XL5 AppNote: Basic Use Questions and Answers (XE0923)

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

Following is the complete text for the FastTip for Microsoft Excel for Windows. It contains the commonly asked questions and answers about basic use.

  Microsoft(R) Product Support Services Application Note (Text File)
                XE0923: BASIC USE QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS

                                                  Revision Date: 4/97
                                                      No Disk Included

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1. Q. How can I get information about easier ways to accomplish tasks in
      Microsoft Excel?

   A. In addition to the printed documentation, Microsoft Excel includes
      several online features that allow you to get information while you
      work. Use online Help for detailed step-by-step instructions for all
      tasks and features. You can review sample files, available in the
      Examples directory, that provide examples of worksheet models and
      commonly used worksheet and macro functions. Also, enable the
      TipWizard assistant for on-screen tips and instructions about quick
      and efficient ways to use Microsoft Excel. The TipWizard monitors
      your selections and commands. When there is an alternate way to
      perform a task, the TipWizard button turns yellow. In Microsoft Excel
      97, the Office Assistant performs the same functions as the TipWizard
      and provides help with the various Office wizards.

2. Q. How do I change the default settings in Microsoft Excel?

   A. Changing the default settings in Microsoft Excel is easier than ever!
      By using the various tabs in the Options dialog box, you can change
      most of the elements of the Microsoft Excel workbook, sheet,
      workspace, and window display. For example, on the View tab, you can
      turn off gridlines and hide the scroll bars, while on the General
      tab, you can change the standard font for all new workbooks, the
      number of sheets each new workbook contains, and the default file
      location. To display the Options dialog box, click Options on the
      Tools menu.

      Note that when you change the standard font on the General tab, each
      new workbook uses this font. To change the standard font for a single
      workbook, use the Style command on the Format menu.

      For more information in about changing the default settings Microsoft
      Excel 97, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the
      following text

         workbooks, defaults

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Customize the
      defaults for a workbook or worksheet by using a template" topic.

      For more information in Microsoft Excel 7.0, click the Index tab in
      Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

         workbooks, default formatting

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Change the
      default formats for new workbooks and sheets" topic.

      For more information in Microsoft Excel 5.0, see "Changing Defaults
      and Settings" in Chapter 34 of the User's Guide.

3. Q. How do I learn the Microsoft Excel 5.0 - 97 equivalents for Microsoft
      Excel 4.0 commands?

   A. Microsoft Excel 5.0 Help contains tables that show Microsoft Excel
      version 4.0 commands and their version 5.0 equivalents. To view these
      tables, do the following:

      1. Double-click the Help button.

      2. Type the menu commands keyword and click Show Topics.

      3. Click the "Menu Command Changes In Version 5.0" topic and click Go
         To.

      You may find it useful to print the tables and keep them nearby for
      handy reference. Then, when you need to find a version 4.0 command,
      you can quickly locate the old command on the printed list and find
      the 5.0 equivalent.

      Until you are accustomed to the version 5.0 or 7.0 menu structure,
      you can switch back to Microsoft Excel 4.0 menus. To use the 4.0
      menus, do the following:

      1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

      2. In the Options dialog box, click the General tab.

      3. Under Menus, click to select the Microsoft Excel 4.0 Menus check
         box.

      4. Click OK.

     For additional information, see "Menu Command Changes in Version 5.0"
     and "Switching Between Version 4.0 and Version 5.0 Menus" in Chapter 4
     of the User's Guide.

4. Q. How do I set up a workbook so that it will open each time I run
       Microsoft Excel?

   A. To open a workbook at startup, place it in the Xlstart directory,
      which is located in the same directory as the Microsoft Excel
      program. All workbooks placed in this location are opened
      automatically when you start Microsoft Excel. Your workbook can
      include one or more of the following: worksheets, chart sheets,
      Visual Basic modules, dialog sheets, and Microsoft Excel 4.0 macro
      sheets.

      Note that when you place a template in the Xlstart directory, it
      appears in the New dialog box when you click New on the File menu or
      in the Insert dialog box when you click the Insert command on the
      sheet tab shortcut menu. (To display this shortcut menu, click a
      sheet tab with the right mouse button.)

      For more information about the Startup directory in Microsoft Excel
      97, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following
      text

         startup, folders

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Control what
      happens when you start Microsoft Excel" topic.

      For more information in Microsoft Excel 7.0, click the Index tab in
      Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

         xlstart startup folder

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Create and save
      a workspace file" topic.

      For more information about opening workbooks at startup in Microsoft
      Excel 5.0, see "Controlling How Microsoft Excel for Windows Starts
      Using Startup Switches" in Chapter 35 of the User's Guide.

5. Q. How do I simultaneously display multiple sheets in my workbook?

   A. To view more than one sheet at a time in a particular workbook, open
      a separate window for each sheet you want to view, and then tile the
      sheets. To tile the sheets, do the following:

      1. Click the sheet tab to activate the sheet.

      2. On the Window menu, click New Window.

      Repeat steps 1 and 2 for each sheet you want to view.

