Excel 97 Essentials

Is this course for you?

This course is intended for anyone wishing to use Excel 97.

It covers introductory and intermediate levels, starting with the basics of constructing a worksheet, including simple calculations and a range of worksheet techniques like functions, absolute cell references and protecting worksheets.

You don't need previous worksheet experience, but it will be helpful to be familiar with basic Windows operation.

The course includes the following elements:

Lesson 1: Excel 97 Basics 1 Lesson 12: Workbook techniques 1
Lesson 2: Excel 97 Basics 2 Lesson 13: Formulas 1
Lesson 3: Worksheet basics 1 Lesson 14: Using functions
Lesson 4: Opening and saving Lesson 15: Absolute cell references
Lesson 5: Getting Help 1 Lesson 16: Date functions
Lesson 6: Getting Help 2 Lesson 17: Protecting information
Lesson 7: Worksheet basics 2 Lesson 18: Names and dependents
Lesson 8: The Formatting toolbar Lesson 19: Splitting a window
Lesson 9: Previewing and printing Lesson 20: Complex workbooks
Lesson 10: Formatting cells Lesson 21: Organise and find files
Lesson 11: Move and copy cells
Pre-defined curricula What you will need to enrol

Lesson 1: Excel 97 Basics 1 top list 
Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Start Excel
  • Recognise the main parts of the Excel display
  • Select View options with the menu
  • Select Full Screen or Normal display
  • Display toolbars using the dialogue box
  • Show ScreenTips to identify the buttons
  • Exit from Excel
    		• This lesson is about the things you need to know before you start to do useful work with Excel. We concentrate on the basics of how to start Excel and make sense of the main features of the Excel display. We look how to use the menus and other controls, how to set some of the view options and how to finish an Excel session.

    Lesson 2: Excel 97 Basics 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Move around the worksheet with the mouse
  • Use preset keyboard shortcuts
  • Use the right mouse button to display the shortcut menu
  • Control your view on the worksheet
  • Maximise the document window
  • Start a new workbook file
    		• In this lesson we look at more of the basics of using Excel, how to move around the worksheet using the mouse and using some keyboard shortcuts. We see how the right mouse button gives you some shortcuts to the menus, and look at ways of controlling your view of the worksheet.

    Lesson 3: Worksheet basics 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Enter simple text, numbers and calculations
  • Use cell references
  • Edit a formula in the Formula Bar
  • Edit in the cell
  • Select cells
  • Delete cell contents
  • Use Undo command to reverse a change
    		• In this lesson we start to see some of the techniques you use for doing useful work with Excel, starting at the basics of simple calculations, then using formulae and cell references which can make your calculations much more flexible. We see how to edit a formula, how to delete cells and how to undo mistakes!

    Lesson 4: Opening and saving top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Open files
  • Change the current folder
  • Save and close files
  • Use the . Recently used files. list
  • Use Save As to save with a new name
  • Start a new workbook
    		• In this course I won't be asking you to do much typing. We have a selection of Excel workbook files set up ready for you to use. In this lesson we look at opening and saving files and starting new workbook files. On the way, we look at the principles of how to organise your work into a sensible system of directories and sub-directories

    Lesson 5: Getting Help 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use the What. s This? feature
  • Display the Office Assistant
  • Change the Office Assistant appearance
  • Change the Office Assistant options
  • Display Excel tips
    		• As you've probably realised by now, Excel has a vast range of features. You don't need to memorise everything though, because Excel will normally show you the information you need, either with on-screen prompts, or through a ScreenTip. However, it also has a very comprehensive Help system as well as a selection of topical tips for the day which is a constantly changing source of useful hints and tips.

    Lesson 6: Getting Help 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Identify menu options
  • Show ScreenTips to identify buttons
  • Use the Office Assistant
  • Get Help through the menus
  • Search for a Help topic
  • Use the Help button to access the Office Assistant
  • Get hints and tips
  • Display help for a dialogue box
    		• When you want to look up detailed information about a topic you don't have to go through the Office Assistant. Word has its own built in Help feature, which gives you a more structured approach to finding information. NOTE: There is no Tutor's Introduction for this lesson.

