Navigating in Excel

Navigating in Excel

Your mouse and arrow keys are the primary navigation keys used to move from cell to cell. Unlike Word, which uses a text cursor, Excel uses a cell pointer to show you the currently active cell. The active cell accepts whatever data you enter next . As you press an arrow key, Excel moves the active cell pointer in the direction of the arrow.

Table 43.1 lists the most commonly used navigational keystrokes used within a worksheet. Use your mouse to scroll with the scrollbars. To scroll long distances, press Shift while you scroll with the mouse.

Table 43.1. Using the Keyboard to Navigate Excel

Automating Your Work

Although the design and set up of an Excel workbook can be exciting, the data entry portion can be dull. Few people like to sit at their computers and type the same information again and again. Fortunately, Excel has some tools to help you automate your data entry.

AutoComplete Speeds the Entry Process

As you create your worksheets, you'll probably find that you enter the same text over and over. Typing repetitive text is boring and, because you might not be paying close attention, increases your chances of making a typing mistake. Fortunately, Excel has a feature called AutoComplete to automate the entry of text you type multiple times.

AutoComplete works in two ways. In the first way, Excel completes an entry as you're typing it. (If you've typed URL's using the current versions of Internet Explorer or Netscape Navigator, you may be familiar with how AutoComplete finishes the text you type.) As you type the first few letters of an entry you made previously, AutoComplete assumes that you're typing the previous text and finishes the text for you. If the text AutoComplete fills in is not correct, just keep typing. Whatever you type overwrites the AutoComplete entry.

You can also pick from your AutoComplete entries and insert them only immediately above or below the existing entry (or entries). When you need to repeat a word or phrase you used previously, right-click the cell where you want to place the duplicate text. Remember, the cell must be immediately above or below an existing AutoComplete entry. Choose Pick from List from the shortcut menu that appears. As shown in Figure 43.6, a list of previously typed words and phrases appears underneath the cell. Click the word you want from the list. The list disappears and the word is inserted into the cell .

AutoFill Produces Amazing Results

Excel contains an amazing feature called AutoFill to automate your data entry. AutoFill looks at the relationship of a data series that you've already entered into your worksheet and then duplicates its results in an area you select. A data series can be any set of related information, such as the months of the year, the numbers of your personal checks, or incremental interest amounts.

Using AutoFill is a breeze . You select a cell or cells that contain the data and then tell Excel where to fill in the rest. For example, if you have a list that contains Sunday and Monday, AutoFill can enter the remaining weekdays for you.

Fill It in with the Fill Handle

Although Excel gives you several ways to activate AutoFill, the easiest method is to use the fill handle on the bottom right-hand corner of the selected cell or cells. When you select one or more cells, the fill handle appears, as shown in Figure 43.7. Drag the handle across the adjacent cells you want to fill. As you drag, the cells appear highlighted. Release the mouse button to fill in the data series.