Lesson 1.1: Using My Computer within Excel

Lesson 1.1: Using My Computer within Excel
An important part of using any application is the ability to find, organize, and save your work in
the most efficient way possible. This certainly holds true when it comes to working with Excel
2007.
As you probably already know, you can open files in Excel in a number of ways. You can double
click directly on a file icon to open it, provided it is an Excel compatible file type. If the file name
is available in the recently used list, you can open it by simply clicking on its name. Finally, you
can use the Open dialogue to navigate to the location of a particular file, and then select and
open it.
When you use the Open dialogue or the Save As dialogue, you will notice a panel of controls on
the left hand side.
This control panel is known as the My Places toolbar, and in this lesson, you will learn how to
work with the controls on the My Places toolbar. You will learn how to use and organize the My
Places toolbar, as well as how to navigate with My Computer, how to perform basic tasks using
My Computer, and how to change views with My Computer.
Using the My Places Toolbar
When you display the Open or Save as dialogue box, you will see the My Places toolbar on the
left.
Some of the default components that you could see on this toolbar are:
My Recent Documents
A list of recently used, completed, or accessed files.
Desktop
A list of navigable links that can also be found on your desktop.
My Documents:
Provides access to the folders and files in your My Documents folder.
My Computer
Provides access to the disk drives on your computer.
My Network Places
If you are on a network, this button can display the remote locations
accessible via your network.
These buttons provide access to the various drives, folders, and remote locations on your
computer and computer network. In addition, the My Places toolbar can be populated with
specific folders of your choice for quick access.
To add a folder to the My Places toolbar, first use the Open dialogue box to open the folder’s
location. When you see the folder in the main viewing pane of the dialogue box, click on it to
highlight the folder icon.
In this example, the Intermediate folder is highlighted. Now, if you right click on the My Places
toolbar, you see display a menu that looks like the following.
You can see that the highlighted folder is now available to add to the toolbar, simply by clicking
the Add ‘folder name’ option at the top of the menu. (In this case, the folder in question is the
Intermediate folder).
Clicking the Add ‘Intermediate’ option will add this folder to the toolbar. You can use this
option to add as many folders as you wish to the toolbar (but not individual files).
Here is the Open dialogue box, with the Intermediate folder now available near the bottom of
the My Places toolbar.
If you click the Large Icons option on the pop up menu (remember, the menu is displayed by
right clicking on the toolbar), the toolbar icons will be increased in size.
Large Icons
Small Icons
If you display the menu after increasing the icon size, a Small Icon option will be available
instead of the Large Icons option. This will allow you to return to the smaller icons if you wish.
If you select a folder that you added to the task bar and then right click to display the pop up
menu (or, just right click on the folder in question) there will now be a Remove option available.
If you click this option, the selected folder will be removed.
If you right click on a folder, you will see Move Up and Move Down options. The Move Up
option will move the particular folder or button in question up the toolbar, so that it will switch
places with the folder or button above it. Clicking the Move Down option will move the folder
or button down one position.
Here is the My Places toolbar before and after moving the My Documents control. The image
on the right shows the tool bar after moving the My Documents control down the list.
Before
After
Remember that any changes that you make to the My Places toolbar will be visible throughout
Office 2007. (This means that your changes will be implemented in the Open or Save dialogues
in Word 2007 and other Office 2007 programs.)
Navigating with My Computer
If you click the My Computer icon in the My Places toolbar, a list of disk drives and folders will
appear in the main viewing pane of the dialogue box that you are using. These drives and
folders can provide access to pretty much any file or folder on your computer.
For example, in the following image you will see an option called Local Disk (C:) in the main
viewing pane of the Open dialogue box.
Take notice of how the My Computer option has been selected on the left panel (highlighted).
The options you see in the main viewing pane are storage devices and folders associated with
your computer system.
If you double click on the Local Disk option, you will populate the main viewing pane of the
dialogue box with the folders and files that are stored on your main hard drive. If you double
click on one of the folders, you will see more subfolders and files. You can use the My
Computer option to browse to just about any location on your computer, by double clicking
folders, and sub folders, and so on, until you find the file that you are looking for.
