Computer Boot Up Camp

Week Seven Class Notes-

Spreadsheet Basics

 

 

On-Line at: http://www.dowlingcentral.com/techteam.html

 

A spreadsheet is a grid in which you can enter various types of data that you want to organize, calculate, or analyze. Spreadsheets allow you to enter both text and numbers and then perform many kinds of tasks with that data.

 

Some common uses for spreadsheets are:

 

• Keeping track of a budget
• Adding expenses
• Calculating averages

 

1.   Creating a New Spreadsheet

 

EXERCISE 1: Open Excel on your computer. (It has the big “X” for the icon.)

The spreadsheet is organized by rows and columns. Rows are labeled with numbers; columns are labeled with letters. The point where the row and column intersect is called a cell. Each cell has a cell address.

 

 

EXERCISE 2: Take a look around the spreadsheet window. Notice things that are the same or different from WORD or POWERPOINT.

 

 

 

 

 

2.   Moving around a Spreadsheet

 

EXERCISE 3: Move around the spreadsheet making the following cells active one at a time.

 

C9

B4

E12

 

You can also enter the cell addresses in the space in the upper left box in the window where cell addresses appear.

 

When you make a cell active, you are getting is ready to add data. Notice that the mouse pointer changes to a cross. To enter data you double click on the active cell.

 

Notice that the words extend beyond the cell walls. It is still in cell A1 only, and you could enter different data in cell B1 by double clicking on that cell. You can adjust the width of the column so you can see everything by placing your mouse between the A and the B in the columns until you see the cross bars with the arrows. Then just drag out column “A” until it is as wide as you want.

3.   Entering Data in A Spreadsheet and Saving It

 

To enter data into cells, make the cell active and double click on it.

 

EXERCISE 4: Add the following to cell A1

 

University Park Zoo Garden Shoppe

 

Confirm your entry and press ENTER

 

Make cell A2 active and type in the following:

 

Summer Staff Assignments

 

Add the remaining data and text to the spreadsheet as indicated below:

 

Cell A4- June

Cell A5- Employee

Cell A6- J. Faisal

Cell B5- Hours per Week

Cell C5- Rate

Cell B6- 4

Cell C6- 4.75

Cell A7- M. Dillard

Cell A8- K. Guerrero

Cell A9- L. Hackett

 

It should look like this:

 

University Park Zoo Garden Shoppe
Summer Staff Assignments
June
Employee	Hours per Week	Rate
J. Faisal	4	4.75
M. Dillard
K. Guerrero
L. Hackett

 

 

 

Save your spreadsheet to your folder on the “R” drive.

 

 

4.      Selecting Cells

 

Before you perform some spreadsheet tasks, you have to select a group of cells. To select a group of cells, click on the first cell and then hold the mouse button down while you drag it across all the cells you want to select. This is called a range. The first cell…which is not highlighted…is the active cell. To remove the selection, just click on any part of the spreadsheet that is not highlighted.

 

You can quickly select an entire column or row by clicking on the letter at the top of the column or the number to the left of the row. Try it.

 

 

5.   Using Copy and Fill Commands

 

EXERCISE 5: All the staff members in our spreadsheet work 4 hours per week.Use the copy command to insert this value for all the employees. To do this, highlight the “4” and Copy it. Then put your cursor in the correct cell and paste it.

 

You can also do the same thing with the FILL Command. We want to give all the employees the same rate. To fill in all the cells the same, we select the cell that contains the data we want and all the cells we want to fill with that data. Select cells 7C through 10C. Then go to EDIT…FILL…Down. All the cells should have the 4.75 in them.

 

6.   Changing Font style in a Spreadsheet

 

You can make certain rows or columns stand out as titles or headers by changing the fonts in those cells just as you would in a WORD document.

 

EXERCISE 6: Select the following and change the fonts to your liking. Make them larger and bold as well as changing the color and font styles.

 

Cells:

 

A1    A2    A4    A6    B6    C6

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It will look something like this:

 

 

University Park Zoo Garden Shoppe
Summer Staff Assignments
June
Employee	Hours per Week	Rate
J. Faisal	4	4.75
M. Dillard	4	4.75
K. Guerrero	4	4.75
L. Hackett	4	4.75

 

 

 

 

7.   Insert and Delete Rows and Columns

 

You can delete and add additional rows or columns by clicking on the number or letter where you want to delete or add.

 

EXERCISE 7: Click on Row 10 and right click. Choose insert. You now have a new blank row for an additional employee. Add your name to the list and fill in the hours and the rate.

 

8.   Preview and Print a Spreadsheet

 

When it is time to print, you will want to see what it will look like on paper before you actually print.

 

EXERCISE 8: First go to Page Set Up. Choose the options you want…like grid lines, draft quality headings, orientation. Then go to Print Preview to see what it will look like. Print it out.