Spreadsheet Basics

Excel allows you to create spreadsheets much like paper ledgers
that can perform automatic calculations. Each Excel file is a workbook
that can hold many worksheets. The worksheet is a grid of
columns (designated by letters) and rows (designated
by numbers). The letters and numbers of the columns and rows (called
labels) are displayed in gray buttons across the top and
left side of the worksheet. The intersection of a column and a row
is called a cell. Each cell on the spreadsheet has a cell
address that is the column letter and the row number. Cells
can contain either text, numbers, or mathematical formulas.

Microsoft Excel 2000 Screen Elements



Adding and Renaming Worksheets
The worksheets in a workbook are accessible by clicking the worksheet
tabs just above the status bar. By default, three worksheets are
included in each workbook. To add a sheet, select Insert|Worksheet
from the menu bar. To rename the worksheet tab, right-click on the
tab with the mouse and select Rename from the shortcut menu.
Type the new name and press the ENTER key.


The Standard Toolbar
This toolbar is located just below the menu bar at the top of
the screen and allows you to quickly access basic Excel commands.

New - Select File|New from the menu bar, press
CTRL+N, or click the New button to create a new
workbook.

Open - Click File|Open from the menu bar, press
CTRL+O, or click the Open folder button to open
an existing workbook.
Save - The first time you save a workbook, select File|Save
As and name the file. After the file is named click File|Save,
CTRL+S, or the Save button on the standard toolbar.
Print - Click the Print button to print the worksheet.
Print Preview - This feature will allow you to preview
the worksheet before it prints.
Spell Check - Use the spell checker to correct spelling
errors on the worksheet.
Cut, Copy, Paste, and Format Painter - These actions are
explained in the Modifying A Worksheet section.
Undo and Redo - Click the backward Undo arrow to
cancel the last action you performed, whether it be entering data
into a cell, formatting a cell, entering a function, etc. Click
the forward Redo arrow to cancel the undo action.
Insert Hyperlink - To insert a hyperlink to a web site
on the Internet, type the text into a cell you want to be the
link that can be clicked with the mouse. Then, click the Insert
Hyperlink button and enter the web address you want the text to
link to and click OK.
Autosum, Function Wizard, and Sorting - These features
are discussed in detail in the Functions tutorial.
Zoom - To change the size that the worksheet appears on
the screen, choose a different percentage from the Zoom menu.