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Data Entry 101 103
Note that you can also override Excel’s natural decision to fill in a series or copy an entry before you drag the Fill handle. To do so, simply hold down the Ctrl key (which adds a tiny plus sign to the upper-right corner of the Fill handle). Continue to depress the Ctrl key as you drag the Fill handle and notice that the ScreenTip now shows that Excel is no longer filling in the series or copying the entry as expected.
When you need to consecutively number the cells in a range, use the Ctrl key to override Excel’s natural tendency to copy the number to all the cells you select. For example, if you want to number rows of a list, enter the starting number (1 or 100, it doesn’t matter) in the first row, then press Ctrl to have Excel fill in the rest of the numbers for successive rows in the list (2, 3, 4, and the like, or 102, 103, 104, and so on). If you forget to hold down the Ctrl key and end up with a whole range of cells with the same starting number, click the Auto Fill Options drop-down button and then click the Fill Series option button to rectify the mistake by converting the copied numbers to a consecutively numbered series.
When using AutoFill to fill in a data series, you don’t have to start with
the first entry in that particular series. For example, if you want to enter a row of column headings with the last six months of the year (June through December), you enter June first and then drag down or to the right until the mouse pointer selects the cell where you enter December (indicated by the December ScreenTip). Note also that you can reverse-enter a data series by dragging the Fill handle up or left. In the June-to-December column headings example, if you drag up or left, Excel enters June to January in reverse order.
Keep in mind that you can also use AutoFill to copy an original formula across rows and down columns of data tables and lists. When you drag the Fill handle in a cell that contains a formula, Excel automatically adjusts its cell references to suit the new row or column position of each copy. (See Book III, Chapter 1 for details on copying formulas with AutoFill.)
AutoFill on a Touchscreen
To fill out a data series using your finger or stylus when using Excel on a touchscreen tablet without access to a mouse or touchpad, you use the AutoFill button that appears on the touchscreen mini-toolbar as follows:
1. Tap the cell containing the initial value in the series you want AutoFill to extend.
Excel selects the cell and displays selection handles (with circles) in the upper-left and lower-right corners.
2. Tap and hold the cell until the mini-toolbar appears.
When summoned by touch, the mini-toolbar appears as a single row of command buttons, Paste to AutoFill, terminated by a Show Context Menu button (with a black triangle pointing downward).
Book II Chapter 1
Building Worksheets