    Lesson 7: Worksheet basics 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Change column width
  • Enter information with Edit, Fill
  • Drag fill with the mouse
  • Key in a formula
  • Delete an entry
  • Use AutoSum to produce totals
  • Use AutoFormat to improve presentation
  • Fill a series
    		• In this lesson we start to use the techniques you need for building your own worksheets. This covers entering information, copying cells, filling in cell ranges, using the mouse to drag across cells and using the mouse to create a formula instead of keying in cell references. Finally we look at how the AutoSum and AutoFormat features can quickly put a professional touch to your work.

    Lesson 8: The Formatting toolbar top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Change format with the toolbar
  • Align cells
  • Use fonts
  • Set font size
  • Use the Style buttons
  • Change font colour
  • Set a background colour
  • Set a border
    		• In an earlier lesson we looked at the AutoFormat feature which allows you to improve the presentation of a sheet using pre-set formats. In this lesson we look in more detail at how to take control and choose how each cell is formatted using the toolbar controls. Remember, with ScreenTips set on you can tell which button is which by pointing at it and waiting for the ScreenTip which shows its name.

    Lesson 9: Previewing and printing top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Set up a workbook page
  • Preview on screen
  • Print headers and footers
  • Print a worksheet
    		• In this session we look at some of the tools for producing printed versions of your on-screen worksheets. We see how to set up a page layout, preview it on screen as well as add headers and footers to the printed version. Finally we see how to print it on paper.

    Lesson 10: Formatting cells top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Select rows and columns
  • Clear cell formats
  • Control cell alignment and orientation
  • Select special Number formats
  • Add font and colour effects
  • Copy formats using the Format Painter
  • Delete rows
  • Adjusting Row Height
  • Vertical Alignment
    		• In this lesson we look at more techniques for formatting an Excel worksheet. This time we take more control by working through the menus and dialogue boxes, which give you more choices than the toolbar shortcuts. Finally we use the Format Painter button which gives you a quick way to copy formats from one cell to another.

    Lesson 11: Move and copy cells top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Copy with Cut & Paste
  • Move with drag and drop
  • Copy to a range
  • Fill cells
  • Drag fill with the mouse
    		• When you are building your own worksheets, you'll find that the quickest method is usually to create a small number of cells then copy them to other parts of the worksheet. This allows you to quickly create a worksheet with a minimum of fuss. So in this lesson we look at some of Excel's tools for moving and copying cells, both one cell at a time, or copying a range.

    Lesson 12: Workbook techniques 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Keyboard shortcuts for moving around the sheet
  • Use the Go To option
  • Use the Zoom control button
  • Select cells with Add mode
  • Select cells with Extend mode
  • Select cells with Extend Mode and Go To
  • Apply the Accounting Number Format
    		• In earlier lessons we worked with small worksheets, so now we move on and have a look at something more realistic, which is big enough to fill more than the current screen. We use a number of different techniques for quickly navigating your way around a worksheet as well as some techniques for selecting extended ranges of cells.

    Lesson 13: Formulas 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Select sheets in a workbook
  • Different ways of using cell formats
  • Use a simple formula
  • Edit a formula
  • Solve logic problems
    		• An earlier lesson in the course shows how to create a formula based on cell references (A1+B3 and so on) and how to create a total using the AutoSum feature. In this lesson and the ones that follow it we look in more detail at how to use an Excel formula and how to edit it and how to use a workbook that comprises a number of different sheets. We concentrate on using the tools and how to avoid some of the problems.

    Lesson 14: Using functions top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Key in an IF function
  • Use the Edit Formula button
  • Select the IF function
  • Use the IF dialogue box
  • Use IF to solve problems
    		• Although you can build some very sophisticated worksheets using just cell references and basic mathematical operators, Excel has a wide range of built-in functions which can help with many tasks including Statistics, Finance and Logic. In this lesson we concentrate on the IF function which is useful for many worksheet applications and we use Excel's Function Wizard to automate many aspects of using functions.

    Lesson 15: Absolute cell references top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Build up formulae
  • Understand Relative cell references
  • Understand Absolute cell references
  • Add an Absoute cell reference to a formula
  • Copy absolute cell references
    		• As you have already seen in earlier lessons, Excel does try to be helpful. When you copy or move cells it will generally adjust any formulae to suit the new position. That's fine most of the time, but there are occasions when you may need a cell reference to be fixed to a single cell and not adjusted. In this lesson we see how that's done and how using a fixed or absolute cell reference can prevent some unexpected problems.

    Lesson 16: Date functions top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Type the date as text
  • Use the Paste Function button
  • Change the Date format
  • Use the Today function
  • Use the Now function
  • Perform Date calculations
    		• There are many occasions when you'll want to incorporate the date into a worksheet, either as a simple record of when the sheet was created, or perhaps as part of the worksheet logic where Excel will let you calculate the difference between two dates for example. In this lesson we look at two of Excel's functions which relate to dates, and how to apply them.

    Lesson 17: Protecting information top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Select and protect a sheet
  • Unlock cells
  • Apply protection
  • Conceal information
  • Unprotect a sheet
  • Hide and unhide a column
    		• If you have spent some time preparing a worksheet, perhaps with some complex logic, it can be very useful to protect the sheet so that it can't be changed accidentally. This is particularly useful where a worksheet contains sensitive information which you don't want other people to see. So in this lesson we look at protecting your sheet and hiding information.

    Lesson 18: Names and dependents top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Define and use cell names
  • Apply cell names
  • Name rows or columns
  • Trace cell dependents
  • Trace cell precedents
    		• If you are familiar with writing formulae using cell references, then names like D4, F8 and so on are not a problem. But if you are not used to working with that sort of information, it is easier to make logical mistakes, particularly in a complex worksheet. One way to minimise the problem is to give cells names and then apply them in the sheet. Another way is to get Excel to show you graphically exactly which cells relate to other cells in the sheet.

    Lesson 19: Splitting a window top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Split the worksheet window
  • Remove the split
  • Split the window with the mouse
  • Scroll the panes
  • Remove the split with the mouse
  • Split the window vertically
    		• As you start to work with larger Excel worksheets, you will want to be able to see more than one part of it at a time. Excel, like some other windows programs, allows you to split the window into smaller panels or panes so that you can do just that.

    Lesson 20: Complex workbooks top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Delete a sheet
  • Rename a sheet
  • Insert a sheet
  • Copy information from one sheet to another
  • Link sheets in a workbook
  • Use Paste Special
    		• In other lessons you have used workbooks containing more than one self-contained sheet. In this lesson we look in more detail at how to control the sheets in a workbook and how to build a more complex workbook where information can be pooled from more than one sheet.

    Lesson 21: Organise and find files top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use the Save As options
  • Create new folders
  • Find files containing specific text
  • Display the document properties
  • Delete documents and folders
  • Display document properties while editing
  • Control the default File Locations
    		• As you create more workbooks you will want to keep them organised in separate folders so you can easily find the one you want. If you forget the name of a workbook, but know the information it contained you can use the find options to trace a misplaced file. And you can further identify workbooks by storing additional information as part of the document properties.

    Pre-defined curricula

    Like all courses at the Reeltime College this course comes supplied with a number of predefined curricula designed to help you go straight to the subjects you're most interested in. Curricula supplied with this course include:

    1. Standard curriculum (all lessons)
    2. Excel essentials
    3. Getting Help
    4. Worksheet basics
    5. Worksheet techniques
    6. Calculations
    7. Formatting
    8. Organising files
    9. Personal curriculum (designed by you)

    What will I need to enrol?

    This is what you need to get the most from the course:

    1. A Pentium-class PC with Windows 95, 98, ME, 2000 or XP.
    2. Sound card and loudspeakers or headphones
    3. A CD-ROM drive (or DVD drive) either on the PC or accessible over a local network.
    4. Approximately 10 Mb spare disk capacity. If you have another 30 Mb spare, you can choose to copy introduction movies onto the hard disk.
    5. If you download the course handbook, you'll need approximately 2 Mb spare for the download.
    6. The course assumes you have a copy of the target software (Excel 97) correctly installed on your computer. If not, you'll be able to watch the movie segments, but not complete the hands-on segments.

    You can enrol on the course by using the Reeltime software, which also allows you to preview the course content off-line. For more information, go to the How to join Reeltime College  page.

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