Microsoft Office

Part IV
Using Advanced Excel Features
Viewing formulas
You can become familiar with an unfamiliar workbook by displaying the formulas rather than the results of
the formulas. To toggle the display of formulas, choose Formulas ➪ Formula Auditing ➪ Show Formulas.
You may want to create a second window for the workbook before issuing this command. This way, you can
see the formulas in one window and the results of the formula in the other window. Choose View ➪
Window ➪ New Window to open a new window.
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You can also use Ctrl+` (that key is usually above the Tab key) to toggle between Formula view
and Normal view.
Figure 32.7 shows an example of a worksheet displayed in two windows. The window on the top shows
Normal view (formula results), and the window on the bottom displays the formulas. The View ➪
Window ➪ View Side By Side command, which allows synchronized scrolling, is also useful for viewing
two windows (see Chapter 4 for more information about this command).
FIGURE 32.7
Displaying formulas (bottom window) and their results (top window).
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Tracing cell relationships
To understand how to trace cell relationships, you need to familiarize yourself with the following two concepts:
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Cell precedents: Applicable only to cells that contain a formula, a formula cell’s precedents are all
the cells that contribute to the formula’s result. A direct precedent is a cell that you use directly in
the formula. An indirect precedent is a cell that isn’t used directly in the formula but is used by a
cell that you refer to in the formula.