Using The AutoSum command in Excel 2007

an article added by: Barbara Futo at 06042007


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One of the most useful and commonly used command is the AutoSum command. The AutoSum command uses the SUM function to add two or more cell references without making you type those cell references yourself. The most common use for the AutoSum function is to add a column or row of numbers. To add a column or row of numbers with the AutoSum function, follow these steps:

1. Create a column or row of numbers that you want to add.

2. Click at the bottom of the column or the right of the row.

3. Click the Formulas tab.

4. Click the AutoSum icon in the Function Library group. Excel automatically creates a SUM function in the cell you chose in Step 2 and highlights all the cells where it will retrieve data to add. (If you accidentally click the downward-pointing arrow under the AutoSum icon, a pull-down menu appears. Just choose Sum.)

5. Press Enter. Excel automatically sums all the cell references. The AutoSum icon also appears on the Home tab in the Editing group.

Using recently used functions

Digging through all the different function library menus can be cumbersome, so Excel tries to make your life easier by creating a special Recently Used list that contains (what else?) a list of the functions you’ve used most often. From this menu, you can just see a list of your favorite functions and ignore the other hundred functions that you may never need in a million years. To use the list of recently used functions, follow these steps:

1. Click the cell where you want to store a function.

2. Click the Formulas tab.

3. Click the Recently Used icon in the Function Library group. A pull-down menu appears.

4. Choose a function. Editing a Formula After you create a formula, you can always edit it later. You can edit a formula in two places:

 In the Formula bar

 In the cell itself

To edit a formula in the Formula bar, follow these steps:

1. Select the cell that contains the formula you want to edit. Excel displays the formula in the Formula bar.

2. Click in the Formula bar and edit your formula using the Backspace and Delete keys.

To edit a formula in the cell itself, follow these steps:

1. Double-click in the cell that contains the formula you want to edit. Excel displays a cursor in the cell you selected.

2. Edit your formula using the Backspace and Delete keys. Because formulas display their calculations in a cell, it can be hard to tell the difference between cells that contain numbers and cells that contain formulas. To make formulas visible, press Ctrl+` (an accent grave character, which appears on the same key as the ~ symbol).

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