If Numbers opens to an existing Workbook, press and hold the command key, then press the “N” key (⌘-N). You will be prompted to Choose a Template.

From the Recents or Basic section of the Template Chooser, select the Blank template, and press the return/enter key (or Click the Create button).

result:  An “Untitled” Workbook will open, containing the default number of Worksheets (titled "Sheet 1", "Sheet 2", etc.). Each Worksheet contains a Table with the default number of Columns and Rows, and the default Title, "Table 1". Only one Worksheet is visible at a time.

Down the right edge of the Worksheet is the Format pane, with four tabs at the top: Table, Cell, Text, and Arrange. If you don't see the Format pane, open it by clicking the Format button at the right side of the title bar at the top of the application window.

The Format pane provides access to Worksheet “properties” - attributes like color or size - that determine the appearance of a Table.

The Table tab should be selected (surrounded by a green background) by default. If not, click it.

SELECT THE WORKSPACE (Sheet)

1. Click anywhere on the empty space surrounding the table.

Result:  The Format pane changes in appearance, and the Sheet properties may be edited.

FORMAT THE WORKSPACE (Sheet)

In the Sheet properties pane, there are three sections: Sheet Name, Background, and a pair of buttons labelled "Duplicate Sheet" and "Delete Sheet".

1. Click inside the text box in the Sheet Name section, and drag across the default sheet name (“Sheet 1”) to select it for editing. You’ll know it is selected when a light brown background appears behind the text, and a thick green border surrounds the text box.
2. Press the caps lock key.
3. Type “INCOME”
4. Press the caps lock key again (to release it), and press return/enter.

Result:  Your entry appears in the Sheet Tab, above the Workspace (Sheet).

Note:  If Numbers does not accept your entry, it’s because you already have a Worksheet with that name.

Below the Sheet Name Section, in the Background section,

3. Click the colorful circle to the right of the white rectangle.

Result:  The Sheet Color dialog box appears.

4. Hover your cursor for a few seconds over the second icon from the left near the top of the Sheet Color dialog box.

Result:  A "Tool Tip" appears, explaining what the button does.

5. Click the button.

Result:  "RGB Sliders” appears in the selection box (if it wasn't there already).

Below the selection box are slider controls for dialing in color. By default, they are set to their maximum values (255), which produce the color "white". Using your cursor, drag one of the slider bars to the left, and note any changes.

Result:  The Sheet Color changes, as does the value in the "Hex Color #" text box below the "RGB sliders" ("RGB" and "Hex Color #" are different formats for describing colors).

6. Just below the center of the dialog box, click (or click-drag across) the “Hex Color #” text box, to select it for editing.

Result:  A transparent brown highlight and thick green border indicate it is ready to accept your entry.

7. Type “dcdcdc”, and press the return/enter key.

Result:  The white Cells in the Table, and the white Workspace (Sheet background) surrounding the Table, change to light grey.

8. Close the Sheet Color dialog box by clicking the red button at the top of the dialog box.

Click anywhere inside the table to make it the "active object".

Result:  The Format pane changes in appearance. A thin green border surrounds the selected Cell, and panels on the white guides above and to the left of the Table turn light green behind the Letter and Number that identify the selected Cell.

SELECT THE ENTIRE TABLE

1. Click on the circumscribed circle at the intersection of the Column Letter and Row Number guides (top left corner of the Workspace).
2. Note the small squares that appear on the right and bottom borders, and at the bottom-right corner of the Table; their presence indicates that the entire Table is selected.

FORMAT THE ENTIRE TABLE

At the top left corner of the Numbers window, below and to the right of the red, yellow, and green buttons, is a selection box above a "Zoom" label.

1. Click the selection box, and select “125%” from the drop-down menu.

Result:  The table enlarges, making it easier to see.

Numbers has both a Table menu and a Table tab. The Table menu is on a menu bar that drops down from the top of the screen when you position your cursor there; the Table tab resides atop the Format pane.

