Part I: Getting Started with Excel
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l (^) A meaningful range name (such as Total_Income) is much easier to remember than a cell
address (such as AC21).
l (^) Entering a name is less error-prone than entering a cell or range address.
l You can quickly move to areas of your worksheet either by using the Name box, located at
the left side of the Formula bar (click the arrow to drop down a list of defined names) or
by choosing Home ➪ Editing ➪ Find & Select ➪ Go To (or F5) and specifying the
range name.
l Creating formulas is easier. You can paste a cell or range name into a formula by using
Formula Autocomplete.
l Names make your formulas more understandable and easier to use. A formula such as
=Income—Taxes is more intuitive than =D20—D40.
Creating range names in your workbooks .................................................................
Excel provides several different methods that you can use to create range names. Before you begin,
however, you should be aware of some important rules about what is acceptable:l Names can’t contain any spaces. You may want to use an underscore character to simulate
a space (such as Annual_Total).
l You can use any combination of letters and numbers, but the name must begin with a let-
ter. A name can’t begin with a number (such as 3rdQuarter) or look like a cell reference
(such as QTR3). If these are desirable names, though, you can precede the name with an
underscore: for example, _3rd Quarter and _QTR3.
l Symbols, except for underscores and periods, aren’t allowed.l (^) Names are limited to 255 characters, but it’s a good practice to keep names as short as
possible yet still meaningful and understandable.
Caution
Excel also uses a few names internally for its own use. Although you can create names that override Excel’s
internal names, you should avoid doing so. To be on the safe side, avoid using the following for names: Print_
Area, Print_Titles, Consolidate_Area, and Sheet_Title. To delete a range name or rename a range, see
“Managing Names,” later in this chapter. n
Using the New Name dialog box .....................................................................
To create a range name, start by selecting the cell or range that you want to name. Then, choose
Formulas ➪ Defined Names ➪ Define Name. Excel displays the New Name dialog box, shown
in Figure 4.13. Note that this is a resizable dialog box. Click and drag a border to change the
dimensions.