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Smart & Easy Software Tips, Tricks & Techniques:
5 Easy Excel Shortcuts to Format & Select, Issue #39
Publisher: Dawn Bjork Buzbee mailto:Dawn@SoftwarePro.com
The Software Pro(R), Certified Microsoft Office Expert
http://www.SoftwarePro.com
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In This Issue: 5 Easy Excel Shortcuts to Format & Select
* Quickly Display the Format Cells Dialog Box
* Easily Focus Attention on a Worksheet Range
* Enhance Text Layout with Orientation and Wrap Formatting
* Select the Current Region/List
* Prevent Moving to the Next Cell After Typing
* Need Content?
* Encore Article: Easy to Expert Excel Printing Tips
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Quickly Display the Format Cells Dialog Box
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One way to format a cell or range of cells is to choose the Format > Cells command.
In addition to the Formatting toolbar, try these other shortcuts to apply formatting in Excel:
* Keyboard: Select a cell, then press [CTRL] + 1 to display the Format Cells dialog box.
* Mouse: Select a cell, press [SHIFT] + F10 or right-click a cell and select Format Cells from the shortcut menu.
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Easily Focus Attention on a Worksheet Range
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If you ever need to zero in on a specific range in Excel, there's an easy way to magnify the data so that you focus all your attention on it.
1. Select the appropriate range.
2. Then, simply open the Zoom dropdown list on the Standard toolbar and choose Fit Selection.
Excel magnifies the view of the data by whatever percentage is necessary to fill the viewable area of the file's window, up to 400%. When you want to return to the normal view of the worksheet, simply reopen the Zoom dialog box and choose 100%.
Excel 2007: Choose the View tab, select Zoom to Selection.
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Enhance Text Layout with Orientation and Wrap Formatting
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In many worksheets, horizontal space can be a premium. One solution is to put a new angle on your data especially if column headings need more space than the data in the same column. To customize the orientation of text in a cell:
1. Select the cell(s) that contain text that you want to change; text can be in a chart or worksheet.
2. Choose Format > Cells from the menu bar (or try one of the shortcuts above) and click on the Alignment tab.
3. Enter 90 in the Orientation panel's Degrees spin box or click into the Orientation example to set the direction.
4. Click OK to apply.
Content in Excel worksheets is not limited to numbers and formulas. In addition to column headings and row labels, text may be critical for comments, notes, descriptions, and other important entries.
To automatically wrap text in a cell to maximize the layout and display:
1. Type the following text into a cell: "These tips are fun and easy!".
2. Press [CTRL] + 1 and select the Alignment tab.
3. Select the Wrap text checkbox.
4. Click OK.
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Select the Current Region/List
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In Excel, the current region or list is a range of cells containing data bounded by blank rows and columns.
To select the current region or list:
* Select a cell inside the range and press [CTRL] + [SHIFT] + *
(when using the * on the numeric keypad, just press [CTRL] + *)
* (Excel 2003 only): Select a cell inside the range and press
[CTRL] + A (you can still use [CTRL] + [SHIFT] + *)
Press [CTRL] + A again to Select All.
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Prevent Moving to the Next Cell After Typing
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Type data into a cell, press [ENTER] and the default action in Excel is for your pointer to move down a row. It is easy to change this default either temporarily or permanently.
To prevent moving to the next cell (one time) after typing:
* Press [CTRL] + [ENTER] (instead of [ENTER])
OR
To change/set the move selection after pressing [ENTER]:
1. Pick Tools > Options, and then the Edit tab.
2. From the Move selection after Enter Direction dropdown list, select the desired direction.
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Bonus: Easy to Expert Printing Tips
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Encore Article: Easy to Expert Excel Printing Tips
http://www.softwarepro.com/articles/exl_printing.htm
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Try these quick and easy shortcuts to select and format in Excel!
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Please pass this along to others who may appreciate it!
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Dawn Bjork Buzbee
The Software Pro(R)
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