How to Store and Retrieve Data in Microsoft Excel for the iPad

2/6/2015

Contents

Modify cells and cell content

Sometimes you need to modify the structure of a worksheet on the cell level rather than modifying an entire column or row. For example, you might need to remove only one entry from a column that contains a list of entries. Deleting (clearing) the cell content would leave a gap—you must delete the entire cell to close the gap.

Insert and delete cells

When you insert or delete individual cells from a worksheet, you must stipulate the direction in which Excel should shift the worksheet content that is below and to the right of the cell.

You choose the direction to shift content when inserting or deleting cells

To insert a blank cell in a populated range

Select the cell that is located where you want the blank cell.
On the Home tab, tap the Insert & Delete Cells button, and then tap Shift Cells Down or Shift Cells Right, depending on where you want to move the adjacent cells.

To insert multiple cells

Select the range of cells that occupy the space in which you want to insert the new blank cells.
On the Home tab, tap the Insert & Delete Cells button, and then tap Shift Cells Down or Shift Cells Right, depending on where you want the surrounding cells to be moved.

To delete a cell

Select the cell (or range of cells) that you want to delete.
On the Home tab, tap the Insert & Delete Cells button, and then tap Shift Cells Left or Shift Cells Up, depending on where you want the surrounding cells to be moved.

Modify cell structure

By default, text content that exceeds the width of its column extends across adjacent columns if they are empty. If the adjacent column contains content, only the text that fits in the first column is visible. If you don’t want to resize the column to fit the text, you can wrap the text to display it on multiple lines.

If a number is too wide to be displayed in a column, Excel displays the result in scientific notation, or displays number signs (#) instead of the number. You can’t wrap a long number, but you can widen the column or change the font size to fit the number in the cell.

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Methods of handling content that exceeds the width of the cell

Sometimes it is appropriate to merge the content of multiple cells into one cell; for example, to indicate that a heading or label applies to multiple columns or rows. A merged cell occupies the space of the original cells.

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You can merge cells vertically, horizontally, or both

To wrap or unwrap text

Select the cell you want to format, and then tap the selected cell.

Or

Select multiple contiguous cells that you want to format.
On the shortcut bar, tap Wrap or Unwrap.

To merge a range of cells

Select the cells you want to combine.
On the Home tab, tap the Merge & Center button.

Format cell appearance

You can format worksheet content to help people identify key information. Beyond the standard font formatting options, you can add shading (also called fill color) and borders to cells. You can fill cells and apply borders independently or as part of a preset cell style. Some of the cell styles available in Excel are intended to convey specific information and others are linked to the workbook theme.

All the cell styles are purely decorative. None of the styles that are designated as titles and headings actually affect the structure of the content or link to an outline level, as headings in a Word document do.

You can use cell styles to add visual interest and meaning to a cell

A workbook can store many types of numeric data, and not all of these numbers should be displayed or processed in the same way. You can format specific types of numbers to display correctly and so that Excel correctly recognizes whether to process the number as a value or as something else (such as a date).

Excel for iPad includes 11 categories of number formats:

General This is the default format for numbers. It permits Excel to process numbers in mathematic operations and to display numbers by using scientific notation if necessary to fit within the cell.
Text This number format instructs Excel to display and process the number exactly as you enter it. It is particularly useful for numbers with leading zeros and long numbers, such as credit card numbers, that Excel would otherwise change to scientific notation.
Accounting This format allows you to display a specific number of decimal places and a currency symbol, which is left-aligned in the cell so the values are easier to read.
Currency This format allows you to display a specific number of decimal places and a currency symbol, which is flush against the numbers. You can also specify the format of negative values.
Date This format allows you to choose from among many standard options for displaying short and long dates to regional standards.
Fractions This format expresses a decimal number as the equivalent fraction. You can specify the denominator or degree of precision up to 1/999.
Number This format allows you to display a specific number of decimal places and specify whether to display the thousands separator and how to format negative numbers.
Percentage This format displays a decimal number as the equivalent percentage followed by the percent symbol. If you want to display more precise percentages, you can specify the number of decimal places.
Scientific This format expresses a number in scientific notation. You can specify the number of decimal places of the expression.
Time This format allows you to choose from among many standard options for displaying times or date/time combinations to regional standards.
Special This category includes region-specific formats for numbers such as ZIP codes, postal codes, phone numbers, and Social Security numbers.

To add, change, or remove cell borders

Select the cell or cell range for which you want to format borders.
On the Home tab, tap the Cell Borders button.
On the Cell Borders menu, do one of the following:
- To apply a border to only one side of the selection, tap Bottom Border, Top Border, Left Border, or Right Border.
- To apply borders to multiple sides of the selection, tap All Borders, Outside Borders, or Thick Box Border.
- To remove all cell borders, tap No Border.

To specify or remove a cell background color

Select the cell or cell range you want to format.
On the Home tab, tap the Fill Color button.
On the Fill Color menu, do one of the following:
- Tap the color you want to apply.
- Tap No Fill to remove any applied color.

To apply a preset cell style

Select the cell or cell range you want to format.
On the Home tab, tap the Cell Styles button.
On the Cell Styles menu, tap the style you want to apply.

To specify a number format

Select the cell or cell range you want to format.
On the Home tab, tap the Number Formatting button.
On the Number Formatting menu, do one of the following:
- To apply the default format for a category, tap the category name.
- To apply a specific number format, tap the i (the information symbol) to the right of the category name. Set the format-specific options, and then tap away from the menu to close it.