Excel 2010: Tips and Shortcuts - Syracuse University · PDF fileHandout: Excel 2010 Tips and Shortcuts Topics came directly from Excel 2010 Help. ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse

Handout: Excel 2010 Tips and Shortcuts Topics came directly from Excel 2010 Help.

ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse University Page 1

Excel 2010: Tips and Shortcuts Table of Contents

MOUSE SHAPES ................................................................................................................................................ 2

MOVE OR COPY ROWS AND COLUMNS BY USING THE MOUSE ............................................................................. 2

FILL DATA BY USING A CUSTOM FILL SERIES ...................................................................................................... 3

Use a custom fill series based on an existing list of items ............................................................................. 3

Use a custom fill series based on a new list of items ..................................................................................... 3

Edit or delete a custom fill series ................................................................................................................... 4

DEFINE AND USE NAMES .............................................................................................................................. 4

THE SCOPE OF A NAME........................................................................................................................................ 4

SYNTAX RULES FOR NAMES ................................................................................................................................ 4

DEFINING AND ENTERING NAMES ....................................................................................................................... 5

Define a name for a cell or cell range on a worksheet ................................................................................... 5

Define a name by using a selection of cells in the worksheet ........................................................................ 5

Define a name by using the New Name dialog box ....................................................................................... 6

MANAGE NAMES BY USING THE NAME MANAGER DIALOG BOX ........................................................................ 6

Change a name ............................................................................................................................................... 8

Delete one or more names .............................................................................................................................. 8

SORT DATA ........................................................................................................................................................ 8

SORT TEXT .......................................................................................................................................................... 9

SORT NUMBERS .................................................................................................................................................. 9

SORT DATES OR TIMES ...................................................................................................................................... 10

SORT BY A CUSTOM LIST................................................................................................................................... 10

SORT ROWS ....................................................................................................................................................... 11

VIEW MULTIPLE WORKSHEETS AT THE SAME TIME ..................................................................... 11

SAVE WORKBOOKS IN AN ARRANGED WORKSPACE ...................................................................... 12



Mouse Shapes Fat plus sign

Use to select a cell or a range of cells.

Skinny plus sign

Use to AutoFill cell content.

When you select a cell and point to the lower right

handle, your mouse shape changes to a skinny plus sign.

The lower right square of the cell is referred to as the

AutoFill handle.

White arrow

Use to move cell content.

When you select a cell and point to the border, you will

see a four-arrow shape attached to the white arrow.

When you begin to move cell contents, the four-arrow

shape disappears.

White arrow with a

small plus sign

Use to copy cell content.

After selecting a cell, point to the border until you see

the white arrow shape. When you hold down the Ctrl

key, you will see a small plus.

To copy cell contents, after dragging you must let go of

the mouse before you let go of the CTRL key.

Move or copy rows and columns by using the mouse 1) Select the row or column that you want to move or copy.

2) Do one of the following:

a) To move rows or columns use the arrow shape:

Point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a move pointer , drag the rows or

columns to another location.

b) To copy rows or columns use the arrow shape with the small plus sign:

Hold down CTRL while you point to the border of the selection. When the pointer becomes a copy

pointer , drag the rows or columns to another location.

Important: Make sure that you hold down CTRL during the drag-and-drop operation. If you release CTRL

before you release the mouse button, you will move the rows or columns instead of copying them.



Use the AutoFill handle to fill data

You can use the Fill command to fill data into worksheet cells. You can also have Excel automatically

continue a series of numbers, number and text combinations, dates, or time periods, based on a pattern that

you establish. However, to quickly fill in several types of data series, you can select cells and drag the fill

handle .

Note: When you hover over the fill handle, your mouse

shape looks like a skinny plus sign. When you see this

shape, start to drag.

Note: the mouse shape will

be displayed in black.

After you drag the fill handle, the Auto Fill Options button appears so that you can choose how the

selection is filled. For example, you can choose to fill just cell formats by clicking Fill Formatting Only, or

you can choose to fill just the contents of a cell by clicking Fill Without Formatting.

