Section 5. Entering and Editing Data

Entering data into a Google spreadsheet can be as simple as selecting a cell and starting typing—depending on the type of data you wish to enter. Google Spreadsheets lets you enter four different types of data, as detailed in Table 4.

Table 4. Types of Google Spreadsheets Data

All data can be formatted in a variety of styles. Formatting and styles are discussed in later lessons.

Entering New Data

Entering data is as simple as selecting a particular cell and typing input from the keyboard. Just follow these steps:

1. Move the cursor to the desired cell, using either the mouse or the keyboard arrow keys.
2. Begin typing.
3. When you are finished typing, press the Enter key to accept the data entry.

This approach works for all types of data, with the exception of formulas. Entering a formula is almost this simple, except that you must enter an equal sign (=) first. Just go to the cell, press the = key on your keyboard, and then enter the formula.

As to how the individual data is formatted—that is, how Google Spreadsheets interprets numbers and letters—it depends on what type of data you enter:

• If you typed only numbers, the data will be formatted as a number (with no commas or dollar signs).
• If you typed a number with a dollar sign in front of it, the data will be formatted as currency.
• If you typed any alphabetic characters, the data will be formatted as text.
• If you typed numbers separated by the - or / characters (such as 12-31 or 1/2/06), the data will be formatted as a date.
• If you typed numbers separated by the: character (such as 2:13), the data will be formatted as a time.

Editing Previously Entered Data

Editing existing data in a cell is a fairly simple exercise; you actually edit within the cell. Follow these steps:

1. Move the cursor to the desired cell.
2. Press the F2 key; this opens the cell for editing, as shown in Figure 16.

   Figure 16 Editing data within a cell.

   

3. Move the cursor to the data point within the cell you want to edit.
4. Use the Delete and Backspace keys to delete characters; use other keys to insert characters.
5. Press Enter when you are finished editing. Your changes are accepted into the selected cell.