Any unique way of encoding information in a file. Each program uses a unique file format for the files it saves. Excel workbook files, for example, use a different encoding method than Microsoft Word files, Windows Paint files, and so on.
fill color
The color used to shade a cell or graphic object.
fill handle
The tiny square that appears in the lower-right corner of the currently selected cell. When you drag the fill handle over neighboring cells and release the mouse button, Excel copies the entry from this cell into the neighboring cells or fills the neighboring cells with a series of entries based on the entry in the selected cell.
See also [Auto Fill]
filter
To display only a select group of records in a data list. Filtering might hide all records except those that have a particular city name in the City field.
floating toolbar
A toolbar that is not anchored to any part of the Excel window. Floating toolbars typically "float" above the worksheet area.
See also [docking area]
font
The type style and size that define the appearance of text.
footer
Text that appears at the bottom of every printed page of a worksheet or workbook.
See also [header]
format
Any setting that controls the appearance of a cell or the appearance of the cell's contents. Formatting includes cell shading and borders, font, font color, and number format.
Format Painter
A feature that enables you to copy the formatting from one or more cells (without copying the cell contents) and apply that same formatting to other cells.
formula
A mathematical statement that tells Excel how to perform a particular calculation or series of calculations. Formulas typically contain cell addresses that pull values from other cells into the formula, and mathematical operators that tell Excel which operations to perform. Formulas may also contain values.
formula bar
The area just above the worksheet that contains a box in which you can type and edit an entry for the currently selected cell. The formula bar also displays the address of the currently selected cell or range and buttons for accepting or canceling the current entry.
function
A ready-made formula that performs a mathematical operation on a set of values. The simple function SUM, for instance, determines the total of a set of values.
