The three main ways to get help while working with Microsoft Excel are through the Help Menu, using the Help Button, and using the TipWizard. The Help Menu will display the standard Microsoft Help menu for Windows or Macintosh, although you will only get the Answer Wizard if you are using Windows95.
If you double-click on the Help Button
you will get the Help menu just as if you had gone
through the Help|Microsoft Excel Help Topics menu items.
However, if you click on the button once, the pointer will change
to an arrow with a question mark. Click this on any part of the
spreadsheet, button, or menu choice for more information about
that specific item.
The TipWizard button
indicates that
there is a quicker way to perform whatever task you just
completed. When you click on this button, the TipWizard window
appears, either alongside your other toolbars or in its own
window.
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This window explains a more efficient way of using the copy
function (I originally had gone to the Edit | Copy menu
choice). The TipWizard will also display any toolbar buttons used
in its explanation on the right edge of the window.
Entering and troubleshooting complex functions can be an
indimidating task, but the Function Wizard
provides a very intiuative and effective method of
incorporating functions into a worksheet. After selecting a cell
or a group of cells, clicking the Function Wizard button pulls up
the following menu:
The menu allows you to scroll through
the formulas supported by Microsoft Excel, grouped by catagories
listed in the left-hand menu. You can click the help button to
get more information about the currently selected function.
Once you have selected the appropriate formula, click on the Next button to procede with the wizard.
The next dialog box prompts you to fill
in the appropriate information. You can either enter cell
references, or use the mouse to highlight a cell or group of
cells. You can also click on the Function Wizard buttons within
the dialog box to insert other functions into the formula.
When you are done, clicking the Finished button enters the formula into the cell.