Great Performance !

In this section I cover some of the fundamentals of using Excel, such as entering data, moving around, and basic formatting.

Getting Around

At any given time Excel has an active, or current, cell. It is indicated by the cell pointer, a dark border around the cell. Actions you take in Excel affect this cell—for example, if you type in something, it is placed in this cell (replacing anything that was there originally). The formula bar displays information related to the active cell:

• The left section of the formula bar displays the address of the active cell.

• The right section of the formula bar displays the contents of the active cell.

You can make any cell active by clicking it with the mouse. You can also move the active cell using the arrow, page up, and page down keys. If you try to move off the screen, the worksheet scrolls to keep the active cell in view. Excel also defines a few special keystrokes for moving the active cell:

• Press Ctrl+Home to move to cell A1.

• Press Home to move to column A in the current row.

• Press Ctrl plus an arrow key to move to the edge of the worksheet in that direction.

You can scroll different parts of the worksheet into view by using Excel’s vertical and horizontal scrollbars. Be aware, however, that scrolling does not move the active cell. Be sure that the Scroll Lock on your keyboard is off; otherwise, scrolling will not work as expected.