Be able to enhance a spreadsheet including text colour, cell colour, bold, underline, italic, shading

Topic 20 – Spreadsheets

Objective

By the end of this lesson you will be able to enhance a spreadsheet by applying:

• Text colour
• Cell (background) colour
• Bold, underline and italic text styles
• Shading (patterned fill)

1. Why enhance a spreadsheet?

Formatting makes data easier to read, highlights important information and gives a professional appearance. Consistent use of colour and style also helps when presenting results to others.

2. Text Formatting

Text formatting changes the appearance of the characters inside a cell without affecting the cell’s background.

1. Select the cell or range of cells you wish to format.
2. Use the toolbar buttons or keyboard shortcuts to apply the required style.

2.1 Available text styles

3. Cell (Background) Colour

Cell colour fills the entire cell background and can be used to group related data or draw attention to key figures.

1. Select the cell or range.
2. Click the “Fill colour” button on the toolbar (usually a paint‑bucket icon).
3. Choose a colour from the palette.

4. Shading (Patterned Fill)

Shading adds a pattern (e.g., stripes or dots) over the cell background. It is useful when printing in black‑and‑white or when colour printing is unavailable.

1. Select the target cells.
2. Open the “Format Cells” dialog (right‑click → Format Cells or Ctrl + 1).
3. Navigate to the “Fill” or “Pattern” tab.
4. Choose a pattern and, optionally, a foreground and background colour.

5. Practical Example – Applying Multiple Enhancements

The table below shows a simple sales report before and after formatting.

Formatting steps for the example:

• Make the header row bold and give it a dark grey cell colour.
• Set the “Revenue (£)” column text to bold and colour it dark green.
• Apply a light yellow cell colour to any cell containing the word “Best”.
• Underline the “Target met” note to highlight achievement.
• Use a light blue shading pattern for the entire “Units Sold” column to differentiate it from monetary values.

6. Keyboard Shortcut Summary

7. Checklist for Students

1. Can you change the colour of text within a cell?
2. Can you apply bold, italic and underline simultaneously?
3. Do you know how to set a cell’s background colour?
4. Can you add a shading pattern using the Format Cells dialog?
5. Are you able to use keyboard shortcuts to speed up formatting?

8. Assessment Question

Given the following data, format the spreadsheet so that:

• The header row is bold with a light grey background.
• All negative numbers are displayed in red text.
• The total row is bold, underlined and has a light green fill.
• Apply a diagonal stripe shading to the “Profit” column.

9. Suggested Diagram