1.

Open Excel, and in the first row of the empty workbook type the labels Week, Item name, Item #, Unit cost, and Quantity. Each label should be in its own cell, from A1 to E1.

Under the Week label in cell A1, enter week1, week2, week3, and week4 in cells A2 to A5 (you can use AutoFill to do this if you wish).

Under the Item name label in B1, enter hammer, screwdriver, saw, and pliers in cells B2 to B5.

Similarly, under the Item # label enter h123, s123, s124, p123 in cells C2 to C5.

Under the Unit cost label enter the numbers 5, 2.95, 12.97, and 5.59.

Finally, enter the quantities 23, 40, 18, 25 in cells D2 to D3.

Your worksheet should now look like this.

This data has the structure of a basic list. Each column has a unique heading, and there are no empty columns separating the data. There are no blank rows separating data, and the data is organized across each row under the column headings.

The next step is to designate this range of numbers as a list, so you can take advantage of the Excel 2003 list features.

2.

Select the entire block of data, cell range A1:E5, and right click on any cell in the selected range to display the following menu.

Select Create List by clicking on that option. This will display the Create List dialogue box.

3.

Make sure that the range In the Create List box is indeed the range you want for your list.

Put a check in the box next to My list has headers, (you have already entered column headings) and click OK.

4.

Your list should look like this.

Notice that the list toolbar is now visible, and that there is a blue asterisk indicating the next location for data. There are also filter arrows at the top of each column, and the column headings have been formatted in bold type. You have successfully created a list.

5.

Save your work and exit Excel.