Datasheet
Most buttons execute commands directly when you click them. However,
some buttons have a built-in downward-pointing arrow, and others have an
attached downward-pointing arrow. Clicking a button with a built-in arrow
displays a menu or gallery. For a button with an attached arrow (known as
a split button), the icon part of the button represents the most common
command for the button. Clicking the arrow part displays a menu with
additional command choices. The two types of buttons with arrows look
similar but if you hover the mouse pointer over a button with an attached
arrow, you see a clear delineation between the icon (command) part and
the arrow (menu) part (see Figure 1-3).
Check box: A square box that you click to turn an option on or off.
Command group: Each Ribbon tab contains groups of related commands.
For example, you find commands related to text fonts in the Fonts group of
the Home tab.
Dialog launcher: A command that launches a dialog box (a pop-up window)
from within a command group, menu, or gallery. The dialog launcher in a
command group is a little button in the bottom right of the group. In addi-
tion, some menus and galleries contain options that launch dialog boxes.
After you click a dialog launcher, a dialog box appears that presents addi-
tional choices. (However, the Ribbon displays the commands you are likely
to use frequently, thus minimizing the need to launch dialog boxes.)
Drop-down list: A list of things you can choose from. Click the control’s
downward-pointing arrow to display the list.
Gallery: A gallery is a new control in Excel 2007 that presents you with a
set of graphic choices, such as a particular formatting style (patterns,
colors, and effects) or a predefined layout. An example of a predefined
layout is a chart choice with specific elements preselected for inclusion in
the chart. Galleries enable Excel to be more results oriented; that is, they
present the likely result you are looking for first and then expose advanced
choices through a dialog box or Ribbon command.
Three types of galleries are available:
• Drop-down gallery: This is displayed after you click a button with a
downward-pointing arrow. This type of gallery presents a single
column of choices and includes both graphic and text elements.
• Drop-down grid: This is displayed after you click a button with a
downward-pointing arrow. This type of gallery presents a two-
dimensional grid of choices and does not include text.
• In-Ribbon gallery: Like the drop-down grid, but this gallery exposes
a single row of choices directly within a Ribbon control group. You
can click up and down scroll arrows to reveal additional rows, or
you can click a drop-down arrow to display the full set of choices in
a two-dimensional grid.
Navigating with the Mouse and Keyboard — Introducing the Ribbon
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