Figure 1

Rather than using a calculator to determine the total amount budgeted and the total actual amount spent,
the AutoSum feature completes the math in one click. AutoSum adds the values in the cells above or to the
left of the cell in which it is entered. The Sum icon (the algebraic symbol is the Greek letter, Sigma pictured
in Figure 2) is on the Tables and Borders toolbar (click View, Toolbars, Tables and Borders if it is not
checked).

Figure 2

Click the Total row in the Budgeted column (cell B10), and then click AutoSum. Almost immediately, the total
appears in the cell. Clicking in the bottom of the Actual column (C10) followed by the AutoSum icon displays
its total, as well. Although the totals look as though you typed them in, they actually contain the Sum
function.

A function is a built-in formula, or algebraic procedure, that uses values (called arguments) to determine a
result. In the case of the functions created by the AutoSum feature, the SUM function was entered, with the
special value ABOVE as its argument. To illustrate this function, Figure 3 shows that when you click on the
total, the number (935) turns gray, indicating that it is a calculation, rather than an entered amount. In the
next column, right-clicking the value displays a context menu from which the Toggle Field Codes option was
selected. The cell now shows the function enclosed within braces. The next time the Toggle Field Codes
option is entered, the function will disappear and the total will reappear.
Figure 3

Other formulas use the arithmetic operators + for addition, - for subtraction, * for multiplication, / for division,
^ for powers and roots, and % for percentages. In the above Word table, the Difference column must reflect
how much over or under budget the actual amount spent is. In other words, the formula Difference =
Budgeted - Actual must be entered. Always begin a formula by clicking in the cell to contain the result.
Clicking the Table, Formula brings up a dialog box into which you type the formula. The equal sign (=)
begins the formula and is automatically placed in the Formula text box. (If the Formula text box already has
a formula in it, just delete it — but keep the equal sign!)

After the equal sign, type the text b3, a minus sign (-), and finally the text c3. Figure 4 shows the entry in the
Formula dialog box before clicking OK.

Figure 4

Check out Figure 5 to see examples of the other arithmetic operators.

Figure 5

Function Whenever You Can

The Sum function added up a group of cells without you having to specify each of the cells’ addresses.
There are eighteen other timesaving functions available in Word tables; Figure 6 illustrates some of the
more useful ones.

Figure 6

You set up a function by placing it in a formula. Rather than typing the cell addresses and operators into the
Formula text box, however, you click on the Paste function drop-down arrow and select the desired function.
Word inserts the function followed by a set of parentheses. You then type the arguments, which are then
inserted inside the parentheses. The arguments you type in depend on the function you choose. You saw
how the argument ABOVE forced the Sum function to add all of the numbers above it. In Figure 6, the
Average function takes the values stored in the referenced cell addresses and displays their average. Note
that the cell addresses are separated from each other by commas.

The Count function displays how many non-blank cells there are. You supply the range of cells to be
checked. You indicate the cells to be checked in the following ways:

• By typing individual cell addresses separated by commas, as in C7,D12,E6

• A range of cells by typing the first cell in the range, a colon (:), and the last cell in the range, as in
B3:D8
• An entire row by typing the row number, a colon, and the row number again, as in 5:5 to indicate all
row 5
• An entire column by typing the column letter, a colon, and the column letter again, as in C:C
• By typing the special arguments LEFT, RIGHT, ABOVE, or BELOW

Figure 6 also gives an example of the Max and Min functions. These functions display the largest and
smallest values in the cells indicated within parentheses.

Improving Appearances
The Number Format option in the Formula dialog box lets you change the appearance of values in cells. The
most common formats add a dollar sign in front of a number, suppress the display of leading zeros, force
digits to be displayed, insert commas to separate thousands, and put a percent sign at the end of a number.
Figure 7 gives an example of each of these formats.

Figure 7

You choose a format when you enter the formula. The following list shows what the characters represent in
the number format:

$ Insert a dollar sign before the value.

# Display the digit, as long as it is not a leading zero (a zero that starts the number, such as 009).
0 Display the digit, whether it is a leading zero or not.
% Put a percent sign at the end of the number. (This changes the value of the number. Make sure you
multiply the number by 100 when you use this format, since 0.25 is not the same as 0.25 percent, but rather
25 percent.)
, Separate thousands by commas.
. Include following decimal places, as in .00 to force the display of two decimal places.

Odds and Ends

• Formulas with more than one operation with or without parentheses are evaluated using the
following rules:
o parentheses evaluated first, left to right, innermost to outermost
o exponentiation, left to right
o multiplication and division, left to right
o addition and subtraction, left to right

• All cell addresses in Word table formulas are absolute — that is, the address does not change
when the cell is moved or copied.

• You can type a function in your document outside of the table, as long as you name the table as a
bookmark. For example, =sum(mytable B:B) will display the total in column B anywhere you enter it
using the Formula option on the Table menu. In the Formula dialog box, a drop-down list lets you
choose from bookmarks in your document.

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