Formula bar and cell preview in Excel - Dashboard Guide

Dashboard Mode - Formula bar and cell preview

Goal

Understand how the formula bar and cell preview help you see and edit formulas and results in Excel.

Sample Data

Item	Price	Quantity	Total
Apple	1.20	10	=B2*C2
Banana	0.50	20	=B3*C3
Orange	0.80	15	=B4*C4
Grapes	2.00	5	=B5*C5
Watermelon	3.00	2	=B6*C6

Dashboard Components

• Formula Bar: Shows the formula or value of the selected cell. For example, selecting cell D2 shows =B2*C2 in the formula bar.
• Cell Preview: The cell itself shows the result of the formula. For example, cell D2 shows 12.00 (1.20 x 10).
• Example Cell Selection: Selecting cell D3 shows =B3*C3 in the formula bar and 10.00 in the cell preview.

Dashboard Layout

+-----------------------------+
|        Formula Bar           |
+-----------------------------+
|                             |
|  Spreadsheet Grid (Cells)   |
|  - Shows cell preview       |
|  - Select a cell to see     |
|    formula in formula bar   |
|                             |
+-----------------------------+

Interactivity

Clicking any cell updates the formula bar to show that cell's formula or value. The cell preview always shows the calculated result or entered value. Editing the formula bar changes the formula or value in the selected cell.

Self Check

Select cell D4. What does the formula bar show? What does the cell preview show?

Key Result

Shows how selecting cells updates the formula bar with formulas and the cell preview with results in Excel.