Datasheet

14
Part I: Putting the Fun in Functions
Figure 1-7:
Looking at
what goes
into a work-
sheet.
In Figure 1-7, the active cell is C7. You have a couple of ways to see this. For
starters, cell C7 has a border around it. Also notice that the column head
C is shaded, as well as row number 7. Just above the column headers are
the Name Box and the Formula Box. The Name Box is all the way to the left
and shows the active cell’s address of C7. To the right of the Name Box, the
Formula Box shows the contents of cell C7.
Getting to know the Formula Bar
Taken together, the Formula Box and the Name
Box make up the Formula Bar. You use the
Formula Bar quite a bit as you work with for-
mulas and functions. The Formula Box is used
to enter and edits formulas. The Formula Box
is the long entry box that starts in the middle of
the bar. When you enter a formula into this box,
you then can click the little check-mark button
to finish the entry. The check-mark button is
only visible when you are entering a formula.
Pressing the Enter key also completes your
entry; clicking the X cancels the entry.
An alternative is to enter a formula directly into
a cell. The Formula Box displays the formula
as it is being entered into the cell. When you
want to see just the contents of a cell that has
a formula, make that cell active and look at its
contents in the Formula Box. Cells that have
formulas do not normally display the formula,
but instead display the result of the formula.
When you want to see the actual formula, the
Formula Box is the place to do it. The Name
Box, on the left side of the Formula Bar, is used
to select named areas in the workbook. This is
addressed further in the material.
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