Excel Basics - Spreadsheets, Cells, and Data Entry

Excel Interface Overview

Key Components:

• Formula Bar: Enter and edit cell content
• Name Box: Shows current cell reference
• Ribbon: Organized tabs with tools (Home, Insert, Data, etc.)
• Cells: Grid intersections identified by column (A, B, C...) and row (1, 2, 3...)
• Sheet Tabs: Navigate between worksheets

Cell References

Absolute Reference: $A$1 (stays fixed when copying)
Relative Reference: A1 (changes when copying)
Mixed Reference: $A1 or A$1 (partial fixed)

Data Entry and Formatting

Basic Entry: Click cell → Type → Press Enter

Types of Data:
- Numbers (right-aligned by default)
- Text (left-aligned by default)
- Dates (formatted as mm/dd/yyyy)
- Boolean (TRUE/FALSE)
- Formulas (start with =)

Cell Formatting

Numbers:
- Currency: $1,234.56
- Percent: 45%
- Decimal Places: 2.50
- Thousands Separator: 1,000

Text:
- Bold, Italic, Underline
- Font color and background
- Alignment (left, center, right)
- Text wrapping

Date Formats:
- Short Date: 1/15/2025
- Long Date: January 15, 2025
- Custom: yyyy-mm-dd

AutoFill Features

Drag Down:
1, 2, 3 → Continue series
Jan, Feb, Mar → Continue months
Mon, Tue, Wed → Continue days

Double-click Fill Handle:
Automatically fill down based on adjacent data

Basic Operations

Select Range: Click and drag, or Shift+Click
Select Column: Click column letter
Select Row: Click row number
Select All: Ctrl+A

Copy: Ctrl+C
Paste: Ctrl+V
Paste Special: Ctrl+Shift+V

Data Validation

Settings → Data Validation
- Whole Numbers (1-100)
- Decimals (0-1)
- List (predefined values)
- Date (specific range)
- Custom (formula-based)

Best Practices

• ✓ Use descriptive headers
• ✓ Keep related data together
• ✓ Use consistent formatting
• ✓ Avoid merged cells
• ✓ Use consistent date formats
• ✗ Don't mix data types in one column
• ✗ Avoid hardcoding values in formulas
• ✗ Don't leave blank rows between data

Keyboard Shortcuts

• Ctrl+Home: Go to A1
• Ctrl+End: Go to last used cell
• Ctrl+→: Jump to next data boundary
• Ctrl+↓: Jump to bottom of data
• F4: Repeat last action
• Ctrl+`: Show formulas (toggle)