Working with Worksheet Data

There are three ways to enter data into the worksheet. Data are entered into the worksheet by using the File | Open in Worksheet command and opening a data file, by typing data directly into the worksheet, or by copying the data from another application and pasting it into the worksheet. Use the Data menu commands to sort the data, filter the data, view statistics, transform the data using mathematical functions, assign default columns for coordinate data, assign a coordinate system to the data, and project coordinates.

There are two basic modes in the worksheet. Normal mode is when the active cell can be moved throughout the worksheet, and edit mode allows the contents of a single cell to be edited in the active cell edit box. Only one mode may be active at a given time. ESC, ENTER, or clicking on another cell can be used to exit edit mode and return to normal mode.

Entering Data Into a Cell

Edit the contents of a cell by making it the active cell. The active cell is positioned by clicking on a cell with the mouse, by using the ARROW keys, PAGE UP, PAGE DOWN, TAB, HOME, END, and SHIFT+TAB. Press the F2 key or highlight the contents of the cell edit box to edit the contents of the cell.

To enter new data and delete the old, position the active cell and begin typing. Edit mode is entered automatically and the old data is deleted. Pressing the ENTER, Up or Down ARROWS, TAB, SHIFT+TAB, PAGE UP, or PAGE DOWN keys causes the edit changes to be recorded permanently in the cell. After pressing F2 or highlighting the cell edit box use the HOME, END, BACKSPACE, DEL, and ARROW keys to edit the cell. Pressing ESC while editing a cell cancels the changes and restores the original data.

Moving the Active Cell

You can designate any worksheet cell as the active cell by left-clicking on it with the mouse. The active cell can also be repositioned by using keyboard commands. The active cell is the cell with a thick border drawn around it.

Keyboard Command	Action
ARROW keys (Up, Down, Left, Right)	The ARROWS move the active cell to an adjacent cell.
PAGE UP/PAGE DOWN	Press the PAGE UP or PAGE DOWN to move the active cell up or down by the number of rows visible in the window.
HOME	Press HOME to move the active cell to the first occupied cell in the current column. Press HOME again to move the active cell to the top row in the current column.
END	Press END to move the active cell to the last occupied row in the current column. Press END again to move the active cell to the bottom row of the worksheet.
ENTER	Press ENTER to move the active cell down one row and end "edit mode."
TAB	Press TAB to move the active cell right one column and end "edit mode."
SHIFT + ENTER	Press SHIFT+ENTER to move the active cell up one row and end "edit mode."
SHIFT + TAB	Press SHIFT+TAB to move the active cell left one column and end "edit mode."
CTRL+HOME	Press CTRL+HOME to move the active cell to the top cell of the left most column in the worksheet (A1).
CTRL+END	Press CTRL+END to move the active cell to the bottom occupied row of the last occupied column in the worksheet.
CTRL+LEFT ARROW	The CTRL+LEFT ARROW behavior depends on the position of the active cell. If the active cell is to the right of the last occupied column in the current row, it moves the active cell to the last occupied column in the current row. If the active cell is in or to the left of the last occupied column in the current row, but to the right of the first occupied column in the current row, it moves the active cell to the first occupied column in the current row. Otherwise,
CTRL+RIGHT ARROW	The CTRL+RIGHT ARROW behavior depends on the position of the active cell. If the active cell is to the left of the first occupied column in the current row, it moves the active cell to the first occupied column in the current row. If the active cell is in or to the right of the first occupied column in the current row, but to the left of the last occupied column in the current row, it moves the active cell to the last occupied column. Otherwise,
CTRL+UP ARROW	The CTRL+UP ARROW behavior depends on the position of the active cell. If the active cell is below the bottom occupied row in the current column, it moves the active cell to the bottom occupied row in the current column. If the active cell is below the top occupied row in the current column, but in or above the bottom occupied row in the current column, it moves the active cell to the top occupied row in the current column. Otherwise,
CTRL+DOWN ARROW	The CTRL+DOWN ARROW behavior depends on the position of the active cell. If the active cell is above the top occupied row in the current column, it moves the active cell to the top occupied row in the current column. If the active cell is above the bottom occupied row in the current column, but below the top occupied row in the current column, it moves the active cell to the bottom occupied row in the current column. Otherwise,
ENTER, TAB, SHIFT+ENTER, and SHIFT+TAB	If a block of cells is selected, the ENTER, TAB, SHIFT+ENTER, and SHIFT+TAB keys move the active cell within a group of selected cells without canceling the selection.

Moving the Active Cell Within Selections

The ENTER, TAB, SHIFT+ENTER, and SHIFT+TAB keys move the active cell within a group of selected cells without canceling the selection.

Pasting Data

If data are copied to the clipboard from another software application, the contents of the clipboard can be pasted into the worksheet. If the source application is Microsoft Excel, some formatting information is retained. When pasting data into the worksheet, select a cell and use Home | Clipboard | Paste (CTRL+V). Any data to the right or below the active cell is overwritten, so be sure to locate the active cell carefully. When data are copied to the clipboard, special formatting information is also copied. The Home | Clipboard | Paste | Paste Special command determines the format in which the contents are pasted into the worksheet.

Opening Data Files

When you create a grid file or use another command that requires data, you do not need to open the data into the worksheet first. However, the worksheet is available if you would like to view or edit your data. The File | Open in Worksheet command loads a data file into a new worksheet.

If the worksheet already contains data, additional data can be imported into the worksheet using the Data | Edit | Merge command. The contents of the new file are merged into the worksheet at the active cell so it is imperative that the cell be positioned at the edge of the existing data. Any cells in the existing worksheet that lie to the right and below the active cell will be overwritten with the contents of the merging file.

Multiple files can be opened at one time into the same worksheet with Data | Edit | Merge using the SHIFT or CONTROL keyboard keys while selecting files in the Import Data dialog.

Worksheet Input Modes

The worksheet has several special input modes that tracks the mouse position:

Drag-Select Mode - for selecting cells with the mouse
Drag-Row-Height Mode - for adjusting row heights with the mouse
Drag-Column-Width Mode - for adjusting column widths with the mouse

Pressing the ESC key before releasing the mouse button cancels the mouse-tracking mode.