Creating an Excel list from scratch

To make a brand-new list into an Excel 2003 list, all you have to do is enter the column headings (field names) in the blank row set to become the top row of the list. (This can be anywhere in the worksheet that has blank rows beneath it.) Then, with the cell pointer in a field name cell, press Ctrl+L (or choose Data → List → Create List) to open the Create List dialog box.

Excel automatically selects the row of column headings as the data range for the new list. Be sure to select the My List Has Headers check box before you click OK. (Excel usually clears this check box when the list consists only of column headings without data entries in rows beneath.) Excel then adds the filtering buttons to the cells with your column headings and assigns the bold attribute to their field names. The program also adds a blank row for the first list entries (marked with that distinctive blue asterisk) and encloses the cells in this row - plus the row above with column headings - within a heavy blue outline.

You can then start adding data to the new list by selecting the cell with the blue asterisk and beginning to type entries in the blank row. You can also do this by opening the data form for the new list (Data → Form).