Key facts

  • In 1979, VisiCalc was released for the Apple II, showing that an electronic spreadsheet could turn a personal computer into a practical business tool.
  • In 1983, Lotus 1-2-3 became a major spreadsheet programme for IBM PC users by combining worksheet calculation, charting and database-style commands.
  • In 1985, Microsoft released the first version of Excel for Macintosh, giving spreadsheets a graphical interface with menus, mouse use and formatted wo...
  • In 1987, Microsoft released Excel for Windows, helping spreadsheet work move from command-driven DOS tools to the Windows desktop environment.
  • In 2007, Microsoft Office introduced the XLSX workbook format as the default Excel file type, based on Office Open XML rather than the older binary XL...

Key Points at a Glance

  1. 1

    In 1979, VisiCalc was released for the Apple II, showing that an electronic spreadsheet could turn a personal computer into a practical business tool.

  2. 2

    In 1983, Lotus 1-2-3 became a major spreadsheet programme for IBM PC users by combining worksheet calculation, charting and database-style commands.

  3. 3

    In 1985, Microsoft released the first version of Excel for Macintosh, giving spreadsheets a graphical interface with menus, mouse use and formatted worksheets.

  4. 4

    In 1987, Microsoft released Excel for Windows, helping spreadsheet work move from command-driven DOS tools to the Windows desktop environment.

  5. 5

    In 2007, Microsoft Office introduced the XLSX workbook format as the default Excel file type, based on Office Open XML rather than the older binary XLS format.

  6. 6

    In spreadsheet notation, A1 refers to column A and row 1; this address system is central to formulas, cell references, sorting, filtering and chart ranges.

  7. 7

    In Excel formulas, the dollar sign creates an absolute reference, so `$A$1` stays fixed when a formula is copied while `A1` changes relatively.

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Spreadsheet basics and Excel environment

A spreadsheet is an electronic grid used to store, calculate, organise and present data. The grid is made of rows and columns, and their intersection is a cell. Each cell has an address such as B4, where B is the column and 4 is the row. A workbook is the complete Excel file, while a worksheet is one sheet inside that workbook. A workbook may contain several worksheets, such as marks, attendance, stock, fee records or salary calculations.

Microsoft Excel is an office application in the spreadsheet category. It is used for arithmetic, lists, tabulation, budgeting, charts, filtering, printing and simple data analysis. The title bar identifies the workbook, the ribbon groups commands into tabs, the formula bar shows or edits the active cell content, and the name box displays the active cell address or named range. Sheet tabs allow movement between worksheets. The active cell is the currently selected cell, shown by a border.

Excel files are usually saved as XLSX workbooks. XLSM files can contain macros, XLS files are older binary workbooks, CSV files store plain comma-separated text, and PDF is used for fixed sharing or printing rather than calculation.

Core idea: a workbook holds worksheets, worksheets hold cells, and cells hold labels, values or formulas.

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