INTRODUCTION TO SPREADSHEET

APPLICATIONS

A spreadsheet application is a type of software used for organizing, analyzing, and storing data
in tabular form. It is commonly used in business, education, and personal finance for tasks such
as budgeting, data analysis, record keeping, and reporting.

Key Features of Spreadsheet Applications

1. Cells, Rows, and Columns

o A spreadsheet is made up of a grid of cells, arranged in rows (horizontal) and
columns (vertical).
o Each cell can hold data such as text, numbers, or formulas.
2. Worksheets and Workbooks
o A worksheet is a single page of the spreadsheet grid.
o A workbook contains one or more worksheets.
3. Formulas and Functions
o Users can perform calculations using formulas (e.g., =A1+B1) or functions (e.g.,
=SUM(A1:A5)).

4. Data Formatting
o You can change the appearance of data (font, color, number format, alignment,
etc.) to make it easier to read and understand.
5. Charts and Graphs
o Data can be visualized using bar charts, line graphs, pie charts, etc.
6. Sorting and Filtering
o Data can be sorted alphabetically or numerically and filtered to show only specific
information.
7. Data Validation and Protection
o Limits can be set on the type of data entered, and cells or sheets can be locked to
prevent changes.
Examples of Spreadsheet Applications

 Microsoft Excel – The most widely used spreadsheet program.

 Google Sheets – A web-based, collaborative spreadsheet tool.
 LibreOffice Calc – A free, open-source alternative.
 Apple Numbers – Spreadsheet software for macOS and iOS users.

Common Uses of Spreadsheet Applications

 Budget planning and expense tracking

 Creating invoices and financial reports
 Analyzing survey data
 Maintaining contact lists or inventories
 Academic grading sheets
 INTRODUCTION TO MICROSOFT EXCEL 2013

Excel is a spreadsheet program that allows you to store, organize, and analyse data.
Spreadsheets are primarily used to work with numbers and text. They can help organize data,
like ordering a list of names or records, or calculate and analyze information using
mathematical formulas.

The Excel Interface

Quick Access Toolbar

The Quick Access Toolbar lets you access common commands no matter which tab you are on.
By default, it shows the Save, Undo, and Repeat commands. You can add other commands to
make it more convenient for you.
Ribbon
The ribbon contains all of the commands you will need in order to do common tasks. It has
multiple tabs, each with several groups of commands, and you can add your own tabs that
contain your favourite commands. Some groups have an arrow in the bottom-right corner that
you can click to see even more options.

To Minimize and Maximize the Ribbon:

The Ribbon is designed to be responsive to your current task and easy to use, but if you find it is
taking up too much of your screen space, you can minimize it.

1. Click the arrow in the upper-right corner of the Ribbon to minimize it.

2. To maximize the Ribbon, click the arrow again.

When the Ribbon is minimized, you can make it reappear by clicking on a tab. However, the
Ribbon will disappear again when you are not using it.

Name Box
The Name box tells you the location or the "name" of a
selected cell. In the image below, cell B4 is in the Name box.
Note how cell B4 is where column B and row 4 intersect.
Formula Bar
In the formula bar, you can enter or edit data, a formula, or a function that will appear in a
specific cell. In the image below, cell C1 is selected and 1984 is entered into the formula bar.
Note how the data appears in both the formula bar and in cell C1.

Column

A column is a group of cells that runs from the

top of the page to the bottom. In Excel, columns
are identified by letters. Column L is selected in
the image below.

Row
A row is a group of cells that runs from the left of
the page to the right. In Excel, rows are identified by numbers. Row 15 is selected in the image
below.

Worksheets

Excel files are called workbooks. Each

workbook holds one or more worksheets
(also known as "spreadsheets").

Three worksheets appear by default when

you open an Excel workbook. You can
rename, add and delete worksheets.

Horizontal Scroll Bar

You may have more data than you can see on the screen all at once. Click and hold the
horizontal scroll bar and slide it to the left or right depending on what part of the page you
want to see.
Zoom Control
Click and drag the slider to use the Zoom control. The number to the left of the slider bar
reflects the zoom percentage.

Working with Your Excel Environment

The Ribbon and the Quick Access Toolbar are where you will find the commands you need to
do common tasks in Excel.

Cell Basics

You will need to know the basic ways you can work with cells and cell content in Excel to be
able to use it to calculate, analyse, and organize data.

The Cell
A cell is the intersection of a row and a column. Each rectangle in a worksheet is called a cell.

Each cell has a name, or a cell address based

on which column and row it intersects. The
cell address of a selected cell appears in the
Name box. Below you can see that C5 is
selected.
You can also select multiple cells at the same time. A group of cells is known as a cell range.
Rather than a single cell address, you will refer to a cell range using the cell addresses of the
first and last cells in the cell range, separated by a colon. For example, a cell range that
included cells A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5 would be written as A1:A5.

