Introduction
About Spreadsheet Software
The main task of any spreadsheet is to manipulate and present numbers. Most
tables of numbers do not mean very much to the casual observer unless they are
accompanied by a few important things:
titles and other general information explaining the reason for the data and how the data are acquired.
labels attached to individual numbers or sequences of numbers explaining what the numbers refer to.
formatting on the numbers themselves to make their meaning, particularly their units, as immediately apparent as possible.
formatting behind the numbers to draw the readers attention to the important parts of the table and highlight significant data.
All these come under the general heading of "Formatting" - i.e. changing the appearance. We are not concerned here with the mathematical manipulation of numbers but merely with their presentation and visual emphasis.
Excel has a large range of very powerful formatting abilities that enable you to define precisely how you want to present numbers and text on your sheet. It also gives you some preset formats so that if you are not sure what combinations of formats are likely to work you can choose a combination created by a data presentation expert.
This document just deals with the formatting of the information in cells and of the cells themselves. It does not deal with altering the whole worksheet to present data, or with Excel's on-screen computer presentation facilities.
Pre-Requisites
It is assumed that you already know how to open, close, save and print an Excel
spreadsheet and that you know how to enter data, edit data and create simple
formats. If you are new to Excel it will be necessary for you to read and
work through at least one, and preferably two, of the following documents
before attempting these exercises:
Getting Started With Microsoft Excel
Introductory Exercises In Microsoft Excel
Using the Microsoft Excel Self Teach Program
Documentation
If you wish to investigate some of the other facilities in Excel then the
following documents are also available:
Writing formulae With Microsoft Excel
Charting In Microsoft Excel
