Producing a Spreadsheet Containing a Table

There are three, essentially simple and fairly obvious steps to follow:

  1. Open a new spreadsheet (using an application such as Microsoft Excel);
  2. Type in the information to be contained in the table.
  3. Save the spreadsheet with a name of your choice in a folder of your choice, and close the spreadsheet.
In order to colour-code characters (e.g. to produce blue letters) in Microsoft Excel, highlight the area of the table in which you wish the text to appear in your chosen colour. Then click on the arrow next to the Font Colour icon. This will reveal a palette of colours, and you can click on the colour of your choice. (If you need further assistance, click on the '?' icon, and then use the search facility to look for the topic on which you require guidance.)

To colour-code the background to the text in a particular area of the table, highlight the relevant area and then click on the arrow next to the Fill Colour icon. Again this will reveal a palette of colours to choose from. If you are not happy with the range of choices offered by this palette (and if you have a sufficiently recent version of Microsoft Excel), you can click on 'More Colours' at the bottom of the palette. This will reveal a broader range of hues and tones. You can now click on the one that that you want, and then click on 'OK'.

Remember that it is important to choose colours and colour-combinations in such a way that the table remains easy to read. This means that the text needs to contrast clearly with its background, and also that garish colour-combinations should be avoided.