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Introducing the Excel 2007 Ribbon

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2016-03-26 23:12:21
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The Ribbon interface in Microsoft Office Excel 2007 radically changes how you work. You no longer need to find on which pull-down menu or toolbar a command resides. Instead, the Ribbon shows you the most commonly used commands and options to perform a particular Excel task.

You’ll find the Ribbon near the top of the Excel 2007 window. Click a tab name — such as Home or Page Layout — to see the options available on that tab. The Home tab displays the commands and options you use most often.

The Ribbon consists of tabs with command buttons arranged in groups.
The Ribbon consists of tabs with command buttons arranged in groups.

The Ribbon is made up of the following components:

  • Tabs for each of Excel’s main tasks that bring together and display all the commands commonly needed to perform that core task; contextual tabs display additional commands and tools only when you’re working with a particular object in the worksheet (such as a chart)

  • Groups that organize related command buttons into subtasks normally performed as part of the tab’s larger core task

  • Command buttons within each group that you select to perform a particular action or to open a gallery from which you can click a particular thumbnail

  • Dialog box launcher in the lower-right corner of certain groups that opens a dialog box containing a bunch of additional options you can select

You can double-click any tab on the Ribbon to minimize it and display only the tab names, revealing more of the worksheet area. Double-click any tab again to redisplay the entire Ribbon.

About This Article

This article is from the book: 

About the book author:

Greg Harvey is a language scholar who has traced the roots of Tolkien’s work in European folklore and pre-Christian religious beliefs. He has studied 12 languages, including Elvish, Latin, and Anglo-Saxon.