How Are Columns Identified in Microsoft Word & Excel?
Microsoft Office is a package of productivity programs that includes Microsoft Word and Microsoft Excel. Microsoft Excel is spreadsheet software that lays out data in columns and rows. Microsoft Word is a word processing program that has the capability of having tables inserted into the document. These tables are cross compatible with Microsoft Excel and can be cut and pasted from one program to the other.
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Function
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Columns are used in Microsoft Word tables and Microsoft Excel spreadsheets to identify the horizontal location of a cell. The column identifier tells you where the cell is relative to the other cell numbers. For example, column "A" or column "1" to the left of column "Z" or column "26."
Types
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There are two types of column identifiers in Microsoft Excel: R1C1 reference style and A1 reference style. R1C1 reference style uses a number for both the row and the column. For example, R9C8 indicates row 9, column 8. A1 reference style uses a letter for the column and a number for the row. For example, cell E49 is located at the intersection of column E and row 49. In Microsoft Word, the rows and columns are not labeled. However, they will become labeled if you choose to copy them over to Microsoft Excel.
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Amount
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Columns in Microsoft Word are restricted by the width of your paper and how legible you want your text to be. For a sheet of regular printer paper (11.5" x 8") in 12 point font, you would be able to insert about ten columns with one or two words per column. In Microsoft Excel, there is a maximum of 256 columns (A through IV in reference style A1 and 1 through 256 in R1C1 reference style ),
Uses
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Microsoft Word tables have limited use because of the restricted number of columns and lack of reference style. The tables can be useful for organizing data on a page. Microsoft Excel has a much broader range of possibilities because of the larger number of available columns and referencing styles. For example, vast amounts of data can be referenced in Excel and input into formulas and functions.
Default Styles
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Microsoft Excel uses the A1 reference style by default, where each column will be labeled by a letter A through IV. Microsoft has no default reference style, but you can insert column labels into the top row of the table manually.
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