Chris asked:<\/p>\n
Did they take the GUI formula builder called \u201cCalculator\u201d out of Excel? It was in Excel 98, X, 2004, 2008 and I don\u2019t see it in 2011? In 2008 you would go to \u201ccustomize toolbars & menus\u201d click on the commands tab and then drag the calculator to your toolbar or menu of choice. The description Excel gave it was \u201cHelps you create basic arithmetic calculations in Excel by offering a layout that is based on a \u2018real\u2019 hand-held calculator.\u201d<\/p><\/blockquote>\n
I wasn’t sure of the history of that calculator, so I asked my colleague Schwieb<\/a>. \u00a0I got lucky: as it turns out, he’s the guy who wrote it originally. \u00a0Schwieb said it was added to Excel:Mac in 2001 with the intent of gradually introducing people to formulas.<\/p>\n
Now, ten years later, things have changed. \u00a0For basic calculator functions, there’s the OS X built-in calculator. \u00a0In Excel 2011, there is instead the Formula Builder (which you can see by going to the Formulas tab in Excel and then selecting the Formula Builder icon). \u00a0The Formula Builder is much more powerful than the old calculator, and is a great way to learn more about all of the formulas that are in Excel. \u00a0I’m pretty good in Excel, but I have to admit that I use the Formula Builder when I can’t recall a formula’s name or its arguments.<\/p>\n
The Excel 2011 help<\/a> has a lot of great information about formulas<\/a>. \u00a0Play around with the Formula Builder and see how it can help you learn more about how to use formulas, too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Chris asked: Did they take the GUI formula builder called \u201cCalculator\u201d out of Excel? It was in Excel 98, X, 2004, 2008 and I don\u2019t see it in 2011? In 2008 you would go to \u201ccustomize toolbars & menus\u201d click on the commands tab and then drag the calculator to your toolbar or menu of … Continue reading Q&A: Does Excel:Mac 2011 still have the Calculator?<\/span>