For instance, you might want to change the size of the font in every cell in the worksheet. Selecting an entire worksheet is useful when you want to make changes on a global scale. Press Enter to enter the value and move down one cell.Įxercise In the following exercise, you will enter values into cells.However, it’s important to note that values can contain only the following characters:ġ 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 0 + - ( ), / $ %. You enter values into the worksheet the same way you enter text. Using the worksheet below, enter the headings for cells A5, B5, C5, D5, and E5.Press Enter to enter the data and move down one cell.Įxercise In the following exercise, you will enter text data into cells.The Edit Formula button is only operable when the cell contains a formula. Use the Cancel button if you decide not to continue to enter the data into the cell and the Enter button to accept the entry. the equals sign), three buttons appear in the Formula bar to the right of the Name box, shown in Figure 1‑6. When you enter functional data into your worksheet (that is a calculation or part thereof e.g. A yellow diamond with an ! in the middle will also appear with options to correct this error. Note Excel 2013 will produce an error at this point de-noted by a green arrow in the top left corner of the cell (This error indicates inconsistent data i.e. You don’t need to type the apostrophe when a phrase begins with a number as long as it includes text characters, for example, 1st Quarter Summary. The apostrophe does not show up in the worksheet cell, but you can see it in the Formula bar. All other numbers are right-aligned by default. If you type an apostrophe (’) before the number, for example ‘2013, Excel accepts it as text and aligns it on the left, as illustrated in Figure 1-9. For example, you may want to exclude a number from a summed column. On occasion, you may need to enter a number as text. Excel hasn’t lost this data it just doesn’t show it. If the cell is not wide enough and if the cell to the right contains data, some characters may not be visible. Entering Text Data into a CellĪ single cell can hold up to 32,000 alphanumeric characters. For instance, if a formula includes a reference to cell C3 and you change the value that is located in C3, the result of the formula will change accordingly. Because formulas contain references to worksheet cells and ranges, they depend on other elements of the worksheet.

As a result, dates can be used in complex functions.įormulas are made up of values and operators.

Although a date may seem to be text, as soon as you enter what Excel recognizes as a date, it is formatted and stored using a decimal date format. Text data is alphanumeric and cannot be used in most formulas. Looking for Excel training in Los Angeles? Identifying Types of DataĮxcel worksheets contain four types of data: text, values, dates, and formulas. You can even set up a sequence of data and let Excel fill in the remainder of the sequence based on your first few entries. Data can be entered into a cell or a range of cells. By entering data, you are inputting the information that you want Excel to display, calculate, and store. The first step in creating a useful worksheet is entering data.

Basic data entry test