Excel 2010 Bible

Part I: Getting Started with Excel

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create names based on the top row. If Excel didn’t guess correctly, you can change the check

boxes. Click OK, and Excel creates the names. Using the data in Figure 4.14, Excel creates six

names: January for cell B1, February for cell B2, and so on.

FIGURE 4.14

Use the Create Names from Selection dialog box to name cells using labels that appear in the worksheet.

Note
If the text contained in a cell would result in an invalid name, Excel modifies the name to make it valid. For
example, if a cell contains the text Net Income (which is invalid for a name because it contains a space), Excel
converts the space to an underscore character. If Excel encounters a value or a numeric formula where text
should be, however, it doesn’t convert it to a valid name. It simply doesn’t create a name — and does not
inform you of that fact. n

Caution
If the upper-left cell of the selection contains text and you choose the Top Row and Left Column options, Excel
uses that text for the name of the entire data, excluding the top row and left column. So, after Excel creates the
names, take a minute to make sure that they refer to the correct ranges. If Excel creates a name that is incor-
rect, you can delete or modify it by using the Name Manager (described next). n

Managing names .......................................................................................................

A workbook can have any number of names. If you have many names, you should know about the

Name Manager, shown in Figure 4.15.