Editing Data in Excel

The contents of cells can be changed in several ways, by editing or sorting ranges of cells, and by editing the data within individual cells.

• Editing Cell Ranges

• Sorting Cell Ranges

• Editing Cell Contents

Editing Cell Ranges

Whenever you want to manipulate a set of data, one can edit them collectively as a range of cells.

• To clear the contents of particular cell ranges, leaving the cells in place, select them and clear them:

Menu:

Edit Clear Contents

• To actually delete particular columns or rows, select them and then delete them:

Menu:

Edit Delete

• When a column is deleted, others to the right are shifted left, i.e. relabled so there is no gap in the column letters.
   
  When a row is deleted, others below it are shifted up, i.e. relabled so there is no gap in the row numbers.
   
  
• To delete a particular cell or a multiple-cell range, you also select them and then delete them:

Menu:

Edit Delete…

For partial rows or columns there will be a question about how to fill the gap left by the deleted cells, so you are given a few options:

• To insert a new, blank column or row, select the column or row before which you want it to appear, and then insert it:

Menu:

Insert Column [or] Row

• To insert a cell or multiple-cell ranges, you also select them and then insert them:

Menu:

Insert Cells…

Again, for partial rows or columns there will be a question about whether the new cells should appear above or to the left of the selected cells, so you are given a few options:

• When you want to duplicate or move a range of cells, first copy or cut the original range of cells, respectively:

Menu:

Edit Copy [or] Cut

Then select the destination range of cells; you can then either insert before them as described above, or paste over them:

Menu:

Edit Paste

Note that the original (copied or cut) range of cells must be the same size and shape as the destination range.

So, you can only paste a column over another column, or a 2 x 3 range of cells into another 2 x 3 range of cells.

Sorting Cell Ranges

Sorting a range of cells is a common task.

• A common task with Excel is the rearrangement of data by sorting it.
  
  You can sort any particular selection of cells, but more commonly you will sort entire rows or columns to preserve the relative order of data within each row or column.
  
  The selected data below is already sorted by name, i.e. Column A:
  
  
  
  
  You might, for example, want to sort instead by a test grade, Columns B, C, D, or E:
  

	Click and Drag:	[Select a series of Row or Column Labels]
	Menu:	Data Sort...
	Menu:	Sort Sort by [Choose a column or row]
	Click:	SortAscending [or] Descending
	Click:	SortOK

Ascending means lowest value first, descending means highest value first.

• Note that in the sort dialog, you can also sort on second and third columns for items that match on the earlier columns.
  
  An example would be Column D, where two students have the same grade, and another test (i.e. column) could be used to choose which comes first.
   
  
• The sort dialog also has an option "My list has Header row".
  
  If this option is chosen, Excel assumes the first row of the selection consists of named column headers rather than data, and won't include them in the sort.
  
  For the example above, the selection would also include row 1, but its position would not change during the sort.
  
  In addition, the dialog will use those column headers as the names of the columns in the sort dialog, e.g. "Final Exam" rather than "Column E".

Editing Cell Contents

Whenever you want to edit a particular piece of data, one can "enter" the cell that contains it and apply the usual editing tools.

• If you want to edit the text in a cell, you double-click on it (you may need to turn on the "Edit directly in cell" option/preference, though).
   
  You can also select a cell, then click in the Formula Field in the toolbar near the top of the screen (preceded by the '=').
   
  
   
  
• Editing the data in a cell uses the same selecting, cutting, copying, pasting, deleting, and typing techniques you use in other programs.
   
  
• You can also change the characteristics of particular pieces of text within a cell (font, style, size, etc.) using the Format Font dialog — but these will only be visible once you exit the cell.
   
  
• When you are finished editing within a cell, you can save and exit the cell by clicking the Save icon or typing the Enter key:
   
  
   
  If you decide you don't want to save your changes, you can click on the Cancel icon , adjacent to the Save icon, or type the Escape key.