Excel uses the same technique for
defining named cells and named ranges: the Name box at the left end
of the Formula bar. To name a cell,
select it, type the name you want into the Name box, as shown in
, and press Enter.
To name a range of cells, select the range, type the name
you want for that range in the Name box, and press Enter.
Figure 1. Naming a cell MyFavoriteCell
The
drop-down list at the right side of the Name box enables you to find
your named ranges and cells again. (See at the end of this chapter
for more ways to locate ranges.) If
you happen to select a range precisely, its name will appear in the
Name box instead of the usual cell references.
In formulas, you can use these names in place of cell identifiers or
ranges. If you name cell E4
"date," for instance, you could
write =date instead of =E4.
Similarly, if you create a range called
"quantity" in A3:A10 and want a
total of the values in it, your formula could say
=SUM(quantity) rather than
=SUM(A3:A10).
As
spreadsheets grow larger and more intricate, named cells and ranges
are crucial tools for keeping them manageable.
