Freezing Panes
Before we go any further, here is a tip for viewing large spreadsheets that can be difficult to manage because the column or row headings scroll off the screen. Use the Freeze Panes tool to lock rows or columns in place. For example, you can use Freeze Panes to lock columns A and 1–3 in place so the headings in your spreadsheet are always visible at the top or left of the screen as you scroll through the data that follows.
Let's review the use of logical functions in Excel by constructing an investment portfolio. Although managing investments may seem like a specialized career choice, most people eventually invest their money. Many employers offer retirement savings benefits through 401(k) or 403(b) plans, which allow you to deduct money from your paycheck every month, tax-free, and invest it. In addition to the tax benefits these plans afford, many employers match a percentage of your monthly savings or deposit money into your retirement account as compensation. Your company may offer a list of investment options, so you can choose the type of investments you want it to make on your behalf. Excel is a valuable tool for helping make investment decisions and analyzing the performance of your investments.
Figure 1 shows an investment portfolio workbook we will complete in this chapter. The
Portfolio Summary worksheet summarizes
the data entered or calculated in other worksheets in the workbook. This
project begins by building on the Investment Detail worksheet.
Figure 1 Completed Personal Investment Portfolio Workbook
Freeze Panes
The Investment Detail worksheet shown in Figure 2 contains the majority of the information used to create the Portfolio Summary worksheet shown in Figure 1.
When you first open the worksheet, notice it is not
possible to view all 24 columns on your computer screen. As you
scroll to the right to view the rest of the columns, you lose sight
of the row headings in Columns A and B. These column headings show the investment that pertains to the
data in Columns C through X. Use the Freeze Panes command to solve this problem of viewing the row
headings while scrolling through the remaining columns in the worksheet.
Figure 2 Investment Detail Worksheet
The Freeze Panes command allows you to scroll across the Investment Detail worksheet while keeping the row headings in Columns A and B locked in place. The following steps explain how to do this:
- Click cell C4 on the Investment Detail
worksheet. We selected this cell because the Freeze Panes option locks the
columns to the left of the activated cell and the rows above it.
- Click the View tab on the Ribbon.
- Click the Freeze Panes button (see Figure 3).
- Click the Freeze Panes option from the drop-down list of options.
Figure 3 Freeze Panes Command
Once you click the Freeze Panes option shown in Figure 3,
Columns A and B are locked in place as you scroll through the columns
in the worksheet. Since this is a large worksheet, you may find it
easier to navigate
the columns by using the arrow keys on your keyboard. However, since
rows 1 and 2 contain merged cells, make sure a cell location is activated below Row 2 before you begin using the arrow keys.
Figure 4 shows the appearance of the Investment Detail worksheet after the Freeze Panes command has been activated. To deactivate the Freeze Panes
command, click the Freeze Panes button again and select the Unfreeze Panes option.
Figure 4 Freeze Panes Command Activated on the Investment Detail Worksheet
This text was adapted by Saylor Academy under a
Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 3.0 License without attribution as requested by the work's original creator or licensor.