a new file
[ctrl+s] save
[ctrl+c] copy
[ctrl+x] cut
[ctrl+v] paste
[ctrl+f] find or search
[ctrl+g] go to (cell)
[ctrl+z] undo
[ctrl+p] print
[ctrl+w] close the active window
[alt+F4] close the active program
[alt+space bar], [x] maximize active window
[alt+space bar], [n] minimize active window
[ctrl+esc] display the Start menu (same as the Windows logo key)
[shift+F10]display a context menu (same as the Applications key)
Identifying Versions of Excel
The Microsoft company continually makes updated versions of its products, which incorporate new keystrokes and icons for tasks. This means users often have to learn how to do tasks for the particular version of a program.
A major revision took place with Excel 2007. That version introduced a new device for navigating through options and commands, called the ribbon. The previous version, 2003, used menus for options and commands.
To find out which version of Excel you are using, follow these steps:
1.Press the Start key. Go to Programs or All Programs.
2.In the list that appears, find the Excel program. In most cases, it is in the Microsoft Office folder.
3.Read the name of the program, which includes a year, such as 2003, 2007, or 2010.
Make a note of the version of Excel you are using. Remember, if you have version 2007 or later, you have the ribbon. If you have version 2003, you have menus. This information determines which instructions you follow throughout the course.
Save the files you create and receive for the course in a location on your computer that you can easily access. If you need assistance in determining where to save the files, ask your instructor.
Reread this section anytime you feel it is necessary. Now proceed to Lesson 1: Getting Started.
Orientation1
Lesson 1: Getting Started
Many Windows programs use the same commands and keystrokes. If you are familiar with Microsoft Word, you'll find it easy to begin using Excel. This lesson describes Excel and discusses various uses for a spreadsheet program. It then introduces some essential commands for navigation, selection, and input. Considering Excel's advantages and potential uses as well as practicing some basic tasks are your first steps toward becoming a competent user of Excel.
Objectives
After completing this lesson, you will be able to
a.describe Excel
b.begin using an Excel worksheet
Key Terms
The following terms appear in this lesson. Familiarize yourself with their meanings so you can use them as you work with Excel.
cell: the basic unit of a spreadsheet in which data is stored
default: a selection made automatically when the user has not made a specific decision
range: a group of cells that are in contact with one another
spreadsheet: a grid of columns and rows designed for entering, calculating, and maintaining information
workbook: an Excel file that contains one or more worksheets
worksheet: a single Excel spreadsheet
What Is Excel?
How does the Excel program appear, and why is it useful? This section defines a spreadsheet and discusses its advantages. It then lists some ways to use the program.
What Are Electronic Spreadsheets?
A spreadsheet is a grid of columns and rows designed for entering, calculating, and maintaining information. An electronic spreadsheet, or spreadsheet application, is a program that enables the user to do spreadsheet tasks on a computer.
You may wonder why an electronic spreadsheet like Excel is better than one on paper. When you want to make a change in a paper spreadsheet, you have to redo all the calculations and reenter each result. Excel does all the calculations automatically and makes the changes instantaneously. For that reason, Excel and other electronic spreadsheet programs are very popular in business environments.
For example, you may be interested in finding out how much it would cost to take out a loan. You would enter the amount of the loan, the amount of interest, and the number of payments. You would then use a calculator to find out how much the monthly payments would be. You might then change the amount of the loan or the number of payments. To find out how the change affects your monthly payments, you would have to use the calculator again. In Excel, you simply enter a different number, and the program does all the calculations immediately.
Uses for Electronic Spreadsheets
No doubt you have some idea of what you want to do with Excel. Perhaps, however, you haven't yet considered some very useful tasks in both business and personal environments. This short section lists some ideas for using Excel.
Excel is very popular in the business world. Consider the following tasks:
- payroll calculations
- creating a financial plan
- comparing costs, profits, and prices on products
- calculating prices and discounts
- predicting expenses
- calculating salespersons' commissions
- keeping inventory
Many uses for Excel exist in personal environments, as well. Consider the following:
- budgeting expenses
- averaging grades
- cataloging audio CDs
- comparing costs for a wedding or other family event
- monitoring a physical exercise program
- monitoring medications such as insulin use for people who are diabetic
As you progress in the course, you will create spreadsheets that do some of these tasks. Having defined a spreadsheet and considered some uses for Excel, maybe you can think of other ways to use the program in your work and personal life.
Using Excel
This section describes the Excel window and explains how to navigate a worksheet, select cells, and begin inputting.
The Excel Worksheet
At the top of your Excel window are various words and icons. The top part of the Excel window is different depending on which version you are using. This section is divided into two subsections. The first explains the look and feel of Excel 2007 and beyond, which uses a device called a ribbon. The second explains Excel 2003, which uses menus. Read the section that describes the version you are using.
Begin using Excel now by activating the Start menu and selecting Program or All Programs. Navigate to Microsoft Excel, and press [enter] or click on the program name. The program might be inside a "Microsoft Office" folder. Or use any other method you know to start the program.
Once the program is open, an empty worksheet appears. Make sure the window is maximized by pressing [alt+space bar] and then [x]. Mouse users maximize the window by clicking on the button to the left of the close button.
Ribbon or Menus
The first section that follows is "Excel 2007 and Beyond." If you are running an earlier version of Excel, skip to the section titled "Excel 2003."
Excel 2007 and Beyond
The Excel window has a number of parts. Going from top to bottom, they include the title bar, the quick access toolbar, the Office or File button, the ribbon, the formula bar, the worksheet area, and the status bar. The most important part of this section is the description of the ribbon.
The title bar displays the name of the file you are using. By default, a new worksheet is titled "Book1." Once you name a file and save it, the saved name appears in the title bar.
The quick access toolbar is useful for sighted users. It includes mouse-clickable icons to do common tasks.
The Office or File button is essentially part of the ribbon. When selected, various options appear for doing tasks and modifying how Excel behaves. The keystrokes to open the Office button is Alt, then F.
The ribbon allows you to tell Excel what to do, that is, issue commands. Some new computer users who are used to menus are confused by the ribbon. But in most situations in this course and your own use of Excel, you will not need to use the ribbon, because you can use keystrokes instead. That leaves only a few tasks that require you to use the ribbon. Nevertheless, it is a good idea to become familiar with navigating the ribbon.
The ribbon has two levels. The top level includes several tabs and icons. To access the ribbon using the keyboard, press [alt]. This brings the focus to the ribbon and away from the worksheet area. Use the right and left arrow keys to navigate through the tabs and icons in the top level of the ribbon. Or click on one of the words at the top level of the ribbon. To return to the worksheet area, press [esc] or click anywhere in the worksheet area.
Do this now, and find the names of the tabs in the top level of the ribbon. In most cases, they will be:
- Home
- Insert
- Page Layout
- Formulas
- Data
- Review
- View
- help icon (question mark)
- icons for minimize, maximize, and close window
- the Office or File button
Each tab has a letter keystroke that allows you to jump to that tab. However, the keystroke letter is not always the first letter of the word. Here are the keystrokes for activating the tabs in the ribbon. After pressing [alt], press: