Excel 5 Introduction

Is this course for you?

This course is intended for anyone wishing to use Excel 5. 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 basics 1 Lesson 15: Dates and date functions
Lesson 2: Excel basics 2 Lesson 16: Protecting information
Lesson 3: Worksheet basics 1 Lesson 17: Cell names and cell dependents
Lesson 4: Opening and saving files Lesson 18: Worksheet windows
Lesson 5: Getting Help Lesson 19: Workbooks
Lesson 6: Worksheet basics 2 Lesson 20: Using multiple workbooks
Lesson 7: Using the formatting toolbar Lesson 21: Managing information 1
Lesson 8: Previewing & Printing Lesson 22: Managing information 2
Lesson 9: Formatting Cells (menu) Lesson 23: Charts 1
Lesson 10: Moving and copying cells Lesson 24: Charts 2
Lesson 11: Workbook techniques Lesson 25: Styles and templates
Lesson 12: Using formulae Lesson 26: Organising and finding files
Lesson 13: Worksheet functions Lesson 27: Working preferences
Lesson 14: Using fixed cell references
Pre-defined curricula What you will need to enrol

Lesson 1: Excel basics 1 top list 
Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Start Excel
  • Understand the main parts of the Excel display
  • Select View options with the menu
  • Select Full Screen or Normal display
  • Select toolbars with the dialogue box
  • Show ToolTips to identify the buttons
    		• This lesson is about the basics of working with Excel 5 -- how to start Excel, how to make sense of the main features of the Excel display, how to use the menus and other controls, how to set some of the view options to control how Excel appears on the screen and how to finish an Excel session. In short, this lesson is about the things you need to know before you start to do useful work with Excel.

    Lesson 2: Excel basics 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Move around the worksheet with the mouse and the keyboard
  • Use the right mouse button to display the shortcut menu
  • Use View Zoom to control your view on the worksheet
  • Maximise the document window
  • Start a new workbook file
    		• This lesson deals with more of the basics of using Excel -- how to move around the worksheet using the mouse and also using some keyboard shortcuts and shortcuts using the right mouse button.

    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
  • Edit in the cell
  • Select cells
  • Delete cell contents
  • Use the Edit, Undo command to reverse a change
    		• This lesson starts to introduce some of the techniques 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. You'll see how to edit a formula, how to delete cells and how to undo mistakes!

    Lesson 4: Opening and saving files top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Open files
  • Change the current directory
  • Recognise the XLS file extension
  • Save and close files
  • Use Save As to save with a new name
  • Start a new workbook
    		• You won't always need to create new workbooks from scratch. Most of the time you work with Excel, you will be using existing files or modifying them. We have a selection of Excel workbook files set up ready for you to use, so in this lesson, we'll look at opening and saving files and starting new workbook files.

    Lesson 5: Getting Help top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Show ToolTips to identify buttons
  • Get Help through the menus
  • Search for a Help topic
  • Use the Help button to jump to Help topics
  • Get hints and tips from the TipWizard
  • Dialogue box help
    		• 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, and also with a very comprehensive Help system. Excel also has a selection of topical tips for the day, which is a constantly changing source of useful hints and tips.

    Lesson 6: 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
  • Filling a series
    		• In this lesson introduce the techniques you'll need for building your own worksheets, from entering information to copying cells, filling in cell ranges, using the mouse to drag across cells, using the mouse to create a formula instead of keying in cell references. We will also be using the AutoSum and AutoFormat features to quickly put a professional touch to your work.

    Lesson 7: Using the formatting toolbar top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Change format with the toolbar
  • Control cell alignment
  • Select fonts
  • Change font size
  • Use the Style buttons
  • Change font colour
  • Change background colour
  • Borders
    		• In this lesson we'll look in more detail at how to take control and choose how each cell is formatted. We'll concentrate on the Toolbar controls (we look at the menu options in a later lesson).

    Lesson 8: Previewing & Printing top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use Page Setup
  • Preview your work before printing
  • Control headers and footers
  • Use the printing options
    		• In this session we'll be looking at some of the tools for producing printed versions of your on-screen worksheets. We'll see how to set up a page layout, preview on screen, add headers and footers to the printed version -- and how to print.

    Lesson 9: Formatting Cells (menu) top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Set the column width
  • Select rows and columns
  • Clear cell formats
  • Control alignment and orientation
  • Select number formats
  • Change font and colour
  • Use the Format Painter
  • Delete rows
  • Adjust row height
  • Control vertical alignment
    		• In this lesson we'll be looking at more techniques for formatting an Excel worksheet, but this time taking more control by working through the menus and dialogue boxes, which give you more choices than the toolbar shortcuts. Then we'll use the Format Painter button which gives you a quick way to copy formats from one cell to another.

    Lesson 10: Moving and copying cells top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use Cut and Paste
  • Use the drag and drop technique
  • Copy to a range
  • Fill a range using the menu
  • Fill a range by dragging
    		• 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, so you can quickly create a worksheet with a minimum of fuss. So in this lesson we'll look at some of Excel's tools for moving and copying cells, both one cell at a time, or copying a range.

    Lesson 11: Workbook techniques top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use keyboard shortcuts for moving around the sheet
  • Use Go To
  • Use the Zoom control button
  • Select a range with Add mode
  • Select a range with Extend mode
  • Select a range with Extend Mode and Go To
  • Use the accounting number format
    		• In earlier lessons we've been working with small worksheets, but when you start work on your own sheets, they are likely to be much larger. We'll see a number of different techniques for quickly navigating your way around a worksheet, and some techniques for selecting extended ranges of cells.

