iWork: The Missing Manual

Chapter 17. Editing Tables in Numbers

If spreadsheets are all about efficiency, then the tables they contain are the key to number-crunching nirvana. Tables help you plow through calculations in a snap; they organize and reorganize your info quickly; and they squeeze your data into a compact display. For all that Numbers can do for you, though, much of the spreadsheet work boils down to data entry and table formatting, and that part’s up to you. Now it’s your turn to be efficient: To get the most out of your spreadsheet, you need to be nimble as you edit your data. This chapter shows you how.

The last chapter gave you a quick intro to entering data into tables and working with rows and columns. Now you’ll take a deeper look at wrangling table objects, editing table cells, working with Numbers’ data formats, and using a bevy of shortcuts to enter data quickly. By the time you’re done, you’ll be spinning around your table faster than a game of musical chairs. Let’s get to it.

Working with Table Objects

In Numbers, tables are objects, just as they are in Pages and Keynote. If you’ve already made your way through the rest of this book, objects are already old friends. They’re the building blocks of every iWork document, the design elements that you slide across the page—or in this case, the sheet canvas—to create your layout. In Numbers, tables are the main focus, and you may frequently have spreadsheets where a single table is your one and only object. But no matter how many or how few ...