If not already selected,

2. Click the Table tab.

Result:  A green, rounded-corner highlight indicates the Table tab is selected.

Locate the Table Options section, immediately below the Table Styles. Depending on your screen resolution (size), you may need to scroll up to see it.

In the Table Options section, the Title property should be “checked” by default. If not,

3. Click the empty box to the left of the word “Title”.

Result:  A check mark appears there.

Below the Table Options section is the Headers & Footer section, containing three selection boxes. At the right side of each selection box is a green, rounded-corner square containing an “up-down” caret. If ever in doubt about what a feature does, hover your cursor over it for a few seconds, and a Tool Tip will appear.

Note the border between Column "A" and Column "B" on the Table.

4. In the Headers & Footer section, click the green button (“up-down” caret) on the selection box on the left, and choose "0" from the drop-down menu.

Result:  The number of Header Columns is set to “0”, and the black border between Columns "A" and "B" disappears.

5. Click the green button (“up-down” caret) on the selection box in the center, and select "0" from the drop-down menu.

Result:  The Table's appearance changes, and the number of Header Rows is set to “0”.

note:  The number of Footer  Rows should be set to “0” by default. if not, please set it to “0” using the same method.

FORMAT ELEMENTS - Cells, Text

Cells

1. Click the Cell tab atop the Format pane.

Result:  A green, rounded-corner, rectangular indicates the Cell tab is selected, and the Format pane changes in appearance.

With the entire table still selected (small squares present),

2. Find the Data Format section at the top of the Format pane. Click the green button (“up-down” caret) on the selection box, and select “Number” from the drop-down list.

Result:  The Format pane changes in appearance.

3. Double-click to select the value ("Auto") in the “Decimals: ” text box, and type “2” (or click the “up” caret to the right of the text box three times to set the number of decimals to “2”).
4. Press the return/enter key.

Result:  Your setting is saved, but the table's appearance does not change (because the Cells are empty).

5. Click the check box next to “Thousands Separator” to put a check mark in it.

result:  Again, your setting is saved, with no apparent change.

Individual Cells are designated by Column Letter and Row Number combinations. For example, “Cell (E6)” refers to cell at the intersection of Column E and Row 6.

To enter information into a Cell, simply click on the Cell and begin typing.

Text

1. Click the Text tab atop the Format pane.

result:  The Format pane changes, and a green highlight surrounds the Text tab.

2. Above the Spacing section near the bottom of the Format pane, deselect the check mark to the left of “Wrap text in cell”.

result:  No apparent change.

You now have a table with no Headers. I often use such a table. If you create a custom template for a certain kind of table, you won't have to repeat a sequence of steps, like the ones above, every time you need a table like that.

CREATE A TEMPLATE

1. Position the cursor at the top of the computer screen.

result:  A menu bar drops down.

2. From the File menu, choose "Save as Template..." (File > "Save as Template...").

Result:  Numbers asks whether you wish to "Create a custom Numbers template?",

3. Click the "Add to Template Chooser" button.

Result:  The table template you just created appears in the My Templates section of the Template Chooser. The default name "Untitled" is highlighted and a thick green border surrounds the text box.

4. Type a descriptive name for your template. (i.e., "User Guide Worksheet").
5. Press the return/enter key, and close the "Choose a Template" dialog box.

FORMAT ELEMENTS - Table

Click the Table tab.

Below the Headers & Footer section is an area where you can specify the number of Rows and Columns. There are separate selection boxes for each property. Each has an “up” caret and a “down” caret beside it. Clicking one or the other increases or decreases the setting by increments of “1”.

Number of Rows and Columns

1. Double-click (or click-drag) to highlight the value in the Rows text box.
2. Type “9”, and press the “return/enter“ key.

Result:  The table changes.

