Microsoft Office

Part I
Getting Started with Excel
Using the Format Cells dialog box
The formatting controls available on the Home tab of the Ribbon are sufficient most of the time, but some
types of formatting require that you use the Format Cells dialog box. This tabbed dialog box lets you apply
nearly any type of stylistic formatting, as well as number formatting. The formats that you choose in the
Format Cells dialog box apply to the cells that you have selected at the time. Later sections in this chapter
cover the tabs of the Format Cells dialog box.
NOTE
When you use the Format Cells dialog box, you don’t see the effects of your formatting choices
until you click OK.
After selecting the cell or range to format, you can display the Format Cells dialog box by using any of the
following methods:
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Press Ctrl+1.
Click the dialog box launcher in Home ➪ Font, Home ➪ Alignment, or Home ➪ Number. The
dialog box launcher is the small downward-pointing arrow icon displayed to the right of the
group name in the Ribbon. When you display the Format Cells dialog box using a dialog box
launcher, the dialog box is displayed with the appropriate tab visible.
Right-click the selected cell or range and choose Format Cells from the shortcut menu.
Click the More command in some of the drop-down controls in the Ribbon. For example, the
Home ➪ Font ➪ Border ➪ More Borders drop-down includes an item named More Borders.
The Format Cells dialog box contains six tabs: Number, Alignment, Font, Border, Patterns, and Protection.
The following sections contain more information about the formatting options available in this dialog box.
Using Formatting in Your Worksheets
Applying stylistic formatting to Excel worksheets is not an exact science. People have varying opinions
about what constitutes a good-looking worksheet. Therefore, the following sections focus on the mechanics.
It’s up to you to choose the formatting options that are most appropriate.
Excel 2007’s new document themes feature attempts to assist nondesigners in creating attractive
worksheets. I discuss Excel 2007 themes later in this chapter. See “Understanding
Document Themes.”
NEW FEATURE
Using different fonts
You can use different fonts, sizes, or text attributes in your worksheets to make various parts, such as the
headers for a table, stand out. You also can adjust the font size. For example, using a smaller font will allow
more information on a single page.
By default, Excel 2007 uses the 11-point Calibri font. A font is described by its typeface (Calibri, Cambria,
Arial, Times New Roman, Courier New, and so on), as well as by its size, measured in points. (Seventy-two
points equal one inch.) Excel’s row height, by default, is 15 points. Therefore, 11-point type entered into a
15-point rows leaves a small amount of blank space between the characters in adjacent rows.
TIP
If you have not manually changed a row’s height, Excel automatically adjusts the row height
based on the tallest text that you enter into the row.
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