Prepared by Tina Actis-Purtee
Information Technology Resources Nov. 1999
** L@@K WHAT YOU CAN DO **
With Microsoft Excel 97 (or Excel 98 for the mac), you can create a variety of graphic objects - boxes, lines, circles, ovals, arcs, freeform polygons, test boxes, buttons, and a wide assortment of complex predefined objects called "AutoShapes". You can specify font, pattern, color, and line formats, and you can position objects in relation to the worksheet or to other objects. You can also take pictures of your worksheets and use them in other Excel documents or in documents created in other applications.
This document is intended to aquaint you with MS Excel 97 (or Excel 98 for the mac) Drawing and Graphic Object capabilities. At the completion of this document you will have an understanding of the tools, functions and capabilities MS Excel 97 has so you can use Excel as a drawing and graphic objects tool.
What Tools Do I Use?
The "Drawing" toolbar in Excel is all you need.
If you have ever used a drawing program, such as Microsoft Paint or CorelDRAW, you already know how to create lines, arrows, ovals, and rectangles. In Excel, as with those programs, you simply click the button you want on the Drawing toolbar and then drag the pointer to create the object.
What Do I Do?
Launch your Excel program. If you do not see your drawing toolbar, go to the pull down menu at the top. Under "View" is a "toolbar" option, within the toolbar option is an option labeled "drawing". Make sure this option is checked off or selected. Your drawing toolbar
should appear at the bottom of your screen.
Using the Drawing Toolbar to Create your Graphic Object
To create a graphic object, on the Drawing toolbar, you can click on the "AutoShapes" icon button and select a shape from the menu (see diagrams 2 & 3 below) or click on the
rectangle or oval button.
1.
2.
3.
Once your choice is made, move your mouse to the area on your worksheet that you want
the object to appear. Next, click and drag to the appropriate size. When you release the mouse button and move the mouse pointer away from the object you are drawing, Excel assumes you are finished and the pointer resumes is usual plus-sign shape, indicating that you are no longer in drawing mode. Excel automatically leaves drawing mode each time you finish drawing an object. You can also cancel drawing mode after you click a drawing button by simply clicking anywhere in the
worksheet or chart without dragging.
* TIP * � To draw several objects one after the other, double-click the button when you first select it to lock Excel into drawing mode. The button you double-click then remains active until you cancel the drawing session or select another button. To cancel the drawing session, simply click the button again.
Your drawing object will appear as a graphic object on your worksheet.
Any object you create appears to "float" over the worksheet or chart in a separate layer. Objects are separate from the worksheet or chart and can be grouped and formatted as discrete items (see Grouping and Ungrouping Graphic Obejcts below).
Drawing Constrained Objects
You can hold down the Shift key while creating objects to constrainthe objects (see below diagram).
When you constrain objects, you can achieve the following effects:
- The Line and Arrow buttons draw perfectly horizontal, or vertical, lines, or diagonal lines constrained to exact 15-degree increments.
- The Rectangle button graws perfect squares
- The Oval button draws perfect circles.
- AutoShapes are drawn to predefined, roughly symmetrical constraints. AutoShapes are widly different things, depending on the shape.
To delete a graphic object, click it to select it, and then press the "delete" key. You can then repeat the steps above to create another Graphic Object.
Sizing, Moving, and Copying Graphic Objects
You can change the size, position, and formatting of graphic objects you have created.
Resizing an Object
1. Select the object and position the mouse pointer over a selection
handle. Note: The
selection handles appear as little squares around the object, your mouse pointer will
change to a two sided arrow pointer.
2. Drag to the new size
3. Release the mouse button
(top drawing is before resizing the object)
(Bottom drawing is after resizing the
object)
Moving an Object
1. Position the mouse pointer over the object so that it changes to a 4-way arrow
2. Drag to the new position
3. Release the mouse button
Coping an Object
Once you have formed the size and shape you
want, to copy an object:
on a Windows machine, hold down the control key as you drag.
on a MacIntosh machine, hold down the option key as you drag.
Functions of the Drawing Toolbar & How to use it to Edit your Graphic Object
First, select the Graphic object that you want to edit.
Next, choose the function you wish
to perform from the "Drawing" toolbar.
What is the function of each of the Drawing buttons on the above toolbar?
- Draw menu - The Draw menu displays a drop-down list where some options contain further menus or toolbar of buttons you can use to format, align, group/ungroup, rotate or move your graphic objects.
- Select Objects - The Select Objects button has a few special properties that hlep you work with objects. After you click the button, the Drawing Selection awwor appears, with which you can slect only objects, not cells. The button remains active until you click it again. When you use the Select Objects button, your cell selections disappear on the worksheet, making it easier to distinguish the objects. You can also use the Drawing Selection arrow to select a group of objects by dragging a rectangle around them.
- Rotate - Use the Free Rotate button to change the orientation of any graphic object.
- AutoShapes Menu - The AutoShapes menu displays a drop-down list or toolbar of buttons you can use to create a variety of AutoShapes.
- Line - Select the Line button to draw a straight line
- Arrow - Select the Arrow button to draw a straight arrow of any length.
- Rectangle - Select the Rectangle button to draw a retangle or a square of any size.
- Oval - Select the Oval button to draw an Oval or a circle of any size.
- Text Box - Click on the Text Box button to insert text in any of your graphic objects.
- WordArt - The WordArt button on the Drawing toolbar opens a palette of formatting styles you can utilize to create impressive graphic objects using text.
- Fill Color, Font Color, & Line Color - These three buttons on the drawing toolbar are tear-off palettes. If you click and drag them away from the toolbar, they become little floating toolbars. The Fill Color and Font Color buttons can be used to format either cells or objects. The Fill color button will allow you to place background color in your object or cell. The Font color button will allow you to change the color of the Text within an object or cell. The Line color button will allow you to change the color of the selected line or object.
- Line Style, Dash Style, Arrow Style - These three Style buttons allow a selection of commonly used line, dash or arrow styles. Simply click on the option you want.
MS Excel 97 has great graphic capabilities. The Graphic Objects options can be utilized in your daily work for more effective work presentation.
Have a little fun and create effective graphic objects. Look for further Excel Graphic documentation at our web site //www.csun.edu/itr/guides .