Page 110 - Excel 2013 All-in-One For Dummies

92 Data Entry 101
types of numeric formulas.) Most spreadsheet formulas use numbers that are input into other cells of the worksheet in their calculations. Because these formulas refer to the address of the cell containing the input number rather than the number itself, Excel is able to automatically recalculate the formula and return a new result anytime you change the values in the original cell.
The most important thing to remember about numeric formulas is that their calculated values are displayed in their cells in the worksheet, whereas the contents of the formulas (that indicate how the calculation is done) are displayed on the Formula bar whenever its cell contains the cell cursor.
All numbers returned by formulas inherit the nondescript General number format. The only way to get these calculated numbers to appear the way you want them in the worksheet is to select them and apply a new, more appro- priate number format to them. (See Book II, Chapter 2 for details.)
Data Entry 101
I want to pass on a few basic rules of data entry:
✦ You must select the cell where you want to make the data entry before you can make the entry in that cell.
✦ Any entry that you make in a cell that already contains data replaces the original entry.
✦ Every data entry that you make in any cell must be completed with some sort of action, such as clicking the Enter button on the Formula bar (the button with the check mark that appears when you start entering data), pressing the Enter key, or clicking a new cell before the entry is officially entered in that cell.
I know that the first rule sounds so obvious that it should go without saying, but you’d be surprised how many times you look at the cell where you intend to add new data and then just start entering that data without realizing that you haven’t yet moved the cell cursor to that cell. As a result, the data entry that you’re making is not destined to go into the cell that you intended. In fact, you’re in the process of making the entry in whatever cell currently con- tains the cell cursor, and if that cell is already occupied, you’re in the process of replacing its entry with the one you meant to go somewhere else!
This is why the third rule is so important: Even if you’re in the process of messing up your spreadsheet by entering data in the wrong cell (and, if that cell is occupied, you’re destroying a perfectly good entry), you haven’t done it until you take the action that completes the entry (such as clicking the Enter button on the Formula bar or pressing the Enter key). This means that you can recover simply by clicking the Cancel button on the Formula bar or by pressing the Escape key on your keyboard. As soon as you do that, the errant data entry disappears from the Formula bar (and the original data