Getting Started with Excel

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Spreadsheets: Getting Started  
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Spreadsheets: Getting Started

Read through this guide for tips on some of the basic skills you need to get started building and using spreadsheets. Specific how-to instructions reference Excel 97. If you're new to spreadsheets you might skim through this entire guide for an overview. Then return to particular sections as you need them while you work on your own spreadsheets.

I. Overview of the Excel Work Space

Titles, Windows and Worksheets, Menus, Formula Bar,  Toolbars, Status Bar, Worksheet Referencing Scheme, For More Information

II. Basic Data Entry

Entering Text and Numbers, Editing an Entry, Deleting an Entry, Adding or Deleting a Row or Column, For More Information

III. Mouse Basics

Point, Left-Hand and Right-Hand Click, Double-click, Selecting More Than One (Contiguous) Cell, Selecting Non-contiguous Cells, Mouse Pointer Shapes

IV. Key Mouse Operations

  Move a Cell or Range, Copy Data, Filling & Extending

V. Moving and Selecting

Moving Around the Worksheet, Specifying a Range, Selecting a Range for Data Entry, For More Information

VI. Formulas

Format, Naming Cells & Ranges, Tips for Avoiding Errors, Using Built-in Functions, Copying Formulas (Relative Referencing), Absolute Addressing, For More Information

VII. File Management Essentials

Saving a File, Retrieving a File, For More Information

VIII. Printing

Printing Basics, For More Information