Formatting Data with Excel 97

What you will learn from this lesson

With Excel 97 you will:

Use number formats.

Format using the Formatting toolbar.
Format numbers in cells.
Resize columns.
Use the AutoSum button (∑).
Format rows and columns.
Rotate text on your worksheet.
Customize the Formatting toolbar.

What you should do before you start

this lesson
1. Start Excel 97.
2. Open a new workbook.

Exploring the lesson

When you enter numbers or text into any cell in Excel 97, you can format
how the information is displayed. You can change the number to appear as
a percentage or in any one of several formats.
Excel can display numbers in many ways. Any number can be entered as a
plain number and then changed into another format.

Exploring number format

Trying different number formats
1. Click cell B2, type 123456, press ENTER, and then click B2 again.
2. On the Format menu, click Cells.

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In and Out of the Classroom with Microsoft Excel 97

3. On the Number tab, choose Currency. In Decimal places, click the

Note down arrow until 0 appears, and then click OK.
Another way to
change format is to 4. Click B2, in the Formula Bar, type – in front of 12345, press ENTER,
right-click the cell right-click cell B2, and click Format Cells.
that you want to 5. On the Number tab, under Category, click Number, under
format. On that Negative numbers, click 1234 in red, and click OK.
shortcut menu, click
Format Cells. 6. Close the workbook without saving changes.

Entering dates
Displaying numbers as dates and formatting date cells
1. Open the Technology workbook you created earlier.
2. Right-click the B column header to select the dates and all of
column B.
3. On the shortcut menu, click Format Cells.
4. On the Number tab, under Category, click Date.
5. Under Type, choose 3/4/97.
6. Click OK.
7. On the File menu, click Save.
8. Close the workbook.

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 Formatting Data with Excel 97

Using Formatting toolbar buttons

In Excel 97, the Formatting toolbar buttons offer quick and easy ways to
format cells.
Using the Formatting toolbar to change cell formats
1. Open a new workbook.
2. Click cell B2, and type Technology Challenge. Note
Use the Merge
3. Press ENTER. and Center button
4. Click and drag cell B2 to cell H2. on the Formatting
toolbar.
5. Click cell H2. On the Formatting toolbar, click Merge and Center.
6. Select the words Technology Challenge.
7. Click the Italic button.
8. Click the Bold button.
9. Close the workbook without saving.

Formatting numbers in cells

Excel changes the width of any cell as you enter the number. It
automatically adjusts the width to accommodate your numbers. Note
Use these
Formatting a cell with the Decrease Decimal and Increase Decimal buttons to
buttons increase and
1. Open a new workbook. decrease
decimal places.
2. In cell B4, enter 12345678999, and press ENTER.
3. Add a decimal point between 5 and 6, and press ENTER.
4. Click B4, and click the Decrease Decimal button twice.
5. Increase the number four times with the Increase Decimal button.
6. Close the workbook without saving.

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In and Out of the Classroom with Microsoft Excel 97

Resizing columns
Note Now, your number is displayed as a percentage, but the cell extends across
When “#######” the entire screen. Use the Format menu to resize the column.
appears in a cell,
the cell is too Resizing columns
narrow for the data 1. On the Standard toolbar, click New.
to be displayed.
2. Click cell D4, and type 12345.6666, and then press ENTER.
3. Right-click D4,and click Format Cells.
4. In the Number tab, click Number, click the up arrow in Decimal
places to 6, and then click OK.
5. On the Format menu, select Column, and click Width.
6. In the Column Width box, type 24, and click OK.
7. In cell C6, repeat steps 1 through 3, but enter a width of 10, and see
what happens to your number.
8. Position the pointer between the C and D columns until you see the
double arrow, and then double-click.
9. Position the pointer between the D and E columns until you see the
double arrow, and then click and drag until the width is 15.
10. Close the workbook without saving.

