Chapter 9: Introducing Formulas and Functions
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See Chapter 4, “Working with Excel Ranges and Tables,” for information about creating names for cells
and ranges.Inserting functions into formulas
The easiest way to enter a function into a formula is to use Formula AutoComplete (the
drop-down list that Excel displays while you type a formula). To use this method, however,
you must know at least the first character of the function’s name.Another way to insert a function is to use tools in the Function Library group on the
Formulas tab on the Ribbon (see Figure 9.3). This method is especially useful if you can’t
remember which function you need. When entering a formula, click the function category
(Financial, Logical, Text, and so on) to get a list of the functions in that category. Click
the function that you want, and Excel displays its Function Arguments dialog box. This
is where you enter the function’s arguments. In addition, you can click the Help on This
Function link to learn more about the selected function.FIGURE 9.3
You can insert a function by selecting it from one of the function categories.Yet another way to insert a function into a formula is to use the Insert Function dialog box
(see Figure 9.4). You can access this dialog box in several ways:■ (^) Choose Formulas ➪ Function Library ➪ Insert Function.
■ (^) Use the Insert Function command, which appears at the bottom of each drop-down
list in the Formulas ➪ Function Library group.
■ (^) Click the Insert Function icon, which is directly to the left of the Formula bar. This
button displays fx.
■ (^) Press Shift+F3.
The Insert Function dialog box shows a drop-down list of function categories. Select a cat-
egory, and the functions in that category are displayed in the list box. To access a function
that you recently used, select Most Recently Used from the drop-down list.
If you’re not sure which function you need, you can search for the appropriate function by
using the Search for a Function field at the top of the dialog box.
- Enter your search terms and click Go. You get a list of relevant functions. When
you select a function from the Select a Function list, Excel displays the function
(and its argument names) in the dialog box along with a brief description of what
the function does.