Range
You can also refer to more than one cell at a time as long as the cells are in a continuous block. This is called referencing a range of cells. To reference a range of cells, you specify the upper left cell in the range followed by the ":" character and the lower right cell in the range. For example, the range reference "A2:C2" refers to cells A2, B2, and C2 while the reference "B1:B4" refers to cells B1, B2, B3, and B4. Using the Fill feature
when you plan to enter data into a large number of cells or when the data you plan to enter follows a repetitive pattern. Use the "Fill" feature in Excel. The "Fill" feature allows you to automatically populate cells in a worksheet.
Freeze Panes
feature in Excel allows you to "Lock" rows and columns so that they don’t disappear when you navigate through the data table. To freeze the data labels for the table in Figure 1.12, select cell B3. Go to the "View" menu tab and find the "Window" group. Click "Freeze Panes." There are three options in the "Freeze Panes" menu list; you can freeze the first column, the first row, or you can select the worksheet area to freeze. The "Freeze Panes" option will freeze both the column directly to the left and the row directly above the selected cell
Defining Data Types
You can store a number of different types of data in Excel worksheets. Different types of data include text (letters, words, and phrases), numbers, dates and times, and other specialized or customized data types. Most worksheets contain several different types of data. While you can use many different types of data in a single worksheet, each cell in a worksheet can only be defined as a single data type
Reusing and Clearing Cell Formats
Reusing Formats
It is not uncommon to apply a number of different format options to a cell to make it look how you want it to look. Often you will want to reuse this same set of formatting options to display other elements of your worksheets. Fortunately, you can reuse the same set of formatting options from one cell in other cells quickly and easily using the "Format Painter" feature To apply the format from one cell to another, you first select the cell with the formatting you want to copy, and then in the "Home" menu tab followed by the "Clipboard" group you click on the "Format Painter" button. Next, select the destination cell where you want to apply the formatting. Clearing Cell Formats
When you are using a number of different formatting options in your cells, you might not like the result. In this case, you might find that it is easier to clear away all of the formatting you have done and start over rather than to change the different formatting options you have already applied. To clear the formatting options used in a cell, select the cell you would like to clear and click on "Clear Formats" in the "Editing" group of the "Home" menu tab
Formatting Worksheets
On occasion, you may find it necessary to print a report from a worksheet. You can format worksheets to make them more printer-friendly by managing the "Page Layout" menu tab options of the worksheet.
Margins refer to the amount of blank space that appears around the outside of a printed document. You define the margins for a worksheet using the "Margins" menu list in the "Page Setup" group of the "Page Layout" menu tab. Often, the reports you generate using spreadsheets can span multiple pages. You may wish to repeat some elements of the report, like a title or page numbers, across all pages. This is done by defining page headers and footers in the Print Titles.
Section 1: Excel Basics
