Useful Reformatting Commands for Excel with NaturallySpeaking
Spreadsheets like Excel are capable of displaying numbers, dates, and times in a nearly infinite number of ways. Your best bet is not to worry too much about how to format a number in NaturallySpeaking; just get the number into the spreadsheet in any old form, and then reformat it in the spreadsheet.
For example, suppose you were inputting a column of prices. You could dictate them as prices: Twenty-six dollars and seventy-two cents. Or you could dictate them as numbers: Twenty-six point seven two. After you dictate the column of numbers, then you could convert them to prices. Here are the steps:
Select the column.
To select an entire row or column in Excel, first move the cursor into the row or column. Then say, Press control spacebar to select the column, or Press shift spacebar to select the row.
Say, Click format, cells.
The Format Cells dialog box appears.
Display the Number tab in the Format Cells dialog box.
This tab may be on top when the box opens (or not!). Use the Press Right/Left Arrow commands to move from one tab to another.
Say, Press Alt C.
This hotkey moves the cursor into the Category List.
Select Currency on the Category list.
The Move Up/Down commands are the easiest way to select items on the list.
Say, Press Enter.
The Format Cells dialog box disappears, and the column is formatted as dollars and cents.