In the upper right corner of the dialogue box, you can find additional controls.
You are probably already familiar with the close (X) button in the upper corner. Clicking this
button will close the dialogue.
If you click the Back button,
you will navigate back one level. In other words, if you double
click Local Disk to show a list of subfolders, and then you double click a subfolder to show what
its contents are, you will have changed the contents of the main viewing pane twice. Each click
of the back button will take you back through one pane (list of contents) that you have
previously explored. You can use the back button to move all the way back to the original list of
drives and folders that you started in.
The Up One Level
button is similar to the Back button. If you click it, you will move to the
folder or directory that is one level up from your current location. Just like the Back button, you
can use the Up One Level button to navigate back up through the levels that you visited.
However, there is an important difference between these two navigation buttons. The Back
button will take you back to the previous list of options, whether it is moving up a level (from a
subfolder to a parent folder), or down (from a parent folder to a sub folder). The Up One Level
button will only move up. That is, it will only move up to a parent folder from a sub folder or
file, not the other way around.
You can also access the contents of optical storage media (CD drives or DVD drives) from the list
of options displayed by clicking the My Computer control.
Performing Basic Tasks with My Computer
Now that you know how use My Computer to navigate though the folders and files on your
system, there are a few more tasks that you should learn about.
If you display the Open or Save as dialogue box, you will see a panel of buttons in the upper
right corner of the box.
If you highlight a file or folder in the main viewing area of the dialogue box (by single clicking it)
and then click the Delete button ( ), you will delete the file (send it to your Recycle Bin).
Before the file is deleted, you will see the following alert.
If you click Yes, the file or folder in question will be deleted. If you click No, the deletion will be
cancelled.
Another button available for use is the New Folder button (
a small box requesting a name for the folder.
). Clicking this button will display
If you enter a name for your new folder and then click OK, a new folder with the name you
provided will be created, and the dialogue box will automatically open the view to this new
folder.
If you click the Up One Level button, you will see that your new folder is now an item or
subfolder among the contents of the parent folder.
If you right click on an item in the viewing area of the dialogue, you will display a menu with
several options.
The options that appear on this menu may differ slightly from system to system, depending on
what software you have installed on your computer. Regardless of the configuration of your
computer, you should see options to copy, delete, and rename the folder or file that you right
clicked on.
Changing Views
When you display the Open or Save as dialogue, you will see a view button in the upper right of
the dialogue box window.
If you click the small arrow next to this View button, you will display a drop down list of view
options that you can apply to the items in your dialogue box.
As an example, if you select the Thumbnails option, the items shown in your dialogue box will
appear as thumbnails.
If you select the Tiles option, the items displayed will be arranged in rows and columns,
something like the following.
If you select the Details option from the Views menu, there will be additional information
details included with the folder items.
If you select the Preview option, half of the viewing area of the dialogue will show you a
preview of the selected file. (This will only work if the type of file that you are examining
supports a preview.)
The best idea is to try out all of the different views until you find the one that is most
appropriate for you. Remember that you can switch to any other view whenever you wish
simply by using the view button options.
SECTION 1: Advanced File Tasks
In this section you will learn how to:
 Navigate with My Computer
 Perform basic tasks with My Computer
 Change views with My Computer
 Use the My Places toolbar
 Use file formats
 Use file properties
 Use AutoRecover
 Upgrade a workbook
 Open a template



Use a template
Download a template
Create a template
Lesson 1.1: Using My Computer within Excel
An important part of using any application is the ability to find, organize, and save your work in
the most efficient way possible. This certainly holds true when it comes to working with Excel
2007.
As you probably already know, you can open files in Excel in a number of ways. You can double
click directly on a file icon to open it, provided it is an Excel compatible file type. If the file name
is available in the recently used list, you can open it by simply clicking on its name. Finally, you
can use the Open dialogue to navigate to the location of a particular file, and then select and
open it.
When you use the Open dialogue or the Save As dialogue, you will notice a panel of controls on
the left hand side.