To Select a Cell:

1. Click on a cell to select it. When a cell is selected you will notice that the borders of the
cell appear bold and the column heading and row heading of the cell are highlighted.

2. Release your mouse. The cell will stay selected until you click on another cell in the
worksheet.

You can also navigate through your worksheet and select a cell by using the arrow keys on your
keyboard.

To Select Multiple Cells:

1. Click and drag your mouse until all of the adjoining cells you want are highlighted.

2. Release your mouse. The cells will stay selected until you click on another cell in the
worksheet.

Cell Content
Each cell can contain text, formatting, comments, formulas, etc

 Text
Cells can contain letters, numbers, and dates.
 Formatting attributes
Cells can contain formatting attributes that change the way letters, numbers, and dates are
displayed. For example, dates can be formatted as MM/DD/YYYY or Month/D/YYYY.
 Comments
Cells can contain comments from multiple reviewers.
  Formulas and Functions
Cells can contain formulas and functions that calculate cell values. For example,
SUM(cell 1, cell 2...) is a formula that can add the values in multiple cells.

To Insert Content:

1. Click on a cell to select it.

2. Enter content into the selected cell using your keyboard. The content appears in the cell
and in the formula bar. You also can enter or edit cell content from the formula bar.

To Delete Content Within Cells:

1. Select the cells which contain content you want to delete.

2. Click the Clear command on the ribbon. A dialog box will appear.
3. Select Clear Contents.

You can also use your keyboard's Backspace key to delete content from a single cell or Delete
key to delete content from multiple cells.
 To Delete Cells:

1. Select the cells that you want to delete.

2. Choose the Delete command from the
ribbon.

There is an important difference between deleting the content of a cell and deleting the cell
itself. If you delete the cell, by default the cells underneath it will shift up and replace the
deleted cell.

To Copy and Paste Cell Content:

1. Select the cells you wish to copy.

2. Click the Copy command. The border
of the selected cells will change
appearance.

3. Select the cell or cells where you want to

paste the content.
4. Click the Paste command. The copied
content will be entered into the highlighted
cells.

To Cut and Paste Cell Content:

1. Select the cells you wish to cut.

2. Click the Cut command. The border of the

selected cells will change appearance.

3. Select the cells where you want to paste

the content.
 4. Click the Paste command. The cut
content will be removed from the
original cells and entered into the
highlighted cells.

To Drag and Drop Cells:

1. Select the cells that you wish to move.

2. Position your mouse on one of the outside edges of the selected cells. The mouse

changes from a white cross to a black cross with 4 arrows .

3. Click and drag the cells to the new location.

4. Release your mouse and the cells will be dropped there.

To Use the Fill Handle to Fill Cells:

1. Select the cell or cells containing the content you want to use. You can fill cell content
either vertically or horizontally.

2. Position your mouse over the fill

handle so that the white cross
becomes a black cross
 3. Click and drag the fill handle until all the cells you want to fill are highlighted.
4. Release the mouse and your cells will be filled.

Wrapping Text and Merging Cells

If a cell contains more text than can be displayed, you can choose to wrap the text within the
cell or merge the cell with empty, adjoining cells. Wrap text to make it display on multiple lines
of the cell. Merge cells to combine adjoining cells into one larger cell.

To Wrap Text:

1. Select the cells with text you want to wrap.

2. Select the Wrap Text command on the Home tab.

The text in the selected cells will be wrapped in your worksheet.

If you change your mind, re-click the Wrap Text command to unwrap the text.

To Merge Cells Using the Merge & Center Command:

1. Select the cells you want to merge together.

Select the Merge & Center command on the Home tab.

The selected cells will be merged and the text will be centred.
 A1 after

merging with B1:D1

If you change your mind, re-click the Merge & Center command to unmerge the cells.

Formatting Cells

Spreadsheets that have not been formatted can be difficult to read. Formatted text and cells
can draw attention to specific parts of the spreadsheet and make the spreadsheet more visually
appealing and easier to understand.

In Excel, there are many tools you can use to format text and cells. In this lesson, you will learn
how to change the colour and style of text and cells; align text; and apply special formatting to
numbers and dates.

Formatting Text
Many of the commands you will use to format text can be found in the Font, Alignment, and
Number groups on the ribbon. Font commands let you change the style, size, and colour of
text. You can also use them to add borders and fill colours to cells. Alignment commands let
you format how text is displayed across cells both horizontally and vertically. Number
commands let you change how selected cells display numbers and dates.

Saving and protecting documents

To Use the Save As Command:

Save As allows you to choose a name and location for your workbook. Use it if you are saving a
workbook for the first time or if you want to save a different version of a workbook while
keeping the original.

1. Click the File tab.

2. Select Save As.
 Save As

3. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select

the location where you wish to save the
workbook.
4. Enter a name for the workbook and click Save.

To Use the Save Command:

1. Click the Save command on the Quick Access

Toolbar.
2. The workbook will be saved in its current location
with the same file name.

