Formatting

It is very easy to change the appearance of your spreadsheet by applying formatting commands. For example, you can:

• Change the font style, size and color
• Add borders, shading and patterns
• Change the way numerical values are displayed, e.g. specify the number of decimal places, add a dollar sign, etc
• Change the alignment of entries
• Adjust column widths and row heights

Formatting can be applied either by sing the Formatting toolbar, the Format menu or the right click menu.

Selecting cells

As when copying or moving cells, the cells that you wish to apply formatting to must be selected before choosing the formatting option required:

• Click and drag with the mouse, from the top left cell to the bottom right cell
• Use the Ctrl key to pick out individual cells for formatting
• Use the Shift key to select the first and last cells in a range, and all cells in between

The Formatting Dialogue box

Having selected the cells to format, click in the Format menu, then select the Cells option. The following dialogue box will appear:

Select the required formatting commands from the tabs at the top of the dialogue box, then click on OK.

The Formatting Toolbar

Select cells as above, then click on the required formatting icon. This is often the quickest way of formatting your work.

The Right Click Menu

Select cells as above, then right click over the selected cells.

Click on the Format Cells option; the dialogue box will spear. Make the required changes and click on OK.

Clearing Formats

Sometimes you many wish to clear only the formatting within a cell, rather than the contents. To do this:

1. Select the cell or cells to clear
2. Click on the Edit menu and select clear
3. A sub menu will appear; select Formats

If you wish to clear everything from a cell (formats and contents) click on All.

:) Exercise

Apply the following formatting changes to your spreadsheet:

Format the values for currency
Format the title so that it is 14 point, bold and centered across the columns
Change the labels so that they are bold
Add color of your choice to the total values
Add a border around the cell range A1 to F8
Add a background color to the title and labels
Format the total in cell B13 so that it is bold, 12 point

Autoformat

Excel contains predefined layouts and styles which you can apply to your spreadsheet to save time.

1. Click somewhere within your spreadsheet
2. Click on the Format menu and select Autoformat
3. Click on the required style and then on OK

The style will be applied to your spreadsheet

The Options button enables you to be selective in what you apply, e.g. you may not want to apply borders within that particular format.

The Format Painter

The format painter allows you to copy formats from one part of your document to another, saving time.

Format Painting Once

Click into the cell which contains the formatting you wish to copy
Click once on the Format Painter icon

Click into the cell or highlight the cell range to which you wish to apply the copied formatting. The cell(s) will change accordingly,

Format Painting Many Times

Follow the above procedure but this time double click on the Format Painter icon. This will enable you to copy the selected formats many times,

Canceling the Format Painter

To switch the Format Painter off, click once on the Format Painter icon or press Escape on the keyboard.

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