About This Book  1

Conventions Used in This Book 1

Icons Used in This Book  2

Chapter 1: The Excel 2013 User Experience 3

Excel’s Ribbon User Interface  4

Going Backstage  7

Using the Excel Ribbon  8

Customizing the Quick Access Toolbar 14

Using the Quick Access Toolbar button  15

Adding Ribbon commands  17

Adding non-Ribbon commands  18

Having Fun with the Formula Bar  19

Working in the Worksheet Area  20

Moving around the worksheet  21

Showing off the Status Bar  29

Launching and Quitting Excel  30

Starting Excel in Windows 8  30

Starting Excel in Windows 7  31

Adding an Excel 2013 shortcut to your Windows 7 desktop  32

Exiting Excel  33

Help Is on the Way  33

Chapter 2: Creating a Spreadsheet from Scratch     35

So What Ya Gonna Put in That New Workbook of Yours?  36

The ins and outs of data entry  38

You must remember this     39

Doing the Data-Entry Thing  39

It Takes All Types  42

The telltale signs of text 43

How Excel evaluates its values  43

Fabricating those fabulous formulas!  49

If you want it, just point it out  52

Altering the order of operations  53

Formula flub-ups  54

Fixing Data Entry Flub-Ups  57

You really AutoCorrect for me  57

Cell editing etiquette  58

Avoiding Data Entry Drudgery  60

I’m just not complete without you  60

Fill’er up with AutoFill  61

Fill it in a flash  66

Inserting special symbols  69

Making Formulas Function Better  70

Inserting a function into a formula  71

I’d be totally lost without AutoSum 75

Sums via Quick Analysis Totals  79

Making Sure Data Is Safe  80

Chapter 3: Making It All Look Pretty      83

Choosing a Select Group of Cells 84

Point-and-click cell selections  85

Keyboard cell selections 88

Using the Format as Table Gallery  90

Cell Formatting from the Home Tab  94

Formatting Cells Close to the Source with the Mini-bar  98

Using the Format Cells Dialog Box  100

Understanding the number formats  101

The values behind the formatting  108

Make it a date!  109

Ogling some of the other number formats  110

Calibrating Columns  112

Rambling rows  113

Now you see it, now you don’t  114

Futzing with the Fonts  117

Altering the Alignment  119

Intent on indents  120

From top to bottom  121

Tampering with how the text wraps  122

Reorienting cell entries  124

Shrink to fit  126

Bring on the borders!  127

Applying fill colors, patterns, and gradient effects to cells  129

Doing It in Styles  131

Creating a new style for the gallery  131

Copying custom styles from one workbook into another  132

Fooling Around with the Format Painter  133

Chapter 4: Printing the Masterpiece     135

Previewing Pages in Page Layout View 137

Using the Backstage Print Screen  138

Printing the Current Worksheet  142

My Page Was Set Up! ...