This control panel is known as the My Places toolbar, and in this lesson, you will learn how to
work with the controls on the My Places toolbar. You will learn how to use and organize the My
Places toolbar, as well as how to navigate with My Computer, how to perform basic tasks using
My Computer, and how to change views with My Computer.
Using the My Places Toolbar
When you display the Open or Save as dialogue box, you will see the My Places toolbar on the
left.
Some of the default components that you could see on this toolbar are:
My Recent Documents
A list of recently used, completed, or accessed files.
Desktop
A list of navigable links that can also be found on your desktop.
My Documents:
Provides access to the folders and files in your My Documents folder.
My Computer
Provides access to the disk drives on your computer.
My Network Places
If you are on a network, this button can display the remote locations
accessible via your network.
These buttons provide access to the various drives, folders, and remote locations on your
computer and computer network. In addition, the My Places toolbar can be populated with
specific folders of your choice for quick access.
To add a folder to the My Places toolbar, first use the Open dialogue box to open the folder’s
location. When you see the folder in the main viewing pane of the dialogue box, click on it to
highlight the folder icon.
In this example, the Intermediate folder is highlighted. Now, if you right click on the My Places
toolbar, you see display a menu that looks like the following.
You can see that the highlighted folder is now available to add to the toolbar, simply by clicking
the Add ‘folder name’ option at the top of the menu. (In this case, the folder in question is the
Intermediate folder).
Clicking the Add ‘Intermediate’ option will add this folder to the toolbar. You can use this
option to add as many folders as you wish to the toolbar (but not individual files).
Here is the Open dialogue box, with the Intermediate folder now available near the bottom of
the My Places toolbar.
If you click the Large Icons option on the pop up menu (remember, the menu is displayed by
right clicking on the toolbar), the toolbar icons will be increased in size.
Large Icons
Small Icons
If you display the menu after increasing the icon size, a Small Icon option will be available
instead of the Large Icons option. This will allow you to return to the smaller icons if you wish.
If you select a folder that you added to the task bar and then right click to display the pop up
menu (or, just right click on the folder in question) there will now be a Remove option available.
If you click this option, the selected folder will be removed.
If you right click on a folder, you will see Move Up and Move Down options. The Move Up
option will move the particular folder or button in question up the toolbar, so that it will switch
places with the folder or button above it. Clicking the Move Down option will move the folder
or button down one position.
Here is the My Places toolbar before and after moving the My Documents control. The image
on the right shows the tool bar after moving the My Documents control down the list.
Before
After
Remember that any changes that you make to the My Places toolbar will be visible throughout
Office 2007. (This means that your changes will be implemented in the Open or Save dialogues
in Word 2007 and other Office 2007 programs.)
Navigating with My Computer
If you click the My Computer icon in the My Places toolbar, a list of disk drives and folders will
appear in the main viewing pane of the dialogue box that you are using. These drives and
folders can provide access to pretty much any file or folder on your computer.
For example, in the following image you will see an option called Local Disk (C:) in the main
viewing pane of the Open dialogue box.
Take notice of how the My Computer option has been selected on the left panel (highlighted).
The options you see in the main viewing pane are storage devices and folders associated with
your computer system.
If you double click on the Local Disk option, you will populate the main viewing pane of the
dialogue box with the folders and files that are stored on your main hard drive. If you double
click on one of the folders, you will see more subfolders and files. You can use the My
Computer option to browse to just about any location on your computer, by double clicking
folders, and sub folders, and so on, until you find the file that you are looking for.
In the upper right corner of the dialogue box, you can find additional controls.
You are probably already familiar with the close (X) button in the upper corner. Clicking this
button will close the dialogue.
If you click the Back button,
you will navigate back one level. In other words, if you double
click Local Disk to show a list of subfolders, and then you double click a subfolder to show what
its contents are, you will have changed the contents of the main viewing pane twice. Each click
of the back button will take you back through one pane (list of contents) that you have
previously explored. You can use the back button to move all the way back to the original list of
drives and folders that you started in.
The Up One Level
button is similar to the Back button. If you click it, you will move to the
folder or directory that is one level up from your current location. Just like the Back button, you
can use the Up One Level button to navigate back up through the levels that you visited.
