Excel 2010 Bible

Chapter 2: Entering and Editing Worksheet Data

39

FIGURE 2.5

This series was created by using AutoFill.

Using AutoComplete to automate data entry ...................................................

The Excel AutoComplete feature makes entering the same text into multiple cells easy. With

AutoComplete, you type the first few letters of a text entry into a cell, and Excel automatically

completes the entry based on other entries that you already made in the column. Besides reducing

typing, this feature also ensures that your entries are spelled correctly and are consistent.

Here’s how it works. Suppose that you’re entering product information in a column. One of your

products is named Widgets. The first time that you enter Widgets into a cell, Excel remembers it.

Later, when you start typing Widgets in that same column, Excel recognizes it by the first few let-

ters and finishes typing it for you. Just press Enter, and you’re done. To override the suggestion,

just keep typing.

AutoComplete also changes the case of letters for you automatically. If you start entering widget

(with a lowercase w) in the second entry, Excel makes the w uppercase to be consistent with the

previous entry in the column.

Tip
You also can access a mouse-oriented version of AutoComplete by right-clicking the cell and choosing Pick
from Drop-Down List from the shortcut menu. Excel then displays a drop-down box that has all the entries in
the current column, and you just click the one that you want. n

Keep in mind that AutoComplete works only within a contiguous column of cells. If you have a

blank row, for example, AutoComplete identifies only the cell contents below the blank row.

If you find the AutoComplete feature distracting, you can turn it off by using the Advanced tab of

the Excel Options dialog box. Remove the check mark from the check box labeled Enable

AutoComplete for Cell Values.