Fill data by using a custom fill series To make it easier to enter a particular sequence of data (such as a list of names or sales regions), you can

create a custom fill series. You can base the custom fill series on a list of existing items on a worksheet, or

you can type the list from scratch. Although you cannot edit or delete a built-in fill series (such as a fill series

for months and days), you can edit or delete a custom fill series.

Note: A custom list can only contain text or text mixed with numbers. If you want a custom list that contains

only numbers, such as 0 through 100, you must first create a list of numbers that is formatted as text.

Use a custom fill series based on an existing list of items

1) On the worksheet, select the list of items that you want to use in the fill series.

2) Click the File tab, and then click Options.

3) In the Advanced category, under General, click Edit Custom Lists….

4) Verify that the cell reference of the list of items that you selected is displayed in the Import list from

cells box, and then click Import.

a) The items in the list that you selected are added to the Custom lists box.

5) Click OK twice.

6) On the worksheet, click a cell, and then type the item in the custom fill series that you want to use to start

the list.

7) Drag the fill handle across the cells that you want to fill.

Use a custom fill series based on a new list of items



3) In the Custom lists box, click NEW LIST, and then type the entries in the List entries box, beginning

with the first entry.

4) Press ENTER after each entry.

5) When the list is complete, click Add, and then click OK twice.

6) On the worksheet, click a cell, and then type the item in the custom fill series that you want to use to start

the list.

7) Drag the fill handle across the cells that you want to fill.



Edit or delete a custom fill series



3) In the Custom lists box, select the list that you want to edit or delete, and then do one of the following:

a) To edit the fill series:

Make the changes that you want in the List entries box, and then click Add.

b) To delete the fill series:

Click Delete.

Define and use names A name is a meaningful shorthand that makes it easier to understand the purpose of a cell reference, constant,

formula, or table, each of which may be difficult to comprehend at first glance. You can create your own

defined name, and Microsoft Office Excel sometimes creates a defined name for you, such as when you set a

print area. You can define a name for a cell range, function, constant, or table. Once you adopt the practice of

using names in your workbook, you can easily update, audit, and manage these names.

The scope of a name All names have a scope, either to a specific worksheet (also called the local worksheet level) or to the entire

workbook (also called the global workbook level). The scope of a name is the location within which the name

is recognized without qualification. For example:

If you have defined a name, such as Budget_FY10, and its scope is Sheet1, that name, if not qualified, is

recognized only in Sheet1, but not in other sheets without qualification.

To use a local worksheet name in another worksheet, you can qualify it by preceding it with the worksheet

name, as the following example shows:

Sheet1!Budget_FY10

If you have defined a name, such as Sales_Dept_Goals, and its scope is the workbook, that name is

recognized for all worksheets in that workbook, but not for any other workbook.

Syntax rules for names The following is a list of syntax rules that you need to be aware of when you create and edit names.

Valid characters: The first character of a name must be a letter, an underscore character (_), or a

backslash (\). Remaining characters in the name can be letters, numbers, periods, and underscore

characters.

Note: You cannot use the uppercase and lowercase characters "C", "c", "R", or "r" as a defined name,

because they are all used as a shorthand for selecting a row or column for the currently selected cell when

you enter them in a Name or Go To text box.

Cell references disallowed: Names cannot be the same as a cell reference, such as Z$100 or R1C1.

Spaces are not valid: Spaces are not allowed as part of a name. Use the underscore character (_) and

period (.) as word separators, such as, Sales_Tax or First.Quarter.

Name length: A name can contain up to 255 characters.



Case sensitivity: Names can contain uppercase and lowercase letters. Excel does not distinguish between

uppercase and lowercase characters in names. For example, if you created the name Sales and then create

another name called SALES in the same workbook, Excel prompts you to choose a unique name.

Defining and entering names You define a name by using the:

Name box on the formula bar: This is best used for creating a workbook level name for a selected range.