However, there is an important difference between these two navigation buttons. The Back
button will take you back to the previous list of options, whether it is moving up a level (from a
subfolder to a parent folder), or down (from a parent folder to a sub folder). The Up One Level
button will only move up. That is, it will only move up to a parent folder from a sub folder or
file, not the other way around.
You can also access the contents of optical storage media (CD drives or DVD drives) from the list
of options displayed by clicking the My Computer control.
Performing Basic Tasks with My Computer
Now that you know how use My Computer to navigate though the folders and files on your
system, there are a few more tasks that you should learn about.
If you display the Open or Save as dialogue box, you will see a panel of buttons in the upper
right corner of the box.
If you highlight a file or folder in the main viewing area of the dialogue box (by single clicking it)
and then click the Delete button ( ), you will delete the file (send it to your Recycle Bin).
Before the file is deleted, you will see the following alert.
If you click Yes, the file or folder in question will be deleted. If you click No, the deletion will be
cancelled.
Another button available for use is the New Folder button (
a small box requesting a name for the folder.
). Clicking this button will display
If you enter a name for your new folder and then click OK, a new folder with the name you
provided will be created, and the dialogue box will automatically open the view to this new
folder.
If you click the Up One Level button, you will see that your new folder is now an item or
subfolder among the contents of the parent folder.
If you right click on an item in the viewing area of the dialogue, you will display a menu with
several options.
The options that appear on this menu may differ slightly from system to system, depending on
what software you have installed on your computer. Regardless of the configuration of your
computer, you should see options to copy, delete, and rename the folder or file that you right
clicked on.
Changing Views
When you display the Open or Save as dialogue, you will see a view button in the upper right of
the dialogue box window.
If you click the small arrow next to this View button, you will display a drop down list of view
options that you can apply to the items in your dialogue box.
As an example, if you select the Thumbnails option, the items shown in your dialogue box will
appear as thumbnails.
If you select the Tiles option, the items displayed will be arranged in rows and columns,
something like the following.
If you select the Details option from the Views menu, there will be additional information
details included with the folder items.
If you select the Preview option, half of the viewing area of the dialogue will show you a
preview of the selected file. (This will only work if the type of file that you are examining
supports a preview.)
The best idea is to try out all of the different views until you find the one that is most
appropriate for you. Remember that you can switch to any other view whenever you wish
simply by using the view button options.
Lesson 1.2: Saving your Files
In this lesson you will learn some key concepts related to file management and saving your
workbooks. Specifically, you will learn about the AutoRecover feature, file properties, and file
formats. These topics are important because your data is valuable and should be managed
wisely.
In almost every instance where you are using a word processor or spreadsheet program, the
end result will be some kind of file, which leads us to the concepts covered in this lesson. For
example, the format of a saved file is important because it can influence what programs the file
can be used with. The properties of a file are important because they can reveal specific
information that can help you find and identify your files. Finally, AutoRecover can be an
invaluable feature when it comes to recovering files after system crashes or power failures.
File Formats
File formats are important because to a large extent, the format of a file can be the deciding
factor in what kind (or version) of a program can be used with the file. If you want to open a
given file with a particular program, it is probably a good idea to know if the program in
question can handle the type of file that you are trying to open. Some programs have special
features or procedures for opening files of certain types. If you try to open a file with the wrong
program, the results can be unexpected.
For Excel 2007, the basic file format extensions that you should be familiar with are:
.xlsx
This file type signifies an Excel 2007 workbook.
.xltx
This file type signifies an Excel 2007 template.
.xlsb
This file type signifies an Excel 2007 binary workbook.
.xlam
This file type signifies an Excel add-in.
You should be able to open any of these file types in Excel 2007 without issue. However, if you
wanted to open these file types with an earlier version of Excel (like Excel 2003 or Excel 2000)
you may have a problem. Office 2007 uses a new file format that promotes interoperability
between programs; the downside is that this new file format may not be compatible with
earlier versions of Microsoft Office software. (Microsoft does have a software patch available to
help with these compatibility issues.)
