CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-24. Excel Options

3. Click Proofing in the left pane.

4. In the right pane under AutoCorrect Options click the AutoCorrect Options button.
This brings up the AutoCorrect dialog box. See Figure 3-25.

67
CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-25. AutoCorrect dialog box with AutoCorrect tab selected

You can see that there is an option for Correct Two Initial Capitals. This is what corrected
your name entry. There are also options for capitalizing the first letter of sentences, names
of days, and correcting the accidental use of the Caps Lock key.
Look at the bottom half of the tab, there is a two-column table. The left column has a
heading of Replace: and the right column has a heading of With: Entries in the Replace:
column are replaced with those in the With: column. You used three entries in the table. You
entered (c) in a cell and it was replaced with the copyright symbol ©. You entered (r) and it
was replaced with the registered symbol ®. If you scroll down in the table you can see that
abbout will be replaced with about which you have already done.
5. Scroll through the table and see what other corrections are available.
6. Enter tommorrow in the Replace text box. Enter tomorrow in the With text box.
Click the Add button. The new AutoCorrect item is added to the list. See Figure 3-26.

68
 CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-26. The new AutoCorrect item has been added

7. Type your initials in the Replace text box over the existing text. Enter your full name
in the With text box over the existing text. Click the Add button.
8. Enter phoneA in the Replace text box. Enter (380)599-1275 in the With text box. Click the
Add button. You could make phone numbers for your home phone and your cell phone.
9. Enter any other corrections or shortcuts you would like to make. This could be a big
time saver. If you often enter your company name, you should create a shortcut for
it or any other text that you use often.
10. Click the OK button in the AutoCorrect dialog box. Click the Cancel button in the
Excel Options dialog box.
11. Type tommorrow in cell A2 then press the Enter key—Replaced with tomorrow
12. Type your initials in cell A3 then press the Enter key—Replaced with your full name
13. Type phoneA in cell A4 then press the Enter key—Replaced with (380)599-1275
14. Put your Caps Lock on. Hold down your shift key while typing an E. Let go of your
shift key and type xcel. Cell A5 should now contain eXCEL. Press the Enter key.
Cell A5 should now contain Excel. This was corrected by the Correct Accidental use of cAPS LOCK
key option.
69
CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Delete items from the AutoCorrect list

1. On the Ribbon, click the File tab.
2. Click Options in the left pane.
3. Click Proofing in the left pane of Excel Options.
4. In the right pane, click the AutoCorrect Options button.
5. Type phoneA in the Replace text box; as you do so the list will jump to the letters
you are entering. When phoneA is highlighted in the list, press the Delete button.
6. Remove the shortcut you created for your initials. Remove any other shortcuts you
created that you want deleted.
7. Click the Close button on the AutoCorrect dialog box. Click the Cancel button on the
Excel Options dialog box.

8. Click the Save button on the Quick Access Toolbar.

You have just used Excel’s AutoCorrect feature to correct misspelled words and to create quick shortcuts
for entering words or phrases. Next you will use the AutoComplete feature to duplicate data that already
exists in the column.

Using AutoComplete to Enter Data

The AutoComplete feature is automatically set up; there are no buttons to click or commands to be entered.
The AutoComplete feature compares the entry you are making to entries that already exist in the same
column. As you are typing your entry, Excel looks for a word that starts with the same letters as the word you
are entering. If it finds an existing word in the column that starts with the same letters you have entered so
far, it places that word in the active cell. See Figure 3-27

Figure 3-27. AutoCorrect automatically added the letters rt after you typed the letters sma

The first two letters are the same for all words in the column. When you type the letter a in the second
entry for the word smart, Excel sees that there is only one word that starts with sma so it places the word
smart in the cell. You can accept the word by pressing the Enter key, the tab key, or the down arrow key or
you can clear the cell by pressing Esc(ape).
Only after typing the second a in the word savant in Figure 3-28 is there a word that matches all the
letters typed so far. You can accept the word by pressing the Enter key, the tab key, or the down arrow key or
you can clear the cell by pressing the Esc key.

70
 CHAPTER 3 ■ BEST WAYS TO ENTER AND EDIT DATA

Figure 3-28. AutoCorrect automatically added the letters nt after you typed sava.

■ Note AutoComplete does not work if there is an empty cell above the current cell.

Pick from Drop-down List

The Pick from Drop-down List feature is similar to the AutoComplete feature. The Pick from Drop-down
List like the AutoComplete feature, lets you use entries that already exist in the column. The Pick from
Drop-down List lets you select from a list of existing entries that are automatically sorted for you. The list can
be accessed by right-clicking the cell and selecting Pick from Drop-down List or by pressing Alt + Down
Arrow. See Figure 3-29.

Figure 3-29. Pick from Drop-down List

■ Note Pick from Drop-down List does not work if there is an empty cell above the current cell.

EXERCISE 3-8: AUTOCOMPLETE AND PICK FROM DROP-DOWN LIST

Let’s use Autocomplete and Pick From Drop-down List to add text.

AutoComplete
Let’s see AutoComplete in action in this exercise. If you have closed the Chapter 3 workbook from the
last practice, reopen it.

71