3. In a similar fashion, set the number of Columns to “7”, unless already set that way by default.

Font Size

Below the Rows and Columns section is the Table Font Size section. We don't need to change font size for the entire table, but we will change a font size or two, later.

Table Outline

Below the Table Font Size section is the Table Outline section which contains four controls: an outline Style selection box (with a black line, and a green button on it), an outline Color selection box (with a colorful circle at its right side), an outline Weight text box (measured in "pt"s) with an “up” caret and “down” caret to the right of it, and a checkbox labelled “Outline Table Title”.

1. Click the “up” caret to the right of the border Weight selection box once. If it changes to “0.5 pt”, click it two more times. When it is set to “1 pt”, proceed to the next step.

Gridlines and Alternating Row Color

Below the Table Outline section are the Gridlines and Alternating Row Color sections. We will return to these later.

Row and Column Size

Scroll to the bottom of the Format pane. Locate the Row & Column Size section. Here you set Row Height and Column Width. But note, in this section, clicking increases or decreases the value by several hundredths an inch. Rather than clicking the carets, double-click the value (or click-drag across it), and manually enter a setting.

Special Note:  If the value of a property is italicized, and grey (".28"), instead of regular and black (".28"), it is a setting common to most, but not all, elements of that type.

With the entire table still selected,

1. Double-click on the Row Height text box, and type “.28”. Be sure to include the decimal point.
2. Double-click on the value in the Column Width text box for editing.
3. Type “.77”. Be sure to include the decimal point.
4. Press return/enter.

Result:  The table changes.

5. Zoom to 200%.

FORMAT VARIOUS ELEMENTS

Select a Column

1. Click the “A” on the white Column Letter guide atop the table.

Result:  A thin green border surrounds the entire Column, indicating that it is the "selected object".

In the Row & Column Size section at the bottom of the Format pane,

2. Double-click to select the value in the Width text box (not the Height text box).
3. Type “.13”, and press return/enter.

Select Non-adjacent Columns

1. Select Column (B).
2. While holding down the command key (⌘), select Column "F", then release both keys.

Result:  Column (F) is added to the selection.

3. Set the Width property to “1.04”, and press return/enter.

Result:  Both Column (A) and Column (F) are re-sized.

4. Select Column (G).
5. Set the Width property to “.13”, and press return/enter.

Select a Cell

1. Click the Cell where Column B and Row 2 intersect. Click the Cell itself, not the Letter and Number on the white Column and Row Guides.

Result:  A thin green border surrounds the cell, and the white Column Letter and Row Number panels change to light green, identifying Cell (B2) as the active object.

2. Type “Source”.
3. Press the tab key.

Result:  Your entry is accepted, and the active cell moves one Column to the right.

4. Type “Weekly”, and press tab.
5. Type “Bi-weekly”, and press tab.
6. Type “Monthly”, and press tab.
7. Type “Per Month”, and press return/enter.

Result:  The active cell moves down one Row, and left, to the column in which you began typing and pressing the tab key.

9. Type “Job 1”, and press tab.
10. Type “340”, and press the return/enter key.

Result:  Numbers applies the two-decimal formatting (specified earlier when you set the Data Format property).

11. Type “Job 2”, and press tab twice.
12. Type “1000”, and press return/enter.

Result:  Numbers applies the formatting specified earlier.

13. Type “Job 3”, and press tab thrice.
14. Type “70”, and press the “down arrow” key (▼) three times.

Result:  Your entry is accepted, and the active cell moves down, to Cell F(8).

15. Type “Total Net Income”, and press return/enter.

Result:  Your entry is accepted, spilling into the empty cell to the right.

Select a Row

1. Click the number “2” on the Row Number guide to the left of the table.

Result:  A thin green border surrounds the entire Row, indicating it is the active selection, and the number "2" guide panel turns dark green.