The good news is that Excel 2007 should open workbooks and templates created with earlier
versions of Excel with no problems. Furthermore, if you are creating a file in Excel 2007, and
you know that it will also be used with an earlier version of Excel, Excel 2007 allows you to save
your workbook as an Excel 97-2003 workbook.
If you are familiar with the old Excel file formats, you will notice that for workbooks and
templates, the new 2007 extension is just the old extension with an extra x on the end. (In Excel
2003, a workbook file would have an xls extension. In Excel 2007, a workbook has an xlsx
extension.)
The most commonly used file type in Excel is the workbook type (xlsx for Excel 2007, xls for
earlier versions of Excel). There is also an xlsm file type for Excel 2007 (signifying a macro
enabled workbook). A macro is a small set of instructions (a program) that can be used to
automate or perform tasks in Excel and other applications. It is important know if a workbook
contains a macro, since macros can pose security threats.
When you are working on a spreadsheet in Excel 2007 and you want to save your work, you can
specify what type of file to save it as in the Save As dialogue.
If you expose the drop list labeled Save As Type, you will be able to choose a format to save
your file as. If, for instance, your workbook contained a macro, you may choose the second
option in the list (macro enabled workbook). If you wanted your workbook to be accessible to
users of Excel 97 through to Excel 2003, you should choose the fourth option (Excel 97-2003
workbook). If you wanted to publish your spreadsheet on the web, you might consider the last
option (Single File Web Page), which will create an MHTML document (MIME html). This
MHTML file will be easily viewed in a Web browser, and can be made available to others over
the Internet. (You can use the scroll bar at the right of the drop list to view more type options.)
Understanding file formats can be important when opening files as well as when saving them.
In the Open dialogue, there is a series of options in a drop list labeled Files of Type.
The items that appear in the main viewing pane of the Open dialogue box will depend on the
type of file that is specified in the Files of Type drop list. For instance, if you are looking for a file
to publish to the web, you may want to choose the All Web Pages option. This will restrict the
files in the viewing pane to those with types that are suitable for the World Wide Web (like
html, htm, or mhtml files). This can make it easier to find the particular file you are looking for
in a crowded folder. If you are trying to find an Excel workbook or template, you should choose
the All Microsoft Office Excel Files option. This option will display all files in a given location that
have formats that can be opened by Excel.
If you are unsure of the file type you are looking for, you can always specify the All Files option
to show all of the files in a given location, and then choose the appropriate file by name.
File Properties
File properties are important for a number of reasons. You can view the file properties to get
useful information about the file without having to open the file itself. You can specify file
properties to contain specific information that will help you maintain and manage files. You can
also specify properties to be used as keywords when you are searching for a file. File properties
can tell you the size of the file, the date the file was created, the date the file was last modified,
and what application is most appropriate for the file.
To view the properties of a file without opening it, right click on the file icon in Windows
Explorer and select Properties from the menu.
This will display the General tab of the Properties dialogue for the file.
You can see the name of the file in the title bar of the dialogue box, in front of the word
Properties. In the previous image the name of the file in question is duplicates. You can also see
the name in an editable text field near the top of the dialogue.
You can enter a new name for the file in this text field or edit the old one. When you press your
Enter key or click the OK button, the file will assume whatever name is in the text field.
Further down, you can see a description of the file type and the program that is the default
choice for opening the file.
As you can see, this particular file is an Excel 97-2003 worksheet, and it will be opened with
Excel if you double click on the file icon. If you click the Change button, you will see a list of
other programs that you can select from to open this file. If you change the program that opens
this file, and then double click the file icon, the file will be opened with the new program. (This
is one example of where it is good to know what file types are compatible with what programs.)
If the program is not designed or suited for the particular file type that it is opening, strange
and unexpected results can occur.
Further down in the Properties dialogue box, you will see information as to the location of the
file, the size of the file, the creation date, when the file was last modified, and when it was last
accessed.
This information can be helpful for identifying a file when you have forgotten what it is called
(or perhaps unintentionally renamed it).