    Lesson 12: Using formulae top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Select sheets in a workbook
  • Use a simple formula
  • Edit a formula
  • Solve logic problems
    		• In this lesson we'll look in more detail at how to use an Excel formula and how to edit it. I'll concentrate on showing you the tools and how to avoid some of the problems. And in this lesson, we'll be working with an Excel workbook that comprises a number of different sheets.

    Lesson 13: Worksheet functions top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Key in an IF function
  • Use the FunctionWizard
    		• Although you can build some very sophisticated worksheets using just cell references and basic mathematical operators, you'll find that Excel has a wide range of built-in functions which can help with many tasks including Statistics, Finance and Logic. In this lesson we'll concentrate on the IF function which is one of the most useful of them all for many worksheet applications. And we'll be using Excel's Function Wizard which helps to automate many aspects of using functions.

    Lesson 14: Using fixed cell references top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use fixed cell references
    		• In general, 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 might want a cell reference to be fixed to a single cell, and not adjusted. In this lesson we'll see how that's done and how using a fixed or absolute cell reference can prevent some unexpected problems.

    Lesson 15: Dates and date functions top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Type the date as text
  • Use the Now function
  • Change the date format
  • Use the Today function
  • Use the right mouse button
  • 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'll look at two of Excel's functions which relate to dates, and how to apply them.

    Lesson 16: Protecting information top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use worksheet protection
  • 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 logiic, it can be very useful to protect the sheet so that it can't be changed accidentally. Or perhaps the worksheet may contain sensitive information which you don't want other people to see. So in this lesson we'll take a look at protecting your sheet and hiding information.

    Lesson 17: Cell names and cell dependents top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Define and use cell names
  • Apply names
  • Name rows or columns
  • Trace cell dependents
  • Trace precedents
    		• So far in the course we've been using formulae with cell references D4, F8 and so on. If you are used to writing equations like this, then cell references are fine. But most people aren't used to working with that sort of information. The more complex the sheet, the easier it is to make logical mistakes. One way to minimise the problem is to give cells names and then apply them in the formulae. Another way is to get Excel to show you graphically exactly which cells relate to other cells in the sheet. And we'll see how to use both techniques in this lesson.

    Lesson 18: Worksheet windows top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Split a window into panes
  • Remove the split
  • Split the window with the mouse
  • Scroll the panes
  • Remove the split with the mouse
    		• As you start to work with larger Excel worksheets, you'll 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. It's simple to do, and can make working on large worksheets much easier.

    Lesson 19: Workbooks top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Organise your work into workbooks
  • Delete a sheet
  • Rename a sheet
  • Insert a sheet
  • Copy from one sheet to another
  • Link sheets in a workbook
  • Use Paste Special
    		• In this lesson we'll 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 20: Using multiple workbooks top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Control windows
  • Rearrange windows
  • Link workbooks
  • Use multiple windows for one sheet
  • Close all the open files with Close All
  • Open files direct from the File menu
  • Save the Workspace
    		• If you are working with other people, or creating many workbooks on your own, you'll often need to share information from other workbooks. Excel allows you to have more than one workbook open at once, and to link workbooks so that changes in one affect the other.

    Lesson 21: Managing information 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use a sheet as a database
  • Sort records
  • Use Data Fill
  • Find a record
  • Use a Data Form
    		• So far we've been using Excel to use and manipulate figures but Excel can also handle information or to use the correct term, a database. In fact Excel is very good at handling and manipulating lists, and that's what we look at in this lesson.

    Lesson 22: Managing information 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Filter records
  • Change the record filter
  • Cancel the filter
    		• In this lesson we'll look at some more techniques for dealing with lists, in particular filtering lists so that we only display a particuar set of records that we are interested. It could be selecting a particular area from a mailing list, or in our example, a more technical application for finding the metals in various common alloys.

    Lesson 23: Charts 1 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Use the ChartWizard to create a chart
  • Edit a chart
  • Resize and move the chart
    		• Making sense of complex information is much easier if you can work from a graph or chart rather than using the bare figures. Excel makes it very easy to produce a wide range of charts to suit all types of information, and largely the process has been automated by the ChartWizard.

    Lesson 24: Charts 2 top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Display the Chart toolbar
  • Activate a chart
  • Edit a chart
  • Change the Series order
  • Change the 3-D View
    		• Although Excel usually makes very good guesses when it creates charts for you, there are times when you'll want to step in and take more control over the end result, and fine-tune the chart for maximum effect.

    Lesson 25: Styles and templates top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Apply a style
  • Define a style
  • Save a workbook as a template
  • Open a template file
    		• In this lesson well look at a couple of methods for improving your productivity with Excel, by creating styles which you can apply to cells in a workbook and using templates which can be used as the basis for any new workbooks you create.

    Lesson 26: Organising and finding files top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Save a new workbook file
  • Use file extensions
  • Create Directories
  • Find Files
  • Use document summary information
    		• In this lesson we'll look at some of Excel's tools for helping you organise your work. When you are working on your own, you'll want to organise your work into your own system of directories and sub-directories. And of course, you'll want to be able to find files that you have on your disk.

    Lesson 27: Working preferences top list 
    Learn how to...Tutor's summary
  • Set options to suit your working preferences
  • Change the default directory
    		• When you have been working with Excel for a while you'll want to set it up to suit your own personal way of working. In this lesson we'll take a look at some of the key options that you might want to change.

    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 basics
    3. Excel essentials
    4. Worksheet techniques 1
    5. Presentation techniques
    6. Workbook techniques
    7. Controlling workbooks
    8. Managing information
    9. Charts
    10. Excel techniques
    11. 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 5) 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.

    Top of page   Home Page 

    © Reeltime College