Using the Auto-Fill Feature of Excel 2004
Excel can automatically fill in data for you based on adjacent cells' data. If a cell contains a number, date, or time, the Auto-Fill feature extends data into a series of incremental values.
You can perform these auto-fills by one of two methods:
1. Click-and-drag
- Select a cell (or cells) that you want Excel to learn the pattern from by clicking and dragging the cursor over the cells to highlight them.
- Point your mouse to the lower right corner of the bottom-most cell. The cursor becomes a cross. If you hold down the mouse button when the cursor is cross-shaped and then start to move the cursor, it becomes the outline of a square with two arrows on opposing corners called the FILL HANDLE.
- Drag the FILL HANDLE over the empty cells that you want to auto-fill, and release the mouse button. Excel automatically fills the selected cells.
2. Using the Menu Bar
- Select both the cells containing information and the empty cells to be filled by clicking and dragging the cursor over the cells to highlight them.
- From the EDIT Menu, select FILL, then use the submenu to select SERIES.
Demonstration of Click-and-Drag Method
(Note that you must declare at least two examples for Excel to know what series to auto-fill for you.)
In the first example, simply writing a '1' and auto-filling will only produce more '1' 's.
In the second example, Excel knows that you intend to auto-fill a linear sequence of numbers, and so continues with 3, 4, 5 ...
| Example 1: Auto-fill with one cell (Cell data is copied) |
Example 2: Auto-fill with two cells (A series is created) |
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| Highlight the cell; place cursor at bottom right of cell | Highlight the cell; place cursor at bottom right of cell | |
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| Click and drag over cells you want to fill | Click and drag over cells you want to fill | |
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| Release mouse button; Excel fills cells | Release mouse button; Excel fills cells |
The previous two examples demonstrate auto-filling columns; however, you can also auto-fill rows just as easily.
Series types that Excel can auto-fill:
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Time -- Examples include:
- increments of hours, days, weeks, months
- repeating sequences of days, weeks, months
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Sequential and Non-sequential series -- Examples include:
- Numbers (1 --> 2, 3, 4)
- Best fit trend (1,3,4 -- > 5.66, 7.16, 8.66 ...)
- Skipping months (1-Jan, 1-Mar -- > 1-May, 1-July, 1-Sep,...)
- extension and copy (#1, on backorder -- > #2, on backorder, #3, on backorder...)
Pictorial examples of Auto-fill Series:
Days of the week
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Months of the years:
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Non-seqential Months
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Sequence with labels ("Product")
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Odd [or even] number sequence
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Number sequence backward, in groups of five
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Advanced Auto-Fill: Selecting the Series Type
You can select the type of series by using the CONTROL key while dragging the FILL HANDLE.
- Begin by highlighting the cells with information in them
- Position your cursor at the lower right of the last highlighted cell so that it becomes a cross
- Press and hold the CONTROL key
- While still holding the CONTROL key, hold down the mouse button to create the FILL HANDLE; click and drag the FILL HANDLE over the empty cells you want to complete
- Release the CONTROL key, then release the mouse button
- A contextual menu pops up -- select one of the options
Linear trend takes the difference between the last two values and adds it to the last value (producing 1,2,3... or 1,3,5...)
Growth trend uses a default step value and multiplies it by the first value (ex: 1, 2, 4, 8, 16...)
Series... brings up a full menu of options to adjust the step value, series type, and option of using a trend or not
Using the CONTROL key to produce a default Growth Series
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Series Menu Important Components
Linear
Without TREND selected: adds step value to the first number and each subsequent number
With TREND selected: step value is ignored, starting values are applied to the least squares algorithm (y=mx+b)
Growth
Without TREND selected: starting value is multiplied by the step value and each subsequent number is multiplied by the step value
With TREND selected: step value is ignored, initial values are applied to the exponential curve algorithm (y=b*m^x)
Date
Allows selection of date unit
Autofill
Acts just like dragging FILL HANDLE over cells
Here are links where you can find out about Excel charting and database management capabilities:
Written by Matthew Dull '01; Updated for 2004 by Jordan McDonnell '08