You will also notice two check boxes at the bottom of the Properties box (under the general
tab) that are labeled Read-Only and Hidden.
If you put a check in the Hidden checkbox, the file icon will not be available when you look at
the contents of the folder that contains it unless the option is enabled in Windows.
If a file is hidden, you can make the file visible by choosing Tools and then Folder Options from
the menu bar in the folder that contains the hidden file. This will display the Folder Options
dialogue.
Under the View tab, select the radio button labeled, “Show hidden files and folders.” This will
make any hidden files visible.
If you put a check in the Read-Only checkbox in the File Properties dialogue, the file can then
only be read, not written to. This means that if you open the file and make a change in the data,
you will not be allowed to save the file under the same filename. If you try to save a read only
file after making changes, you will get a message like the following.
If you click the Advanced button on the bottom of the General tab in the File Properties
dialogue box, you will see an Advanced attributes box.
In the advanced box, you will see options to allow indexing of the file for better search
performance, to compress the file to save disk space, and to encrypt (encode) the file to help
secure the data.
If you click the Custom Tab on the File Properties dialogue, you will be presented with options
for entering your own custom properties. Here you can choose a property description from the
Name drop list, and then select an appropriate value (one that matches the description) from
the Value drop list.
For this example, the property Checked By has been selected with the name Mickey in the
Value box. Clicking the Add button will add this property to the large text area below, and the
file will now have the custom property Checked By Mickey.
If you click the Summary tab in the Properties dialogue, you will be provided with options to
summarize the file’s contents.
Here you can specify a title, a subject, an author, a category and a comment to summarize the
file. You can also enter words in the Keywords text area. If you ever misplace the file in your
computer, you can search for it based on the keywords.
If you fill out the text areas and click the OK button, the new properties will be saved with the
file. The information you entered under the Summary tab will appear in a yellow comment box
when you let your mouse pointer hover over the file’s icon.
Some file properties are automatically updated and maintained by Excel 2007. These properties
include the date created, the date last modified, and the file size properties. These properties
cam also be used in searches to find a lost or misplaced file.
You can work with file properties from within Excel 2007 if you wish, by opening a workbook,
displaying the Office menu, and then selecting the Properties option from the Finish submenu.
When you perform this action, you will see a pane at the top of the screen. Here, you will be
able to enter properties that are similar to those available under the View tab of the properties
dialogue box.
You will also see a small arrow labeled Document Properties that you can click to access an
advanced option.
If you click the Advanced option, a properties dialogue box with a few new options will be
presented to you.
When you invoke the properties box from within Excel 2007, you will see a Statistics tab and a
Contents tab in addition to the options previously mentioned.
Under the Statistics tab, you will see information such as:
 The date the file was created
 The last date the file was modified
 The last date the file was accessed
 Who the last person was to save the file
Under the Contents tab you will see a list of the names of the worksheets that comprise the
workbook.
There are also new options to include a hyperlink base and to save a preview picture under the
Summary tab.
When you create hyperlinks in Excel to a file without a specified path, Excel will by default use a
path that is relative to the workbook you are creating a hyperlink in. If you set a hyperlink base
under the Summary tab, Excel will now use this base as the default path for the hyperlink.
(Don’t worry if you don’t understand this particular option yet; the topic of hyperlinks is not a
big issue at this stage).
If you put a check in the Save Preview Picture checkbox under the Summary tab, a preview
picture of the file’s contents will be kept. This will enable you to view a preview of the file when
the file is selected in the viewing area of the Open dialogue box (see the Changing Views
concept in lesson 1.1).
AutoRecover
Excel’s auto recovery feature repeatedly saves a copy of the workbook that you are currently
using based on a specified time period. The default period for Excel 2007 is 10 minutes, but you
can increase or decrease this time period as you see fit. The shorter the time period, the more
frequently Excel will save the current file. This means that if something happens (like a
computer crash, a power failure, or a problem with Excel), you should have a fairly recent copy
of the file to recover from.
If you specify a longer time period between auto saves, there could be greater differences
between the current file and the recovery files. If you are forced to recover from a system or
application failure, the copy of the file that you recover from could be substantially different
from the file that you were working on when the problem happened.
