How To Create an Automatic Outline in The Microsoft Excel With Its Feature
How To Create An Automatic Outline in The Microsoft Excel With Its Feature
It can be a bit tough to get together and organize a lengthy spreadsheet to make your data easier to read. Microsoft Excel offers a very useful feature for grouping to summarize data making use of an automatic outline. Here’s how we can do this.
What You Will Need For You to Create an Outline in Excel
In Microsoft Excel, you can create an outline of columns, rows, or even both.
For this feature to serve the purpose it was made for, there are just a few things that will be needed to data, it includes:
1. Each of the column must have a header or label in the first row.
2. Each of the column should include similar data.
3. The cell range must contain data. It is not right to have blank columns or rows.
4. It is the easiest to have your summary rows located below the data that they have already summarized. However, there is still a way you can accommodate this if your summary rows are still currently positioned above instead.
We’ll describe how you can do this first.
Adjust the Outline Settings
1. Choose the cells that you want to outline and go straight to the Data tab.
2. Tap the “Outline” on the right side of the ribbon. Then, you tap the dialog launcher (tiny arrow) on the bottom right of the pop-out window.
3. Go to Data, Outline, and then tap the dialog launcher
4. When you open the Settings window, just uncheck the box for “Summary Rows Below Detail.”
5. Before you tap the “OK" button, you can optionally decide to check the box for “Automatic Styles.” This will format the cells that is in your outline with italics, bold, and similar styles to make them outstanding. If you select not to use Automatic Styles here, you wii seel how to apply them afterward, too.
6. Now tap “OK” and get ready to start creating the outline.
Create The Automatic Outline
If you have your summary rows and all other outline requirements set, it is then time to create your outline.
1. Choose your cells, go to the Data tab, and tap “Outline.”
2. Go to Data and tap Outline
3. Tap the “Group” arrow and select “Auto Outline” in the drop-down list.
You should be able see your spreadsheet update immediately and displaying the outline. This includes the corresponding lines, the number, and the minus and plus signs in the gray area located to the left side of the rows or at the top of the columns.
Auto Outline Created in Excel
The lowest number (1) and the furthest left buttons below the 1 are aleardy tagged as highest-level view.
Excel Outline Level 1
The next highest number (2) and the buttons that are below it are for the second highest level.
Excel Outline Level 2
The buttons and the numbers continue for each level until it gets to the final one. It is possible to have up to eight levels in an Excel outline.
Excel Outline Level 3
You can make use of the numbers, the plus and also minus signs, or use both to collapse and expand your rows. If you tap on a number, it will collapse or expand that area entire level. If you tap the plus sign, it will automatically expand that particular set of rows in the outline. A minus sign will then collapse that particular set of the rows.
Excel Outline Levels
The Format Styles After Creating the Outline
As it has been previously mentioned, the styles can be applied to your outline to make the rows and also the summary rows stand out. Adding to the outline itself, this helps to make the data a bit easier for you to read and distinguish from the rest.
1. If you select not to use the Automatic Styles option before you start creating your outline, you can do so afterward.
2. Choose the cells in the outline that you are going to format, or you can choose the entire outline if you prefer that. Now head back to the outline settings window with "Data > Outline" to open the dialog launcher.
3. Getting to the Settings window, check the box for “Automatic Styles,” and then tap “Apply Styles.”
Apply Styles to an Excel Outline
You should be able to see the formatting styles applied to your outline. You can now tap “OK” to close the window.
Remove An Outline
If you have created an outline and then you decided to remove it later, it’s a really simple couple of clicks away.
1. Choose the outline you want to and then head back to that Data tab one more time. Tap “Outline,” and then the arrow that is below “Ungroup.” Pick “Clear Outline,” and you are now set.
2. Tap on Outline, Ungroup, Clear Outline
Note: If you applied styles before to your outline, you will need to reformat your text manually.
Outlines are not just handy for preparing documents. In Excel, an outline allows you a terrific way to organize and to do more easily to analyze your data. The automatic outline takes close to all of the manual work out of the process.