2. Click the Text tab above the Format pane.

Locate the Font section. The Font section contains two drop-down menus (with green buttons), a text box with “up” and “down” carets beside it, a row of buttons with styled letters on them, a single button bearing a “gear" icon (⚙), and a “Character Styles” menu, with its value currently greyed-out.

The row of buttons provides quick access to the most common typefaces (Bold, Italic, Underline, and Strikethrough).

3. Click the “I” button.

Result:  Text in the selected Row is italicized.

4. Click the “U” button.

Result:  Text in the selected Row is underlined.

Below the Font section is the Text Color section.

Below the Text Color section is a text alignment section, which contains three rows of buttons, and a “Wrap text in cell” check box.

• The top row of buttons aligns text either to the
• left, center, or right of the cell,
• the left and right of the cell (justified), or,
• text to the left and numbers to the right.
• The middle row increases or decreases the indent.
• The bottom row aligns text to the top, middle, or bottom of the cell.

Pause your cursor over any button, and Numbers will present a Tool Tip explaining what it does

On the top row of buttons,

5. Click the second button from the left.

Result:  Text in the selected Row is aligned to center.

Select a Range of Cells

You may recall that a group of Cells is called a “Range”.

1. Click-drag to select Range (B3:B7).

Result:  A thin green border surrounds the selected Range.

In the Text Color section of the Format pane,

2. Click on the black rectangle, and select the darkest blue color from the Color Palette.

Result:  Text color in the selected Range changes, setting it apart from other data in the table.

3. Click-drag to select Range (C3:F7).
4. Select the darkest green color from the Color Palette.

Result:  The text color in the selected Range changes, setting it apart from other data in the table.




In the interest of accuracy (and to save a huge amount of time and aggravation), it's best to let Numbers do the math.

Enter a Formula

1. Select Cell (F3).
2. Type an equal sign (“=“).

Result:  A formula entry bar appears, with a blinking cursor in it.

Note:  When you type a forward slash (/) in a formula bar, Numbers renders it as a division symbol (÷). When you type an asterisk (*) in a formula bar, Numbers renders it as a multiplication symbol (x).

3. Type the following exactly as it appears:



---

SUM(C3/7+D3/14)*30.4375+E3

---



4. Click the green check mark at the right edge of the formula bar to accept your formula.

Result:  Numbers accepts the formula and the Weekly amount is converted to an amount Per Month.

Note:  If you typed the formula correctly, the result shown in Cell (F3) will be "1,416.17"; the Cell references contained in the formula you entered - C(3), D(3), and E(3) - are color-tinted on the table.

Copy a Formula

Cell (F3) should be the active cell (surrounded by a green border). If not,

1. Select Cell (F3).
2. Position your cursor on the bottom border of Cell (F3).

Result:  A small, yellow dot will appear in the middle of the border.

3. Place the top of your cursor over the yellow dot.

Result:  Your cursor changes to an “up-down” arrow.

4. Click-hold on the yellow dot, drag down to (and including) Cell (F7), and release the click.

Result:  Your formula is copied to the other cells in the Range, converting pay period entries to amounts per month.

Note:  If you typed and copied the formula correctly, the other amounts shown in Column "F" of your Table should be "2,174.11", "75.00", "0.00", and "0.00".

Let Numbers Enter a Formula

1. Select Cell (F8).
2. Type “=“.

Result:  The formula entry bar appears.

3. Click-drag Range (F3:F7), and release the click.

Result:  The Cell references you selected are entered into the formula bar, and Numbers "suggests" a formula, based on what it thinks you might want.

In this case, it guessed correctly, so,

4. Click the green check mark to accept the suggestion.

Result:  The spreadsheet "SUMs" the numbers in Column "F", and displays the result in the selected cell:  3,662.28.

Hmmm. "Total Net In".

Font Size

1. Click once on the “up” caret to the right of the Font Size text box.

Result:  The size of the text in the selected cell increases.

Font Color

1. Click on the black rectangle, and choose the darkest green color from the Color Palette.
2. While holding down the shift key, press tab.

