Excel Spreadsheets

Locked Field or Record

The condition of a record, field, or other object in a database that permits it to be viewed but not changed (read-only) in Query

Formula bar

a bar at the top of the Excel window that you use to enter or edit values or formulas in cells or charts; displays the constant value or formula stored in the active cell

Cell

a box formed by the intersection of a row and column in a worksheet or a table, in which you enter information

Worksheet

a computerized spreadsheet; the primary document that you use in Excel to store and work with data; also called a "spreadsheet." A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.

Border

a decorative line that can be applied to worksheet cells or objects, such as charts, pictures, or text boxes. Borders distinguish, emphasize, or group items

Font

a graphic design applied to all numerals, symbols, and alphabetic characters; also called "type" or "typeface." Arial and Courier New are examples of fonts. Fonts usually come in different sizes, such as 10 point, and various styles, such as bold.

Spreadsheet

a grid of rows and columns in which you enter text, numbers, and the results of calculations

Formula

a sequence of values, cell references, names, functions, or operators in a cell that together produce a new value. A formula always begins with an equal sign (=).

Grid

a set of intersecting lines used to align objects.

Range

a sheet; a group of two or more cells on selected cells. The cells in a range can be adjacent or nonadjacent.

Merged Cell

a single cell that is created by combining two or more selected cells. The cell reference for a merged cell is the upper-left cell in the original selected range.

Workbook

a spreadsheet program file that you create in Excel. A workbook contains worksheets of rows and columns in which you can enter and calculate data.

Sort Order

a way to arrange data based on value or data type. You can sort data alphabetically, numerically, or by date. Sort orders use an ascending (1 to 9, A to Z) or descending (9 to 1, Z to A) order.

Template

a workbook that you create and use as the basis for other similar workbooks. You can create templates for workbooks and worksheets. The default template for workbooks is called Book.xlt. The default template for worksheets is called Sheet.xlt.

Rows

appear horizontally and are identified by numbers on the left side of the worksheet window

Column

appear vertically and are identified by letters at the top of the worksheet window

Page break

divider that breaks a worksheet into separate pages for printing. Excel inserts automatic page breaks based on the paper size, margin settings, scaling options, and the positions of any manual page breaks that you insert.

Range Reference

identifies the range, which is the cell in its upper-left corner and the cell in its lower-right corner, separated by a colon (e.g., A3:C5)

Wrap

in text, to break a line of text automatically on reaching a margin or object and continue the text on a new line

Select All button

the gray rectangle in the upper-left corner of a datasheet where the row and column headings meet. Click this button to select all cells on a datasheet.

Column Heading

the lettered or numbered gray area at the top of each column. Click the column heading to select an entire column. To increase or decrease the width of a column, drag the line to the right of the column heading.

Row Heading

the numbered gray area to the left of each row. Click the row heading to select an entire row. To increase or decrease the height of a row, drag the line below the row heading

Active Cell

the selected cell in which data is entered when you begin typing. Only one cell is active at a time. The active cell is bounded by a heavy border.

Cell Reference

the set of coordinates that a cell occupies on a worksheet. For example, the reference of the cell that appears at the intersection of column B and row 3 is B3.

Active sheet

the sheet that you're working on in a workbook. The name on the tab of the active sheet is bold.

Fill Handle

the small black square in the lower-right corner of the selection. When you point to the fill handle, the pointer changes to a black cross.

Microsoft Office Excel

the spreadsheet program in Microsoft Office

Paste Area

the target destination for data that has been cut or copied by using the Office Clipboard.

Select

to highlight a cell or range of cells on a worksheet. The selected cells will be affected by the next command or action.

Sheet Tab

where the name of each worksheet appears

Page Break Preview

worksheet view that displays the areas to be printed and the locations of page breaks. The area to be printed is displayed in white, automatic page breaks appear as dashed lines, and manual page breaks appear as solid lines.