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The active cell (the one you are currently editing) is highlighted in
some manner. Its position is also displayed in the Reference Area. The Formula
Bar is used for editing the contents of the cell (most spreadsheets do not
provide in-cell editing, but some do). It is a small window displaying the
current contents and allowing you to enter and edit numerical
data, text values and labels,
and formulas as if you were editing text
in a word processor.
The function is invoked by entering its name, followed by a left parenthesis
(Note: Excel does not allow spaces between the name and the parenthesis),
then some values (called "arguments") to indicate how the function
is to perform its calculation. This will usually involve the cell range,
but may also include values to use for other purposes, such as setting key
field to be used for sorting. Formulas and their arguments will be described
in the application manual, and may also be found with the on-line help system.
Excel also provides a menu command to insert a function into a cell and
can even put placeholders for the arguements in as well.
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Department of Geography
San Jose State University 118 Washington Square Hall One Washington Square San Jose, CA 95192-0116 Telephone: 408-924-5475 Fax: 408-924-5477 http://www.sjsu.edu/depts/geography |
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