Excel Lecture 4

Entering Text

Text is any combination of letters, numbers, and spaces. By default, text is automatically left-aligned in a cell, whereas numerical data is right-aligned.

Entering Numbers As Text To enter a number that you want treated as text (such as a ZIP code), precede the entry with a single quotation mark (‘), as in ’46220. The single quotation mark is an alignment prefix that tells Excel to treat the following characters as text and left-align them in the cell. You do not have to do this to “text” numerical entries, but it ensures that they will not be mistakenly acted upon by formulas or functions.

To enter text into a cell, follow these steps:

1.      Use your mouse or the keyboard arrows to select the cell in which you want to enter text.

2.      Type the text. As you type, your text appears in the cell and in the Formula bar.

3.      Press Enter. Your text appears in the cell, left-aligned. The cell selector moves down one cell. You can also press Tab or an arrow key to enter the text and move to the next cell to the right (or in the direction of the arrow).

When text does not fit into a cell (because of the column width set for that column), Excel displays the information in one of two ways: If the next cell is empty, the text overflows into that cell, allowing you to see your entire entry. If the cell to the right of your entry is not empty, you will be able to see only the portion of your entry that fits within the confines of the cell.

Entering Numbers

Data that serves as the values in your workbooks can include the numeric characters 0–9. Because formulas are also considered values, other valid value characters include symbols such as +, –, /, and *. You can also use characters such as a comma (,), a percent sign (%), or a dollar sign ($) in your values. You will find, however, that you can save yourself a few data-entry keystrokes and add these characters using different Excel formatting options .

For example, you could enter the dollar amount $700.00 including the dollar sign and the decimal point. However, it’s probably faster to enter the 700 into the cell and then format all the cells that contain dollar amounts after you have entered all the data.

To enter a value, follow these steps:

1.      Click in the cell where you want to enter the value.

2.      Type the value. To enter a negative number, precede it with a minus sign or surround it with parentheses.

3.      Press Enter or the Tab key; the value appears in the cell right-aligned.

Correcting Data

1.      Select the cell in which you want to edit data.

2.      To begin editing, click in the Formula bar to place the insertion point into the cell entry. To edit within the cell itself, press F2 or double-click the cell. This puts you in Edit mode; the word Edit appears in the status bar.

3.      Press the right- or left-arrow key to move the insertion point within the entry. Press the Backspace key to delete characters to the left of the insertion point; press the Delete key to delete characters to the right. Then, type any characters you want to add.

4.      Press the Enter key when you have finished making your changes.

5.      If you change your mind and you no longer want to edit your entry, click the Cancel button on the Formula bar or press Esc.

Copying and Moving Data

1.      Select the cell(s) that you want to copy. You can select any range or several ranges if you want.

2.      Click the Copy button on the Standard toolbar. The contents of the selected cell(s) are copied to the Clipboard.

3.      Select the first cell in the area where you would like to place the copy. (To copy the data to another worksheet or workbook, change to that worksheet or workbook first.)

4.      Click the Paste button. Excel inserts the contents of the Clipboard at the location of the insertion point.

Using Drag and Drop

The fastest way to copy something is to drag and drop it. Select the cells you want to copy, hold down the Ctrl key, and drag the border of the range you selected . When you release the mouse button, the contents are copied to the new location. To insert the data between existing cells, press Ctrl+Shift as you drag.

To drag a copy to a different sheet, press Ctrl+Alt as you drag the selection to the sheet’s tab. Excel switches you to that sheet, where you can drop your selection into the appropriate location.

Moving Data

Moving data is similar to copying except that the data is removed from its original place and placed into the new location.

To move data, follow these steps:

1.      Select the cells you want to move.

2.      Click the Cut button.

3.      Select the first cell in the area where you want to place the data. To move the data to another worksheet, change to that worksheet.

4.      Click Paste.

Using Drag and Drop to Move Data

You can also move data using drag and drop. Select the data to be moved, and then drag the border of the selected cells to its new location. To insert the data between existing cells, press Shift while you drag. To move the data to a different worksheet, press the Alt key and drag the selection to the worksheet’s tab. You’re switched to that sheet, where you can drop your selection at the appropriate point.

 

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