Create a name from selection: You can conveniently create names from existing row and column labels

by using a selection of cells in the worksheet.

New Name dialog box: This is best used when you want more flexibility in creating names, such as

specifying a local worksheet level scope or creating a name comment.

Note: By default, names use absolute cell references - the exact address of a cell, regardless of the position of

the cell that contains the formula. An absolute cell reference takes the form $A$1.

You can enter a name by:

Typing: Typing the name, for example, as an argument to a formula.

Using Formula AutoComplete: Use the Formula AutoComplete drop-down list, where valid names are

automatically listed for you.

Selecting from the Use in Formula command: Select a defined name from a list available from the Use

in Formula command in the Defined Names group on the Formulas tab.

Define a name for a cell or cell range on a worksheet

1) Select the cell, range of cells, or nonadjacent selections that you want to name.

2) Click the Name box at the left end of the formula bar.

3) Type the name that you want to use to refer to your selection.

4) Press ENTER.

5) A name reference is created at the global worksheet level.

Note: You cannot name a cell while you are changing the contents of the cell.

Define a name by using a selection of cells in the worksheet You can convert existing row and column labels to names.

1) Select the range that you want to name, including the row or column labels.

2) On the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click Create

from Selection.

3) In the Create Names from Selection dialog box, designate the

location that contains the labels by selecting the Top row, Left

column, Bottom row, or Right column check box.

a) Name references are created at the global workbook level.

Note: A name created by using this procedure refers only to the cells

that contain values and does not include the existing row and column

labels.



Define a name by using the New Name dialog box

1) On the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click

Define Name.

2) In the New Name dialog box, in the Name box, type the name

that you want to use for your reference.

3) To specify the scope of the name, in the Scope drop-down list

box, select Workbook or the name of a worksheet in the

workbook.

4) Optionally, in the Comment box, enter a descriptive comment

up to 255 characters.

5) In the Refers to box, do one of the following:

a) To enter a cell reference, type the cell reference.

Tip: The current selection is entered by default. To enter other cell references as an argument, click

Collapse Dialog (which temporarily shrinks the dialog box), select the cells on the worksheet, and

then click Expand Dialog .

b) To enter a constant, type = (equal sign) and then type the constant value.

c) To enter a formula, type = and then type the formula.

6) To finish and return to the worksheet, click OK.

Tip: To make the New Name dialog box wider or longer, click and drag the grip handle at the bottom.

Manage names by using the Name Manager dialog box Use the Name Manager dialog box to work with all of the defined names and table names in the workbook.

For example, you may want to find names with errors, confirm the value and reference of a name, view or edit

descriptive comments, or determine the scope. You can also sort and filter the list of names, and easily add,

change, or delete names from one location.

To open the Name Manager dialog box, on the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click Name

Manager.



The Name Manager dialog box displays the following information about each name in a list box:

This Column: Displays:

Icon and Name One of the following:

A defined name, which is indicated by a defined name icon.

A table name, which is indicated by a table name icon.

Value The current value of the name, such as the results of a formula, a string constant, a cell

range, an error, an array of values, or a placeholder if the formula cannot be evaluated.

Refers To The current reference for the name.

Scope A worksheet name, if the scope is the local worksheet level.

Workbook, if the scope is the global worksheet level.

Comment Additional information about the name up to 255 characters.



Change a name If you change a defined name or table name, all uses of that name in the workbook are also changed.

1) On the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click Name Manager.

2) In the Name Manager dialog box, click the name that you want to change, and then click Edit.

Tip: You can also double-click the name.

3) In the Edit Name dialog box, in the Name box, type the new name for the reference.

4) In the Refers to box, change the reference, if necessary, and then click OK.

5) In the Name Manager dialog box, in the Refers to box, change the cell, formula, or constant represented

by the name, if necessary.

6) To cancel unwanted or accidental changes, click Cancel , or press ESC.

