The Office 2007 Ribbon

In Office Excel 2007, the Ribbon replaces menus, toolbars, and most of the task panes from earlier versions of Excel. The Ribbon consists of tabs that are organized around tasks. The controls on each tab are further organized into several groups. Delving down into The Ribbon reveals buttons, galleries, and dialog box content (drop down boxes) that we are familiar with from earlier versions of Excel. Highlights of the new structure have been outlined in the New Features of this tutorial. Additionally, we shall describe in detail how to use the ribbon in each of the specific task sections of this tutorial. In New Features, we compare and contrast how tasks were performed in Excel 2003 and now how they are accomplished in Excel 2007.

On every screen in Excel 2007 there is a Quick Access Toolbar. On it you will find:

Each Tab displays a list of commands. Some of the commands have icons next to them, so you can quickly associate the command with the icon. Excel 2007 has seven Ribbon tabs. Each Ribbon Tab contains Groups of the most commonly used tasks. When you see an arrow with Group Task you can click on the arrow and get more commands. When you see this arrow at the bottom of a Group you may click on the arrow to see more tasks. The Ribbon Tabs for Excel 2007 are:

Home Tab: This tab contains commonly used editing tasks. The Groups in the Home Tab are: Clipboard, Font, Alignment, Number, Styles, Cells, and Editing.

Insert Tab: This tab contain the commands used to insert objects into your spreadsheet. The Groups in the Insert Tab are: Tables, Illustrations, Charts, Links, and Text.

Page Layout Tab: This tab contains the commands commonly used in setting up your worksheet pages. The Groups in the Page Layout Tab are: Themes, Page Setup, Scale to Fit, Sheet Options, and Arrange.

Formulas Tab: Find or create formulas more easily with the Formulas Tab. Formulas are equations that perform calculations on values in your worksheet. A formula starts with an equal sign (=). For example, the following formula multiplies 2 by 3 and then adds 5 to the result: =5+2*3. The Formulas Tab contains the following Groups: Function Library, Defined Names, Formula Auditing, and Calculation.

Data Tab: This tab allows you to manipulate data on the spreadsheet with a variety of useful commands. The Groups within the Data Tab are: Get External Data, Connections, Sort & Filter, Data Tools, and Outline.

Review Tab: Here you can proofread your worksheet by clicking on the spellchecker in the Proofreading Group. You and your associates can put comments on the worksheet in the Comments Group. You can track changes made to the worksheet in the Changes Group or you can compare worksheets side-by-side in the Compare Group.

View Tab: The Views Tab allows you to easily choose how you want to see your worksheet with the task/function Groups: Workbook Views, Show/Hide, Zoom, Window, and Macros.

Add-Ins Tab: This is where the use can add menu commands and/or build custom toolbars to make your work more efficient for you.