To Protect the Document

1. Click the File tab.

2. Select Save As.
3. The Save As dialog box will appear. Select the location where you wish to save the
workbook.
4. Open the arrow by Tools
5. Select general options
6. Type password to protect the file
7. Enter a name for the workbook and click Save.

Creating Simple Formulas

A formula is an equation that performs a calculation. Like a calculator, Excel can execute
formulas that add, subtract, multiply, and divide.
One of the most useful features of Excel is its ability to calculate using a cell address to
represent the value in a cell. This is called using a cell reference.

Excel uses standard operators for equations, such as

a plus sign for addition (+), a minus sign for
subtraction (-), an asterisk for multiplication (*), a
forward slash for division (/), and a caret (^) for
exponents.

The key thing to remember when writing formulas for Excel is that all formulas must begin with
an equal sign (=).

To Create a Simple Formula in Excel:

1. Select the cell where the answer will appear (B4, for example).

2. Type the equal sign (=).

3. Type in the formula you want Excel to calculate. For example, "75/250".

4. Press Enter. The formula will be calculated and the value will be displayed in the cell.
Creating Formulas with Cell References

When a formula contains a cell address, it is called a cell reference. Creating a formula with cell
references is useful because you can update data in your worksheet without having to rewrite
the values in the formula.

To Create a Formula Using Cell References:

1. Select the cell where the answer will appear (B3, for example).

2. Type the equal sign (=).

3. Type the cell address that contains the first number in the equation (B1, for example).

4. Type the operator you need for your formula. For example, type the addition sign (+).
5. Type the cell address that contains the second number in the equation (B2, for
example).

6. Press Enter. The formula will be calculated and the value will be displayed in the cell.
If you change a value in either B1 or B2, the total will automatically recalculate.

Excel will not always tell you if your formula contains an error, so it's up to you to check all of
your formulas.

Introduction to Worksheets

When you open an Excel workbook, there are three worksheets by default. The default names
on the worksheet tabs are Sheet1, Sheet2 and Sheet3. To organize your workbook and make it
easier to navigate, you can rename and even color-code the worksheet tabs. Additionally, you
can insert, delete, move, and copy worksheets.

To Rename Worksheets:

1. Right-click the worksheet tab you want to rename. The worksheet menu appears.
2. Select Rename.
3. The text is now highlighted by a black box. Type the name of your worksheet.
4. Click anywhere outside of the tab. The worksheet is renamed.

To Insert New Worksheets:

Click on the Insert Worksheet icon. A new worksheet will appear.

You can change the setting for the default number of worksheets that appear in Excel
workbooks. To access this setting, go into Backstage view and click on Options.
 To Delete Worksheets:

Worksheets can be deleted from a workbook, including those that contain data.

1. Select the worksheets you want to delete.

2. Right-click one of the selected worksheets. The worksheet menu appears.
3. Select Delete. The selected worksheets will be deleted from your workbook.

Printing

In previous versions of Excel, there was a Print Preview option that allowed you to preview and
modify the workbook before printing. You may have noticed that this feature seems to be gone
in Excel 2010. It actually has not disappeared; it has just been combined with the Print window
to create the Print pane, which is located in Backstage view.

To View the Print Pane:

1. Click the File tab. This takes you to Backstage view.

2. Select Print. The Print pane appears, with the print settings on the left and the Print
Preview on the right.

To Print Active Sheets:

If you have multiple worksheets in your workbook, you will need to decide if you want to print
the whole workbook or specific worksheets. Excel gives you the option to Print Active Sheets. A
worksheet is considered active if it is selected.

1. Select the worksheets you want to print. To print multiple worksheets, click on the first
worksheet, hold down the Ctrl key, then click on the other worksheets you want to
select.

2. Click the File tab.

3. Select Print to access the Print pane.
4. Select Print Active Sheets from the print range
drop-down menu.
5. Click the Print button.
 To Print a Selection, or Set the Print Area:

Printing a selection (sometimes called setting the print area) lets you choose which cells to
print, as opposed to the entire worksheet.

1. Select the cells that you want to print.

2. Click the File tab.

3. Select Print to access the Print pane.
4. Select Print Selection from the print range
drop-down menu.
5. You can see what your selection will look like on
the page in Print Preview.
6. Click the Print button.

You don't have to wait until you're ready to print to set the print area. You can also set it from
the Page Layout tab in advance. This will place a dotted line around your selection, so you can
see which cells are going to print while you work. To do this, just select the cells you want to
print, go to the Page Layout tab, and choose Print Area.

To Change Page Orientation:

Change the page orientation to Portrait to orient the page vertically or Landscape to orient the
page horizontally. Portrait is useful for worksheets needing to fit more rows on one page, and
Landscape is useful for worksheets needing to fit more columns on one page.

1. Click the File tab.

2. Select Print to access the Print pane.
3. Select either Portrait Orientation or Landscape
Orientation from the orientation drop-down
menu.
4. Your page orientation is changed.