A time saving feature in Excel is to fill information into other cells. If you are unfamiliar with using the fill feature of Excel, take a look at a tutorial on using auto-fill. Close the window when you have reviewed that information to return to this page.

Excel will fill an equation, or function, that you have created in one cell and apply that equation to other cells in your worksheet. Dates can be filled into other cells, as well as numbers (if Excel can see the pattern). One number would not be enough to define a pattern. Excel fills data into cells using the custom lists defined in Excel. The defined lists are found from the Options menu, on the Custom Lists tab.

You may add other custom lists. This module will use two examples to show how this is done; colors of the spectrum and students in a class.

Making a Custom List for Colors of the Spectrum - The first step in creating a custom list is to type the list exactly as you want it.
(1) Using the Roy G Biv acrostic that you probably learned in science, type the colors of the spectrum. (red, orange, yellow, green, blue, violet).
(2) Highlight the elements of your list.
(3) Open the Options window, select the Custom Lists tab, and click on the Import button. Notice that Excel identifies the range of data to be included in your list.
(4) Click OK to close the window. You have added a new custom list. (It is not necessary to click on the Add button, selecting the Import button adds the list.)
(5) To use this list I type the word red, click on the fill block (bottom right corner of the cell) to see the fill cursor, and then drag down. Try it!

Making a Custom List of Students in your Class - If you must type lists of students over and over, adding them to a custom list would be a good solution. For this example I will only type a small number of students.
(1) Type the list of student names. I will type the word students at the top of the list. That's the word I would start with whenever I want to fill down a list of students.
(2) Highlight the names in your list.
(3) Open the Options window, select the Custom Lists tab, and click on the Import button. Notice that Excel identifies the range of data to be included in your list.
(4) Click OK to close the window. You have added a custom list of student names. If you must submit names of boys and girls separately, make two custom lists, and begin the lists with the words boys or girls.

Editing a Custom List - Students move. That's a fact of life that teachers must deal with. To keep your list current, you may edit the list from the Options window.
(1) From the Tools menu, open the Options window.
(2) Click on the Custom Lists tab if it is not already selected.
(3) Click on the list you want to edit.
(4) In the List entries box add or remove names as needed. Don't leave blank lines between entries.
(5) Click OK to save changes to the custom list.

In the entry above one student (Chuck Carter) left the class and two students (Brenda Baker and Hermoine Hinkle) moved into the class. At the end of the year highlight the list and click on the Delete button to get ready for your next crew.

Let us know if you have any other ideas for using this feature of Excel. Bill Byles or Susan Brooks