The link to my related supplemental Web page appears at the end of this article; there you can access links to the previous articles in this series, and see a summary of all the new features, with my grade, in a numbered list. In this article I'll primarily focus on features that relate to formulas and functions. Lots of "10" grades here!
21. Function argument ScreenTips -- When you type a function into
a cell, as soon as you key in the opening parenthesis you'll see
a ScreenTip that lists all that function's arguments. If it's an
argumentless function like =NOW() then there won't be an argument
list. But wait, there's more... Hover your mouse over the
function name and it turns into a hyperlink that you can click to
bring up the help topic for that function.
UI: See above.
Grade: 10 (most excellent!)
22. Recommended functions -- In the "Ask a Question" box, type a
query in plain English, like "how do I determine the present
value of an annuity" and the pop-up menu will list suggested
functions for accomplishing the task.
UI: See above (the "Ask a Question" box is positioned at the far
right of the menu bar, just to the *left* of the Minimize
control.
Grade: 10
23. Cut-and-paste function examples -- At the bottom of function-
specific help topics, look for a heading "Example" followed by
the text "The example may be easier to understand if you copy it
to a blank worksheet." This is followed by an actual worksheet
snippet you can copy into your own worksheet. For detailed
instructions on how to do it, click the help topic's "How?" link.
UI: See above.
Grade: 10
24. Watch Window toolbar -- This is an entirely new toolbar in
the Excel arsenal. Those of you familiar with the Visual Basic
development environment (or any other programming environment,
for that matter) will recognize its purpose. You can monitor
workbook, worksheet, range name, cell, value, and formula data.
Add a cell to the Watch Window by clicking the "Add Watch" button
(you can add multiple cells by performing a multiple selection).
Now, even if the cell isn't visible in the current window you can
see its status, including changes to it. To quickly jump to a
watched cell, double-click on its entry in the Watch Window.
UI: View, Toolbars, Watch Window.
Grade: 10 (outstanding!)
25. AutoSum includes other functions -- AutoSum now supports
Average, Count, Max, Min, and a More Functions item at the bottom
of the drop-down list, that, when chosen, displays the Insert
Function dialog.
UI: Click the AutoSum button and choose the desired function.
Grade: 10 (AutoSum should have always worked this way)
26. Formula evaluator tool -- Select a cell containing a formula
and click the Formula Auditing toolbar's right-most button which
is the "Evaluate Formula" button. This displays a dialog box that
underlines each segment of a formula one by one, in order from
left to right. When you click the Evaluate button the dialog
displays the value of that segment, underlines the next segment,
and so on, until the formula is completely resolved.
UI: Right-click on any toolbar and choose "Formula Auditing" to
render it visible; then see above.
Grade: 10
27. Formula Auditing -- The "Formula Auditing" toolbar (referred
to as simply "Auditing" in previous versions) includes numerous
features that can help you reduce the errors in your workbooks.
It's an area of Excel that I strongly recommend you explore. See
also #26 and #28 in this list.
UI: Right-click on any toolbar and choose "Formula Auditing" to
render it visible.
Grade: 10
28. Check formulas for errors -- Similar to grammar checking,
Excel now provides a dialog and a set of rules to help you look
for and fix problems in formulas. In addition to displaying error
explanations in the dialog box, there are buttons to fix the
particular error; an Options button to give you control over the
individual rules (on/off); plus "Help on this error", "Ignore
Error", "Edit in Formula Bar", Previous, and Next buttons.
UI: Tools, Error Checking (or via the "Formula Auditing" toolbar)
Grade: 10
To peruse my supplemental page containing links to the previous
articles in this series on Excel XP, and a summary of all the new
features, with my grade, go here:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/511/tr.cgi?lee1
To see my supplemental page of material about Word XP's new
features, click here:
http://www.TheNakedPC.com/t/511/tr.cgi?lee2
You can reach Lee Hudspeth at:
mailto:LeeHudspeth@TheNakedPC.com
