From The Naked PC issue #5.11...

Office XP: What's New in Excel XP - Part 4

by Lee Hudspeth
May 23, 2002

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

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