<img src=" http://im40.gulfup.com/P9TZG.jpg" />The Main Microsoft Excel XP Window

When you start Excel XP, the following screen appears which is, as you see, typical of other Window’s screens:
The following illustration identifies each part of MS Excel XP screen:

1- Title Bar

► Displays the name of the program, in this case “Microsoft Excel”, and the name of the open workbook, in this case, the default name “Book1”, which is an Excel-given name, as the user didn’t name the workbook differently yet. When the user names his workbook, the user-given name will be displayed instead.

2- Menu Bar :

Contains menu items (File, Edit, View, Insert ...). You can click those items to display other menus (sub-menus). Submenus contain commands that perform certain actions. You don’t have to type commands or to press key combinations, you only have to click menu items.

3-Toolbars:

Toolbars are used for quick access to commonly used commands. There are two toolbars displayed on the example screen just below the Menu Bar (the Standard and the Formatting toolbars). You can display, hide, move, and resize toolbars.

4- Minimize Button

Reduces MS Excel XP to an icon at the taskbar. Icons at the taskbar represent active windows. To display Excel screen again, you simply click its icon on the Taskbar.

5- Maximize Button :

Makes MS Excel XP window take up the entire screen. You do this when you want to work with Excel.

6- Close Button :

Terminates MS Excel XP and removes its icon from the taskbar. This means hat Excel XP is not active any more, and you have to load it again if you want to work with it.

7- Control Menu Button :

Activates a menu with different options to manage your MS Excel XP window: maximizing, minimizing, closing,...

8- Task Pane :

The Task Pane lists some of the most common tasks you may want to accomplish in Excel. The task panes are descriptive to help you quickly locate the task you want.

The Task Pane shows up by default in Normal View.

♦To display the Task Pane (if it has been closed):

♦From the main menu , select View then select Task Pane. (You will see a check mark beside it when the Task Pane is visible.)

* To switch to other Task Panes:

• Click the Other Task Pane down arrow and select

another Task Pane from the menu

9- Status Bar :

Displays status information on Excel mode such as Ready mode, Entry mode, Edit mode, … Also displays help messages about the use of the highlighted item, option, or command. These messages change as you do different things, and as you move among items on your screen.

10- Scroll Bars :

You have vertical and horizontal scrolling bars to help you display invisible parts of your workbook.

11- Sheet Tabs :

These are the sheets contained in your workbook. Click the sheet tab to make a sheet active. To scroll through the sheet tabs, use the tab scrolling buttons to the left of the tabs.