a new workbook.
When you select the Blank workbook template from the Excel 2016 Start screen, the program opens an initial worksheet (named Sheet1) in a new workbook file (named Book1) inside a program window like the one shown in Figure 1-2.
FIGURE 1-2: The Excel 2016 program window that appears immediately after selecting the Blank Workbook template in the opening screen.
The Excel program window containing this worksheet of the workbook contains the following components:
❯❯ File button that when clicked opens the Backstage view – a menu on the left that contains all the document- and file-related commands, including Info, New, Open (selected by default when you first launch Excel), Save, Save As, Print, Share, Export, and Close. Additionally, at the bottom, there’s an Account option with User and Product information and an Options item that enables you to change many of Excel’s default settings. Note that you can exit the Backstage view and return to the normal worksheet view.
❯❯ Customizable Quick Access toolbar that contains buttons you can click to perform common tasks, such as saving your work and undoing and redoing edits. This toolbar is preceded by an Excel program button (sporting the Excel 2016 icon) with a drop-down menu of options that enable you to control the size and position of the Excel window and even close (exit) the program.
❯❯ Ribbon that contains the bulk of the Excel commands arranged into a series of tabs ranging from Home through View.
❯❯ Formula bar that displays the address of the current cell along with the contents of that cell.
❯❯ Worksheet area that contains the cells of the worksheet identified by column headings using letters along the top and row headings using numbers along the left edge; tabs for selecting new worksheets; a horizontal scroll bar to move left and right through the sheet; and a vertical scroll bar to move up and down through the sheet.
❯❯ Status bar that keeps you informed of the program’s current mode and any special keys you engage and enables you to select a new worksheet view and to zoom in and out on the worksheet.
To the immediate left of the Home tab on the Ribbon right below the Quick Access toolbar, you find the File button.
When you select File, the Backstage view opens. This view contains a menu similar to the one shown in Figure 1-3. When you open the Backstage view with the Info option selected, Excel displays at-a-glance stats about the workbook file you have open and active in the program.
FIGURE 1-3: Open Backstage view to get at-a-glance information about the current file, access all file-related commands, and modify the program options.
This information panel is divided into two panes. The pane on the left contains large buttons that enable you to modify the workbook’s protection status, check the document before publishing, and manage its versions. The pane on the right contains a list of fields detailing the workbook’s various Document Properties, some of which you can change (such as Title, Tags, Categories, Author, and Last Modified By), and many of which you can’t (such as Size, Last Modified, Created, and so forth).
Below the Info option, you find the commands (New, Open, Save, Save As, Print, Share, Export, and Close) you commonly need for working with Excel workbook files. Near the bottom, the File tab contains an Account option that, when selected, displays an Account panel in the Backstage view. This panel displays user, connection, and Microsoft Office account information. Below the Account menu item, you find options that you can select to change the program’s settings.
The Ribbon (shown in Figure 1-4) groups the most commonly used options needed to perform particular types of Excel tasks.
FIGURE 1-4: Excel’s Ribbon consists of a series of tabs containing command buttons arranged into different groups.
To do this, the Ribbon uses the following components:
❯❯ Tabs for each of Excel’s main tasks that bring together and display all the commands commonly needed to perform that core task.
❯❯ Groups that organize related command buttons into subtasks normally performed as part of the tab’s larger core task.
❯❯ Command buttons within each group that you select to perform a particular action or to open a gallery from which you can click a particular thumbnail. Note: Many command buttons on certain tabs of the Ribbon are organized into mini-toolbars with related settings.
❯❯ Dialog Box launcher in the lower-right corner of certain groups that opens a dialog box containing a bunch of additional options you can select. (Note that you can mouse over this button to display a preview of the dialog box.)
The first time you launch a new workbook in Excel 2016, its Ribbon contains the following tabs from left to right:
❯❯ Home tab with the command buttons normally used when creating, formatting,