Note Using the AutoSum function

For an even faster Excel 97 uses some math functions as buttons on the Standard toolbar. The
way to use the AutoSum button is displayed as sigma, or ∑, and is used to calculate the
AutoSum function, sum of a range of numbers.
move the pointer to
the cell, and click Totaling numbers
ALT+=. 1. Open the Technology Report saved earlier.
2. Click the E column header, click the Insert menu, and then click
Columns.
3. Click E6.
4. Click the AutoSum button on the Standard toolbar, and verify that
the cells selected for summation are correct.
5. Press ENTER, and note the summation results in cell E6.
6. Click E6, and drag the fill handle to E12.
7. Close the workbook without saving your changes.

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 Formatting Data with Excel 97

Note
You can sum
columns using
the AutoSum
button on the
Standard toolbar
or by using the
Formula bar as
you did in the
previous chapter.

Formatting rows and columns

Adjusting rows and columns so that the text within them is aligned left,
centered, aligned right, or justified is quick and easy. Select the row or
column, and use the buttons on the Formatting toolbar.

Centering rows Note

Centering the text in a title row makes the text easier to read. Use the Merge
and Center
Centering rows button to place
1. In the Technology worksheet, select cells A1 through H1. text in the center
of a single cell.
2. On the Formatting toolbar, click Merge and Center.
3. Click on row header 5 on the left margin to select the entire row.
4. On the Formatting toolbar, click the Center button to center all of
the text in that row.
5. On the left margin, click row headers 6 through 12 to select all the
cells, and click Center again on the Formatting toolbar.

Changing column alignment

Changing the alignment of columns makes a worksheet easier to read.
Aligning left
1. In the Technology worksheet, click column header C to select the
entire column.
2. Click the Align Left button to left-align everything in the column.

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In and Out of the Classroom with Microsoft Excel 97

Aligning right
1. In the Technology worksheet, click column header D to select the
entire column.
2. Click the Align Right button to left-align everything in the column.
3. Try aligning several different cells and rows.
4. When you finish, close your workbook without saving.

How you can use what you learned

Now that you know how to sum data, calculate percentages, do simple
calculation, and enter and edit text in your Excel 97 document, you are
ready to start entering student seating charts or other student records. Use
the workbook to record attendance, test scores, and assignments.

Extensions
Using Excel 97 you can create interesting charts to engage students, and
you can challenge students to add charts to enhance their work and, at the
same time, develop better creative-thinking skills.

Rotating text
Rotating the titles allows you to condense the title while keeping column
headings readable. Rotating text on a worksheet is useful when you are
recording grades and want to clearly label assignments. This feature allows
you to format any cell on your worksheet. If you try to rotate merged cells,
you may find that only the first letter will display.

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 Formatting Data with Excel 97

Rotating text
1. Open the Technology workbook. Note
Rotate column
2. Click cells C5 through H5.
heads +90
3. On the Format menu, click Cells. degrees to read
the text from
4. On the Alignment tab, under Orientation, click and drag the Red
bottom to top;
Diamond to the vertical position.
rotate the heads
–90 degrees to
read the text from
top to bottom.

5. Click OK.
6. On the File menu, click Save As, and name the file Technology
Challenge 1.2.
7. Click Save.
8. Close the workbook.

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Customizing the Formatting toolbar

You can rotate text quickly and easily if you customize the Formatting
toolbar by adding buttons for rotating text.
Customizing toolbars
1. Open a new workbook.
2. On the Tools menu, click Customize.
3. On the Commands tab, click Format.
4. Scroll to Rotate Text Up.
5. Click Rotate Text Up, and drag it to the right of the Merge and
Center button on the toolbar.
6. Click Sheet2 to start a new worksheet.
7. Type Quizzes, Participation, and Exams in cells B5, C5, and D5,
respectively.
8. Double-click between the headers of columns B and C, between C
and D, and between D and E to center the text in the columns.
9. Select cells B5 through D5, and click the Rotate Text Up button.
10. Center the text in each of the columns.
11. Close the workbook without saving.

Summarizing what you learned

In this chapter you have explored and practiced:

Using number formats.

Formatting with the Formatting toolbar.
Formatting numbers in cells.
Resizing columns.
Using the AutoSum button.
Formatting rows and columns.
Rotating text on your worksheet.
Customizing your Formatting toolbar.

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