      3. On the Window menu, click Arrange.

      4. Click Tiled and click to select the Windows of Active Workbook
         check box.

      5. Click OK.

      This procedure opens a new window for each selected sheet. For each
      new window you open, the title bar contains the name Bookname:n where
      Bookname is the name of your workbook and n is a number based on the
      number of open windows. If you don't want to save these windows with
      your workbook, close each window that has a number after the workbook
      name before you save the workbook. Regardless of whether you save the
      new windows with your workbook, any changes you make while the
      windows are open are automatically reflected in the original sheets
      in the workbook.

      For more information about displaying sheets in Microsoft Excel 7.0
      or Microsoft Excel 97, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help,
      type the following text

         workbooks, viewing

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "View multiple
      sheets or workbooks at the same time" topic.

      For more information about opening, arranging, and closing workbook
      windows, see "Opening, Arranging, and Closing Workbook Windows" in
      Chapter 7 of the User's Guide.

6. Q. How do I move, copy, and rename sheets in my workbook?

   A. To move and copy sheets, select the sheet tabs and drag them to a
      location in the same workbook or to another workbook window. To move
      a sheet to a different location, click the sheet tab, press and hold
      down the mouse button, and drag the sheet tab to the new location. To
      make a copy of a sheet, press and hold down CTRL while you drag the
      sheet tab.

      You can also use the sheet tab shortcut menu to move or copy a sheet
      or to rename a sheet tab. To display the shortcut menu, click a sheet
      tab with the right mouse button.

      For more information about moving sheets in Microsoft Excel 7.0 or
      Microsoft Excel 97, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type
      the following text

         worksheets, copying and moving

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Move or copy
      sheets" topic.

      For additional information about working in workbooks in Microsoft
      Excel 5.0, see "Working in Workbooks" in Chapter 7 of the User's
      Guide.

7. Q. When I double-click a cell, I see a flashing bar in the cell. What
      does this mean?

   A. In Microsoft Excel 5.0, the flashing bar means that you are in edit
      mode and can edit the contents of the cell directly in the cell. In
      earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, you can edit the contents of a
      cell only in the formula bar. When you use this editing feature in
      Microsoft Excel 5.0, it’s not necessary to shift your focus to the
      formula bar.

      In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, double-clicking a cell
      displays an attached note or selects the precedents for a cell. If
      you prefer this functionality or if you prefer to edit in the formula
      bar exclusively, do the following to disable this feature:

      1. On the Tools menu, click Options.

      2. Click the Edit tab.

      3. Clear the Edit Directly in Cell check box.

      4. Click OK.

      For more information about editing data in a cell in Microsoft Excel
      7.0 or Microsoft Excel 97, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel
      Help, type the following text

         editing data, entering data in cells

      and then double-click the selected text to go to the "Edit cell
      contents" topic.

      For more information in Microsoft Excel 5.0, see "Editing Within a
      Cell" in Chapter 11 of the User's Guide.

8. Q. Opening some non-Microsoft Excel files, including files created in
      earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, seems to take slightly longer
      than opening them in the program in which I created them. Why?

   A. Microsoft Excel uses the "shared formulas" method for storing
      repeated formulas (such as formulas that you copied or filled across
      a range). If your workbook contains many of these kinds of formulas,
      this storage method may decrease the size of your file. As a result,
      the file takes less room on your disk, opens faster, and uses less
      memory when you open it. In addition, the formulas may be
      recalculated faster. Note that the reduced file size and performance
      enhancements may be imperceptible if your sheet does not contain many
      formulas or does not contain formulas with repeated information.

      When you open files created in versions of Microsoft Excel earlier
      than version 5.0, or when you open files that are in other file
      formats, the applicable formulas in these files are converted to
      shared formulas. This conversion process results in a slight increase
      (5 percent to 15 percent) in the amount of time that it takes to open
      the file. After you save the file in the current Microsoft Excel file
      format in the Save As dialog box, you can open and save the file more
      quickly, the formulas are recalculated more quickly, and the file
      requires less disk space.

      Example of Performance Enhancement

      Following is an example of the performance enhancement provided by
      this feature. Note that the time it takes to open and save a file
      varies depending on the way your computer is configured. Assume cells
      A1:CZ100 in a Microsoft Excel 4.0 worksheet contain the following
      formula:

         =IF(B125>0.5,B124/B125,B124)

      When you save this file, it requires 681,790 bytes of disk space.
      When you close and reopen this file in Microsoft Excel 4.0, it takes
      16 seconds to open. When you open this file in Microsoft Excel 5.0 or
      later, it takes 22 seconds to open. However, when you save this file
      as a Microsoft Excel workbook (in the current version), the file size
      shrinks to 345,600 bytes. When you close and reopen this file, it
      takes 6 seconds to open.

9. Q. When I call Microsoft Technical Support, engineers often need to know
      version information and specifics about my computer. Can I find this
      information in a single place?

   A. The System Info feature in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 or later
      examines your computer and displays information about Microsoft Excel
      and your operating system, including fonts, printing, proofing tools,
      graphics filters, text converters, object linking and embedding
      applications, and the screen display. To display your system
      information, do the following:

      1. On the Help menu, click About Microsoft Excel.

      2. Click System Info.

Keywords          : kbusage kbfasttip
Version           : 5.0 7.0 97
Platform          : WINDOWS