Use styles

use styles

If you have used styles in Word before, you already probably understand the concept of a style. A style is a collection of formatting settings that you can apply all at once.

Styles are not quite as easy to use in Excel as they are in Word, unfortunately. There isn't an easy drop-down list on the toolbar for applying them. Instead you must go through the menu system.

First, let's create a style:

1. Format a cell exactly the way you want the style to be. This can include border, shading, number format, font, size, alignment, and so on.
2. Choose Format > Style. The Style dialog box opens.
3. Click in the Style name box, type the new style name, and then press Enter.

Nothing may appear to have changed after following these steps, but now you have a new style to work with. To apply it to another cell:

1. Select the cell to receive the style's formatting.
2. Choose Format > Style.
3. Open the Style name drop-down list, and choose the new style's name.
4. If there are any aspects of the style that you don't want to apply, clear the checkbox for that aspect, as shown in Figure 4-8.
5. Click OK.

Figure 4-8: Apply a formatting style.

You can modify a style by selecting it (Steps 1 through 3 above) and then clicking the Modify button. Experiment with this on your own. To delete a style, select it (steps 1 through 3) and then click Delete.