Why is Plant Clinic Using a Spreadsheet? A spreadsheet is used most often to calculate and to sort information. We will be using it to enter information for the Plant Clinic database which will store, sort and locate information more efficiently than a spreadsheet can. Long-time computer users like to say: “Garbage In, Garbage Out”: a computer will provide accurate information only if it is entered as accurate information. Please use this presentation to get comfortable with the spreadsheet and let me know if you need any more help learning the program. Nancy Glick - or

When you open Excel, this screen will appear. It has all the same little icons/pictures (press the spacebar now) in the Toolbars (spacebar again) as other Microsoft programs you may use: New, Open, Save, Print, Preview, etc. If you slide your cursor across the icons when the program is open, they will tell you what they represent. The words in the upper toolbar will slide down into ‘drop down’ menus (spacebar) when you click on them and the arrow button at the bottom of the box (spacebar) will show more items. Icon Toolbars

At the bottom of the page are ‘tabs’ (like a manila file folder). Usually they have names, but new, empty spreadsheets just say Sheet 1, 2, etc. If you were to click on Sheet2 in our example, the current page would close and a new one would open. The tab on the open page will be in bold type. If you can’t see all the tab names, slide the cursor across the bar here until the arrow turns into a little double line with arrows pointed in opposite directions (it looks like this ). Then hold your left mouse button and slide to the right. Now you should see more of the tabs.

Moving around the Spreadsheet Spreadsheets are rows of little ‘cells’ where words and numbers are typed. The rows are numbered down the left edge of the page. Across the top of the page the columns have letters. abcd321123MG10 If you put the cursor in any cell, you’ll see the number ‘light up’ to tell you where you are. You’ll also see a letter at the top of the page has now ‘lit up’ to mark the column where the cursor is. You now have a location, in this example, Column C, Row 2. ADCB 1 3 2

You can move left and right on the spreadsheet in several ways: use the left button on your mouse to drag the bar horizontally or if your cursor is in a cell, use the keyboard arrow keys to move up, down and right or left or press the Tab key to move to the right and hold Shift while pressing Tab to move to the left (Looking at the lower right corner of the spreadsheet)

When you type into a cell, the typing will also appear across the top of the page, under the toolbars. If you click on any cell with words or numbers, you will see them appear in this bar and that’s where you can change them.

To Copy Information If you want to copy information from one place to another, there are several ways to do it. You can copy from one Tab page to another this way. click on the cell you want to copy and then click on the Copy icon in the Toolbar. Then put your cursor in the cell where the information will go, and click on the Paste icon: or when your cursor is in the cell you want to copy, press the right button on your mouse – a menu will appear and you can choose Copy with the mouse. Then put your cursor in the cell where the information will be going and press the right mouse button again. This time, click on Paste. or click on the cell with the information you want, then move your cursor to the Toolbar at the top of the spreadsheet and click on the word Edit. A drop down menu will appear with the Copy and Paste tools. Click Copy. Move your cursor to the cell where the information will be copied and open the menu again to choose Paste.

Extra Tricks & Hints Moving around the spreadsheet, you will see the cursor change from an arrow to various shapes: a fat cross, a thin cross, a cross with arrows and sometimes, a flashing dotted box. When the thin cross appears, it means you’re on the ‘drag’ point of the cell and you can copy the cell anywhere you drag (pull your cursor while holding the left mouse button down). The flashing box appears when the cell has been chosen to be copied. The arrowed cross appears to show that one or more cells can be moved by dragging. When websites are typed into the spreadsheet, they may appear in blue with a line under them; this means a ‘link’ has been created to take you to the website when you click on it. This is normal.

Google – Advanced Search If you’ve been using Google to get information, you know this page: HOW MANY RESULTS???? But have you ever clicked on that blue “Advanced search” and typed in your question?

This is the Advanced Search page. Jan’s April class used this example (see the Plant Clinic presentation on the COMGA website for more information).

This was the result of Advanced Search – 2 results, both from Washington State University, a site you can trust.

Last but Not Least When you goof and make a typing mistake Press and hold the Ctrl key and then press the Z key – it’s the Undo tool. It’s also on the Toolbar as the little curled arrow It will save you much anguish and grief! That’s it, let me know if I can answer any questions: