Page 44 - Excel Workbook for Dummies

06_798452 ch02.qxp 3/13/06 7:34 PM Page 27
Chapter 2: Formatting the Spreadsheet 27
To make it easier to find the tool you need while you’re first learning Excel and, espe-
cially, while using this workbook, be sure that Excel always displays the Standard and
Formatting toolbars on separate rows (ensuring instant access to all their buttons)
and that the full Excel menus are always displayed. To do this, choose View➪
Toolbars➪Customize to open the Customize dialog box. Then, put a check mark in
the Show Standard and Formatting Toolbars on Two Rows and Always Show Full
Menus check boxes on the Option tab before selecting the Close button.

Try It

Exercise 2-3: Formatting Cells from the Format Toolbar
In the Spring Furniture Sale.xls workbook, practice modifying formatting cells from the
Formatting toolbar:

1. Center the title of the table in cell A2 over the range A2:E2 and make it bold.
Click the Merge and Center button after selecting the range of cells over which
you want to center the text that’s entered in the first cell of the range (the range
A2:E2, in this case).
2. Make the column heading entries in cell range A3:E3 bold and italic and center
them in their cells, and then increase the height of row 3 to 17.25 points (23
pixels) to put some space between the table title and the column headings.
3. Right-align the code numbers in the cell range A4:A9.
4. Increase the indent of the furniture descriptions in the cell range B4:B9 one
tab and then use AutoFit to widen column B sufficiently to display all the
descriptions.
5. Apply the Comma Style number format to the retail prices in the cell range
C4:C9.
6. Center the percentages in the cell range D4:D9.
7. Apply the Currency Style number format to the sale prices in the cell range
E4:E9.
8. Add a thick line border around the entire Spring Sale table.
To draw a border around a block of cells, select its cell range (A2:E9 in this case),
and then click the Borders drop-down button and click the Thick Box Border on
the pop-up palette (the one in the lower-right corner).
9. Put borders between all the cells in the table in the range A3:E9.
Select this range and then click the All Border swatch on the Borders pop-up
palette (the one divided into four quadrants).
10. Check your fully formatted table against the one entered on the Spring Sale sheet
in the workbook file, Solved2-3.xls, and then when everything checks out, save
your formatting changes in the Spring Furniture Sale.xls workbook file.

Formatting cells with the Format Cells dialog box

You rely on the Format Cells dialog box for applying more complex formatting than
provided by the buttons on the Formatting toolbar. This includes applying any number
formats other than the standard Currency, Percent, and Comma number formats from