To change your AutoRecover settings, first click the Excel Options button under the Office
menu. When you see the Excel Options window, select the Save option from the panel on the
left. You will now see a “Save workbooks” heading with options beneath it.
You can click on the up and down arrows next to the field followed by the word “minutes” to
specify more or less time between AutoSaves.
If you check the “Disable AutoRecover for this workbook only” checkbox, the auto recover
feature will be deactivated for the workbook that is selected in the Exceptions For field. (The
Exceptions For drop list will allow you to select from any workbooks that are currently open.)
You should also notice that the location of the AutoSave files is specified in the AutoRecover
File Location text field.
When you are finished configuring your AutoRecover options, click the OK button at the bottom
right corner of the Excel Options window to implement the new settings.
Upgrading a Workbook
If you have workbooks that were created with an earlier version of Excel (Excel 97 to Excel
2003) you can easily upgrade them to an Excel 2007 workbook. First, start Excel 2007 and use
the Open dialogue to open the earlier (file extension .xls) workbook file. Excel 2007 should have
no problems opening files from earlier versions of Excel.
Then, click the Office menu and click Convert.
Excel will then warn you of the operation you’re about to perform.
If you click OK, you will be alerted when the operation completes.
Although converting workbooks is recommended (as it allows you to use the new features of
Excel 2007), we also recommend that you make a backup copy of the workbook before you
attempt the conversion.
You can, of course, use the Save As dialogue to convert your workbook.
Once the file is open, use the Office menu or the Ctrl + S shortcut to invoke the Save As
dialogue box.
In the Save As Type drop list, select the Excel Workbook option. This will save the workbook as
an Excel 2007 workbook (file extension xlsx) regardless of what version of Excel the workbook
was created with.
Lesson 1.3: Using Templates
A template is a workbook design or layout that can be saved and reused for any number of
workbooks. A template can have formulas, fill effects, labels, borders, worksheet names,
formats, and a host of other Excel features that will be applied to each new workbook that uses
the template.
This is an example of an Excel template.
Opening a Template
To open a workbook using a template, start Excel 2007, and then choose the New option from
the Office menu. When you do this, you will display the New Workbook Dialogue.
In the New Workbook dialogue, you can select a template grouping from the categories listed in
the panel on the left. When you click on a category option, the large viewing pane will display
the templates available in the chosen category. If you double click on a template icon in the
main viewing area, a workbook will open based on the selected template.
If you click the My Templates option, you will display a New dialogue box that contains
templates stored locally on your computer.
If you double click one of the template icons in the My Templates view, a workbook will open
based on the template.
If you click the New from Existing option in the New Workbook dialogue, you will display a New
from Existing workbook dialogue.
The New from Existing Workbook dialogue has the same controls as the Open dialogue and the
Save as dialogue. Basically, this dialogue box will allow you to navigate to a location on your
computer and use an existing template (or an existing workbook) to base your new workbook
on. Once you find an appropriate source for your new workbook, double click the icon in the
viewing pane to open it.
Downloading a Template
When you display the New Workbook window (by clicking the New option under the Office
menu) you will see a variety of options listed under the From Microsoft Office Online heading in
the panel on the left.
You can choose from business templates, calendars, finance and accounting templates,
specialty papers, and more. When you select one of these online options, you will often see a
list of template subcategories in the viewing pane on the right.
This list of subcategories is actually downloaded from the Microsoft Office Online Web site. If
you do not have an Internet connection, you will not see the list of subcategories and
moreover, you will not be able to download any templates.
If you do have an Internet connection, you can click on one of the subcategory options to see a
preview list of downloadable templates.
The image that follows shows some of the downloadable templates under the Budget
subcategory.
When you see a template that you like, select it by single clicking on it, and then click the
Download button to download the template. Once the template is downloaded, Excel will
automatically open a workbook based on the template. You can also simply double click on the
template icon to download the template and create a workbook.