Result:  The active selection moves one Column to the left.

Font Weight

1. In the Font section, click the “B” button on the row of typeface buttons.

Result:  The text in Cell (F8) is bolded.

Text Alignment

Below the Text Color section, in the text alignment section, pause your cursor over the third button from the left, on the top row of buttons. A Tool Tip appears, telling you what the control does.

1. Click the button.

Result:  The text in the selected Cell is aligned right.

2. Congratulate your bad self!!

    🎉      🎊      📣      🎡      🎁       🧸       🎢       🧨      🎠      🏆      🤸      💐

---




Now, maybe it's just me, but I always like to make a Table easier to read, if possible. Although gridlines help define a space, once a spreadsheet is set up, I don’t think they serve any purpose other than to detract.

DE-CLUTTER

1. Select the entire table (hint: circumscribed circle).

result:  Small squares appear.

2. Click the Table tab.
3. In the Gridlines section, near the bottom of the Format pane, click the two green boxes on the left.

Result:  The gridlines are hidden.

While we're at it, let's get rid of any superfluous formula results.

CONDITIONAL HIGHLIGHTING

1. Click the Cell tab above the Format pane.
2. Click the "Conditional Highlighting..." button, below the Border section.
3. Click the "Add a Rule" button.

If not already selected,

4. Select "123 Number", from the menu on the left.
5. Select "Equal to a number" from the menu on the right.
6. Type "0".
7. Click the down-pointing caret on the menu at the bottom.

A menu appears.

8. Scroll down to the last menu selection, "Custom Style", and click it.

Result:  A row of typeface buttons, and two color-selection boxes appear.

9. Click the "B" on the row of typeface buttons, to un-bold the text.

result:  Bolded text is un-bolded.

Below the row of typeface buttons,

10. Click the colorful circle on the color-selection box to the right of the typeface buttons.
11. Click on the value in the "Hex Color #" text box.
12. Type "dcdcdc" (the color you assigned to the Worksheet background), and press return/enter.

result:  Those pesky zeros vanish.

5. Close the Text Color dialog box.

NAME A TABLE

1. Locate the default title (“Table 1”), above the table on the Worksheet.
2. Triple-click it rapidly to select it for editing.
3. Type “Income 1”, and press return/enter.

Note: If Numbers does not accept your entry, it’s because you already have a Table Title by that name.

MAKE A COPY OF THE TABLE - for a second Income Earner

Select the Entire Table

1. Click on the circumscribed circle (where the Column Letter and Row Number guides intersect).

Copy and Paste

1. Press command-C to copy.

Result:  Nothing appears to change, but the entire Table is copied to the clipboard.

2. Press command-V to paste.

Result:  A copy is placed over the top of the original.

Re-position and Rename the Copy

1. Click-hold the white circumscribed circle, which also serves as a "handle".
2. Drag the copy down below the original, so that one no longer covers the other.

Note: Light-yellow guide-lines aid in positioning the copy, in relation to the table above it.

3. Triple-click the default title ("Income 1 - 1"), type "Income 2", and press return/enter.

You’ll want to save your work.

SAVE YOUR WORK

1. Press command-S (⌘-S), and wait a few seconds (or, from the File menu at the top of the screen, choose Save. [File > Save]).

Result:  A Save dialog appears, with the default title (“Untitled”) highlighted. Depending on how your version of Numbers is configured, the name may include the ".numbers" file extension. In my opinion, it is always a good idea to include the file extension.

2. Type a descriptive name (like “User Guide Workbook”), and choose a location from the drop-down list: the iCloud Desktop (if you want to be able to access it while away from home) or your local Desktop (if not). You will be able to find it easily, and you can always move it later.
3. Press the return/enter key.
4. Close the Workbook (click the red dot at the top-left corner of the Numbers Window.)

Congratulations on your accomplishment.