RaadRadio.com

Excel’s AutoSum tool can be used to automatically generate formulas. You will find it in two locations on the ribbon: in the Editing section of the Home Tab; and, also in the Function Library section of the Formulas Tab.

The AutoSum tool is fairly versatile. You can use it to generate the SUM (total) of a series of numbers. To do this, select a row of cells and click on the AutoSum tool. Excel creates a SUM formula returning the total of the highlighted cells in the first available empty cell to the right of the selected range. You can then copy the formula using the Autofill handle. As you drag the AutoFill handle down, Excel copies the formula making the necessary changes to always return the correct total for each row.

You can also use the AutoSum tool to calculate the total of several columns simultaneously. To do this, highlight all the data in all columns that you wish to total and then click on the AutoSum tool. Excel creates a SUM formula at the bottom of each column in the first blank cell.

Clicking on the AutoSum tool always generates a formula containing the SUM function which returns the total of a given range of cells. However the AutoSum tool can also be used to generate other functions, such as AVERAGE. To access the other functions, click on the drop-down menu to the right of the AutoSum tool, choose a function and then make sure that Excel has correctly guessed the range of cells you wish to apply the function to.

If Excel has failed to guess, you can correct it: either by typing the correct reference; or simply resize the selection rectangle until it encloses the correct range of cells then press the Enter key or click on the Enter button located on the left of the formula bar. The formula can then be copied using the AutoFill handle.

The AVERAGE function is famous for generating too many decimal places. If you want the number of decimals to be consistent, click on the Launch button in the Number section of the Home Tab, choose “Number” as the format and then choose the number of decimal places you like.

The remaining functions available on the AutoSum tool are COUNT, which tells you the number of cells in the highlighted range containing numbers; MAX, which returns the highest value in the range; and MIN which brings up the lowest value. The final option in the AutoSum tool drop-down menu reads “Other Functions”. It gives you full access to Excel’s dazzling range of functions.

You can find out more about Excel VBA training courses, visit Macresource Computer Training, an independent computer training company offering Excel VBA training courses at their central London training centre.

In this article, we will look at Excel selection techniques which involve using the mouse in conjunction with the keyboard. One of the easiest and most useful is click followed by Shift-click. This is particularly handy for highlighting large ranges of data since it allows you to simply click on two opposite corners of the rectangular range of cells which you want to select. To perform this technique, first click in the top left cell of the range you want to select. Next, make sure that the bottom right cell of the proposed range is visible. Finally, holding down the Shift key, click in the bottom right cell. All the cells between the two clicks will then be highlighted.

The other modifier key which can be used in conjunction with the mouse to make selections is Control. Whereas the mouse and Shift key combination only allows you to make rectangular selections, using the mouse in conjunction with the Control key, you can make non-contiguous selections; in other words, you can select cells which aren’t adjacent to each other. Once you have made a selection, the next operation you perform will only apply to the highlighted cells. For example, you could copy the cells and paste them into a new worksheet.

A less commonly-used technique is to double-click one of the edges of the bold rectangle which surrounds the currently selected area while holding down the Shift key. You may have notice that Excel always displays a bold border around the highlighted cells. By holding down the Shift key and double-clicking on the right-hand edge of this border, you can select all the cells up to the right-hand edge of the current range. The first column that contains blank cells will act as a boundary and Excel will only select up to that boundary. Naturally, you can also extend your selection by holding down the Shift key and double-clicking on any of the other borders as well.

Which Generator Will Be Best For Your Needs? - is one more helpful article.

It is also possible to make selections using the keyboard alone. Only a contiguous range of cells can be selected in this way. The trick here is to hold down the Shift key and press one of the cursor keys. For example, pressing the right cursor key will select to the right; pressing the down cursor key will select adjacent rows; and so forth. You can also move in the opposite direction to remove cells from the selection.

To highlight all the cells up to the edge of a range, hold down the Control and Shift keys while pressing one of the cursor keys. For example, to select all the cells up to the right edge, press the right cursor key; to select all the cells to the bottom, press the down arrow; and so forth.

As well as the cursor keys, you can use the End (and Home) key(s). Holding down the Control and Shift keys while pressing the End key will select all the cells to the bottom right of the current range.

Click here if your staff need in-house Microsoft Excel training anywhere in the UK.