7) To save changes, click Commit , or press ENTER.

Note: The Close button only closes the Name Manager dialog box. It is not required to commit changes

that have already been made.

Delete one or more names

1) On the Formulas tab, in the Defined Names group, click Name Manager.

2) In the Name Manager dialog box, click the name that you want to change.

3) Select one or more names by doing one of the following:

a) To select a name, click it.

b) To select more than one name in a contiguous group, click and drag the names, or press SHIFT and

click the mouse button for each name in the group.

c) To select more than one name in a noncontiguous group, press CTRL and click the mouse button for

each name in the group.

4) Click Delete. (You can also press DELETE on your keyboard.)

5) Click OK to confirm the deletion.

Sort data Sorting data is an integral part of data analysis. Sorting data helps you quickly visualize and understand your

data better, organize and find the data that you want, and ultimately make more effective decisions.

You can sort data by text (A to Z or Z to A), numbers (smallest to largest or largest to smallest), and dates and

times (oldest to newest and newest to oldest) in one or more columns. You can also sort by a custom list (such

as Large, Medium, and Small) or by format, including cell color, font color, or icon set. Most sort operations

are column sorts, but you can also sort by rows.

When you reapply a sort, different results may appear for the following reasons:

Data has been modified, added to, or deleted from the range of cells or table column.

Values returned by a formula have changed and the worksheet has been recalculated.



Sort text

1) Select a column of alphanumeric data in a range of cells, or make sure that the active cell is in a column

containing alphanumeric data.

2) On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, do one of the following:

a) To sort in ascending alphanumeric order, click Sort A to Z.

b) To sort in descending alphanumeric order, click Sort Z to A.

c) Optionally, you can do a case-sensitive sort:

On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Sort.

(1) In the Sort dialog box, click Options.

(a) The Sort Options dialog box appears.

(2) In the Sort Options dialog box, select Case sensitive.

(3) Click OK twice.

Note: When sorting A to Z, lowercase values will come before uppercase values

3) To reapply a sort after you change the data, click a cell in the range or column and then, on the Data tab,

in the Sort & Filter group, click Reapply.

Issue: Check that all data is stored as text: If the column that you want to sort contains numbers stored as

numbers and numbers stored as text, you need to format them all as text. If you do not apply this format, the

numbers stored as numbers are sorted before the numbers stored as text. To format all the selected data as text,

on the Home tab, in the Font group, click the Format Cell Font button, click the Number tab and then,

under Category, click Text.

Issue: Remove any leading spaces: In some cases, data imported from another application might have

leading spaces inserted before data. Remove the leading spaces before you sort the data.

Sort numbers

1) Select a column of numeric data in a range of cells, or make sure that the active cell is in a column

containing numeric data.


a) To sort from low numbers to high numbers, click Sort Smallest to Largest.

b) To sort from high numbers to low numbers, click Sort Largest to Smallest.

Issue: Check that all numbers are stored as numbers: If the results are not what you expected, the column

might contain numbers stored as text instead of as numbers. For example, negative numbers imported from

some accounting systems or a number entered with a leading apostrophe (') are stored as text.



Sort dates or times

1) Select a column of dates or times in a range of cells, or make sure that the active cell is in a table column

containing dates or times.


a) To sort from an earlier to a later date or time, click Sort Oldest to Newest.

b) To sort from a later to an earlier date or time, click Sort Newest to Oldest.

3) To reapply a sort after you change the data, click a cell in the range or table and then, on the Data tab, in

the Sort & Filter group, click Reapply.

Issue: Check that dates and times are stored as dates or times: If the results are not what you expected, the

column might contain dates or times stored as text instead of as dates or times. For Excel to sort dates and

times correctly, all dates and times in a column must be stored as a date or time serial number. If Excel cannot

recognize a value as a date or time, the date or time is stored as text.

