This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
This chapter is from the book
Saving and Naming Your Workbook
As you create and edit your workbook, your entries and changes are stored only temporarily, in your computer's memory. If you exit Excel or shut down your computer, or if the power blips off for only a second, you risk losing any of the work you have done. To prevent data loss, you should save and name your workbook soon after creating it and then save it at least every ten minutes.
TIP
To open a new, blank workbook with a single click, click the New button
on the far left end of the Standard toolbar.
When you choose to save a workbook for the first time, Excel displays the Save As dialog box, which you use to name the workbook and specify where you want it stored. Unless you specify otherwise, Excel saves all workbooks in the My Documents folder. I strongly recommend that you store all workbooks in My Documents, so you know where to look for them later.
Assuming you are saving your workbooks in the My Documents folder, the steps for saving a workbook are very straightforward:
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Open Excel's File menu and choose Save. The Save As dialog box appears, as shown in Figure 3.6, displaying the contents of the My Documents folder.
Click in the File Name text box.
Type a descriptive and unique name for your workbook.
Click the Save button. Excel saves your workbook to disk and assigns it the file name you typed.
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Figure
3.6 Use the Save As dialog box to save your workbook for the first time.
If you have created your own folders for managing your documents, you need to know a little more about how to use the various controls in the Save As dialog box. These controls can seem a little confusing at first. The following list explains the various controls to help you better understand them and expertly navigate the drives and folders on your computer:
Back
button displays the contents of the previous file/folder list. 
Up
One Level button displays the contents of the folder or drive that holds
the currently displayed folder. For example, if you open the My Documents folder
on drive C and then click the Up One Level button, you open your username
folder (where username is the name you enter to log in to Windows).
Search
the Web button displays a screen that helps you track down a particular
Web site.
Delete
button removes the currently selected file or folder and places it in the Windows
Recycle Bin.
Create
New Folder button creates a new, empty folder on the currently selected
drive or in the currently opened folder. For example, if My Documents is selected,
click Create New Folder to make a folder inside the My Documents folder. When
you click Create New Folder, the Create New Folder dialog box appears, asking
you to type a name for the folder. Type a name that's unique and descriptive—but
brief—and click OK.
Views
button displays a list of available ways the Save As dialog box can display
the contents of the currently selected disk drive or folder—List (file
names), Details (file names, sizes, and dates), Properties (file names and information),
Preview (file names and a tiny picture of each document), or Arrange Icons (by
name, file type, or date).
Tools
button provides options for deleting the selected item, renaming it, adding
it to your Favorites list, and performing other housekeeping chores.NOTE
To enable the Save As or Open dialog box to display a one-page preview of a workbook, you must turn on the Preview option for the workbook. With the workbook open in Excel, open the File menu and click Properties. Click the Summary tab and click the Save Preview Picture check box. Click OK.
After you have saved and named a workbook, Excel assumes you always want to save this workbook in the same folder, using the same filename. This saves time when you save your changes later. Rather than select a folder and type a filename, you simply open the File menu and choose Save or click Excel's Save button.