Using a Template
Probably the easiest thing you can do with an Excel template is use it. That is the reason why
templates exist in the first place: to make it easy to build nicely formatted spreadsheets and
workbooks. To use a template, start Excel 2007 and use the New window to open a workbook
based on the template of your choice. (Refer to the preceding concepts in this lesson.)
Once the workbook is open, the formatting and organization of your data will all be in place
based on the template. The next step is to just enter the data into the spreadsheet as required.
Here is a sports template after some data has been entered.
The whole purpose of the template is to provide a boiler plate format, organization, and style
for your workbooks. All that you have to do is enter the data as required. When you save your
work, make sure that you save it as a workbook. By doing this, you can create any number of
workbooks based on the same template.
Creating a Template
To create your own template, open Excel 2007and design your worksheet or workbook layout
to meet any specifications you require. You can add labels, formatting, color, borders, and
formulas. If need be, you can even create layouts on different sheets in the workbook, as a
template can contain as many worksheets as you need.
Remember, the main purpose of a template is for repeated use of a workbook layout. Keep this
in mind when creating a template. Plan your layout, labels, and formats to make your templates
comprehensive and complete.
When you have completed your design, choose Save As from the Office menu to display the
Save As dialogue box. In the dialogue, enter a name for your template in the File Name text
field. Next, display the Save As Type drop list near the bottom of the dialogue box and select
the Excel template option. (You may have to scroll through the list of options to find it). This will
save the file as filename.xltx. When you choose the Excel Template option from the Save As
Type drop list, the Save In text field will automatically be filled in with the word Templates.
This means that your new template will be automatically saved in the Excel Templates folder.
(You can choose another folder to save your templates in if you wish, but if you do, they will not
be available when you click the My Templates option in the New Workbook window).
Once you save the file as a template in the Templates folder, it will be available under the My
Templates option in the New window. If you intend to use the template with earlier versions of
Excel, save it under the Excel 97-2003 Template option for backwards compatibility. If you have
a macro or macros in your template, save it under the Excel Macro-Enabled Template option.
Rather than create a template from scratch, you can always download a template that is close
to what you are looking for and modify it in Excel to make it suit your needs exactly. After you
finish customizing the template; save it with a new name in your templates folder as described
above. Simply remember to save it as a template rather than a workbook.
Section 1: Review Questions
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which of the following file formats will not open in Excel 2007?
xlsx
xltx
xls
None of the above
A.
B.
C.
D.
What is a template?
A preset layout of a spreadsheet or workbook
A type of Excel file
A tool that can help standardize document appearance
All of the above
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which of the following statements is false?
Templates can contain macros.
Templates cannot contain macros.
Templates can contain formulas.
Templates can contain functions.
A.
B.
C.
D.
What data can be found in a file’s properties?
Creation date
Date of last modification
File size
All of the above
A.
B.
C.
D.
Which of the following statements is true?
AutoRecover can never be used after a system crash.
AutoRecover can never be used after a power failure.
AutoRecover always backs up your files every 2 hours.
You can adjust the time between AutoRecover backups.
A.
B.
C.
D.
To create an Excel 2007 template from scratch, you would…
Design a spreadsheet layout and save it as an Excel Workbook
Design a spreadsheet layout and save it as an Excel 97-2003 file
Design a spreadsheet layout and save it as an xls file
Design a spreadsheet layout and save it as an xltx file
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
A.
B.
C.
D.
To upgrade a workbook from an earlier version of Excel, you could…
Use Excel’s Upgrade button on the Task ribbon
Open the earlier Excel file in Excel 2007, and then save it as an Excel 2007 file type
You cannot upgrade files from earlier versions of Excel
All of the above
A.
B.
C.
D.
To download and open an Excel 2007 template you need…
Excel 2007
An Internet connection
A and B
None of the above
7.
8.
9.
A.
B.
C.
D.
10.
A.
B.
C.
D.
The file size of a template is….
Usually the same as the file size of a workbook
Always smaller than the file size of a workbook
Normally greater than the file size of a workbook
Smaller, or greater, or the same, depending on what is in the template and what is in
the workbook
Which of the following statements is true?
You cannot change file properties
Metadata is a term used for a column of Excel data
You can add additional file properties
None of the above