Sort by a custom list You can use a custom list to sort in a user-defined order. For example, a column might contain values that you

want to sort by, such as High, Medium, and Low. How can you sort so that rows containing High appear first,

followed by Medium, and then Low? If you were to sort alphabetically, an “A to Z” sort would put High at the

top, but Low would come before Medium. And if you sorted “Z to A,” Medium would appear first, with Low

in the middle. Regardless of the order, you always want “Medium” in the middle. By creating your own

custom list, you can get around this problem.

1) Create the custom list:

a) In a range of cells, enter the values that you want to sort by, in the order that

you want them, from top to bottom. See example on right:

b) Select the range that you just entered. Using the example, select cells A1:A3.

c) Click the File tab, click Options, and then click the Advanced category.

d) Under General, click Edit Custom Lists.

e) In the Custom Lists dialog box, click Import, and then click OK twice.

A

1 High

2 Medium

3 Low

Notes:

You can create a custom list based only on a value (text, number, and date or time). You cannot create

a custom list based on a format (cell color, font color, or icon).

The maximum length for a custom list is 255 characters, and the first character must not begin with a

number.

2) Select a column of data in a range of cells, or make sure that the active cell is in a table column.

3) On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Sort.

a) The Sort dialog box appears.

4) Under Column, in the Sort by or Then by box, select the column that you want to sort by a custom list.

5) Under Order, select Custom List.

6) In the Custom Lists dialog box, select the list that you want. Using the custom list that you created in the

preceding example, click High, Medium, Low.

7) Click OK.





Sort rows

1) Select a row of data in a range of cells, or make sure that the active cell is in a table column.

2) On the Data tab, in the Sort & Filter group, click Sort.

a) The Sort dialog box appears.

3) Click Options.

4) In the Sort Options dialog box, under Orientation, click Sort left to right, and then click OK.

5) Under Column, in the Sort by box, select the row that you want to sort.

6) Do one of the following:

a) Sort by value:

Under Sort On, select Values.

Under Order, do one of the following:

(1) For text values, select A to Z or Z to A.

(2) For number values, select Smallest to Largest or Largest to Smallest.

(3) For date or time values, select Oldest to Newest or Newest to Oldest.

b) Sort by cell color, font color, or cell icon:

Under Sort On, select Cell Color, Font Color, or Cell Icon.

Click the arrow next to the button, and then select a cell color, font color, or cell icon.

Under Order, select On Left or On Right.



Note: When you sort rows that are part of a worksheet outline, Excel sorts the highest-level groups (level 1)

so that the detail rows or columns stay together, even if the detail rows or columns are hidden.

View multiple worksheets at the same time You can quickly arrange multiple worksheets to view them all at the same time.

1) Open the workbook or workbooks that contain the worksheets that you want to view at the same time.

2) Click a worksheet that you want to view.

3) On the View tab, in the Window group, click New Window.

4) Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each sheet that you want to view.

5) On the View tab, in the Window group, click Arrange All.

6) Under Arrange, click the option that you want.

7) Click OK.

Tip: To restore a workbook window to full size, click Maximize at

the upper-right corner of the workbook window.



Save workbooks in an arranged workspace You can save a snapshot of the current layout of all open and arranged workbook windows in a workspace

file, which is a file that saves display information about open workbooks, so that you can later resume work

with the same window sizes, print areas, screen magnification, and display settings. A workspace file doesn't

contain the workbooks themselves. When you open a workspace file, Microsoft Office Excel opens all

workbooks and displays them in the layout that you saved.

1) Open the workbooks that you want to save in a workspace.

2) Arrange the workbook windows as you want them to appear when you open the workspace, changing the

size of each workbook window as needed.

3) On the View tab, in the Window group, click Save Workspace.

4) In the File name box, type a name for the workspace file.

5) Click Save.

Note: The default name is resume.xlw, but you can rename it.

Documents

Excel 2010: Tips and Shortcuts - Syracuse University · PDF fileHandout: Excel 2010 Tips and Shortcuts Topics came directly from Excel 2010 Help. ICT Training, Maxwell School of Syracuse