Who Knew Excel Could Do That?

Ten Top Tips Make your spreadsheets work harder and give them a polished look with these nifty tricks !ohn Walken"ach #riday$ %cto"er &&$ '((' )f you use Excel regularly$ you*re pro"a"ly comforta"le doing the standard spreadsheet stuff+ ,ou enter data$ create "asic formulas$ and apply formatting -lthough complete mastery of Excel certainly isn*t one of your goals in life$ you*re always on the lookout for something that can make your .o" easier /ut you simply haven*t had the time or motivation to fully explore all that Excel has to offer

0ound familiar? )f so$ now*s your chance to pick up a few handy tricks that you may not have discovered yet -nd if you*re new to Excel$ these tips will help get you off to a flying start The following ten tips will work in Excel versions 12 and later 1. What's the Current Date or Time? ,ou may "e familiar with Excel*s 3%W function$ which plugs the current date and time into your spreadsheet !ust enter 43%W56 into any cell$ and Excel displays the date and time formatted according to the regional options you*ve set for Windows )f you .ust want to see the date$ use the T%D-, function$ 4T%D-,56$ instead /ut if you want to use either of these functions as a type of 7timestamp7 you*ll find that they don*t do the .o"$ "ecause they*re automatically updated whenever your worksheet is calculated or re8 opened The cell that displays today*s date will display tomorrow*s date when you open the spreadsheet tomorrow To insert a fixed date into a cell88a date that you don*t want to change88hold down Ctrl while you press the semicolon 5 96 key To insert the current time 5without a date6$ press Ctrl80hift8 0emicolon These commands are useful if you like to document your work #or example$ you might want to keep track of when you added new data to your worksheet 2. Top Secret: Do Not Print When it*s time to print your Excel worksheet$ you may prefer that some information is left unprinted #or example$ you may have some confidential information 5such as employee salaries6 in a column$ or your sheet may have some intermediate calculations that the top "rass aren*t interested in seeing To avoid printing specific rows or columns$ .ust hide them "efore printing To hide rows$ select them "y clicking the row num"ers 5click and drag to select a "lock of rows9 hold down Ctrl while clicking to select non8ad.acent rows6 Then right8click one of the highlighted "order row num"ers and click :ide ;se the same procedure to hide columns 5"ut right8click a highlighted column letter to choose :ide6 When you*re finished printing$ you can <uickly unhide all rows or columns "y selecting the entire worksheet 5click the "lank gray "ox formed "y the intersection of the row and column "orders at the top left corner of your spreadsheet6 Then right8click a row or column "order and choose ;nhide 3. Quick Math Without ormu!as

)f you want to do math with Excel$ your only choice is to write formulas$ right? Wrong= >et familiar with Excel*s ?aste #unction dialog "ox$ and learn how to perform a variety of "asic math operations without a single formula Consider this scenario+ ,our company*s product price list stored in a worksheet ,our "oss informs you that$ effective immediately$ all prices must "e increased "y @ percent ,ou could create some formulas to do the math$ and then convert the formulas to values$ and then copy and paste the new prices over the old prices %r$ you could use this more efficient method+ & ' A B Enter & (@ into any "lank cell This is the 7multiplier7 that will increase the prices "y @ percent 0elect the cell you used in 0tep &$ and choose Edit$ Copy or press Ctrl8C 0elect the range of values to "e changed$ and choose Edit$ ?aste 0pecial to display the ?aste 0pecial dialog "ox Choose the Multiply option and click %K

CoilD= The values are changed in an instant ,ou can then delete the cell that contains the & (@ multiplier 3ote that the ?aste 0pecial dialog "ox lets you carry out other mathematical operations88like add and su"tract$ for instance88so you can use this techni<ue for a variety of other calculations ". Sha#e $!ternate %o&s Eooking for a way to simulate that nerdy green8"anded computer paper on screen? Eook no further Excel*s Conditional #ormatting feature has many uses$ and here*s one that*s particularly handy Conditional #ormatting makes it simple to apply cell shading 5green or otherwise6 to every other row in a worksheet range #or a lengthy list$ shading alternate rows can improve legi"ility :ere*s how to do it+ & ' A B @ :ighlight the range of cells or rows or columns that you want to format Choose #ormat$ Conditional #ormatting to display the Conditional #ormatting dialog "ox 0elect #ormula )s from the first drop8down list "ox$ and enter 4M%D5F%W56$'64( in the second "ox Click the #ormat "utton to "ring up the #ormat Cells dialog "ox 0elect the ?atterns ta" and specify a color for the shaded rows ,ou*ll pro"a"ly want to choose a light color$ so that the default "lack text will still "e legi"le %r$ you can go all out and change the text color as well 5do this in the #ont ta" of the #ormat Cells dialog "ox6 #or example$ you might select a dark "lue "ackground$ accompanied "y a mellow yellow text color Click %K twice to return to your worksheet

The "est part is that the row shading is dynamic+ The alternate row shading persists even if you insert or delete rows within the original range /y the way$ if get tired of this new look and want to

get things "ack to normal$ .ust select the range$ choose #ormat$ Conditional #ormatting$ and click the Delete "utton in the Conditional #ormatting dialog "ox '. $## a Drop(Do&n )ist )nserting a drop8down list to a cell is a slick trick that can add a touch of professionalism to your worksheets88and also ensure that erroneous data is not entered into the cell -nd "est of all+ Macros are not re<uired= -ssume that you have an input cell in which the user is supposed to enter a month name+ !anuary$ #e"ruary$ and so on :ere*s how to add a drop8down list to that cell to make data entry a "reeHe88and save some keystrokes & Enter the items for your drop8down list into a list on the worksheet$ one item per cell )n this example$ )*ll assume that the month names start in cell E& and extend down to E&'$ "ut they can "e in any out8of8the8way location on the worksheet )n Excel terminology$ a rectangular group of cells 5such as E& to E&'6 is called a range 0elect the cell that will contain the drop8down list )f you*d like more than one cell to display the same list$ .ust select them all now rather than setting them up one at a time 5Click and drag to select a range9 hold down Ctrl while you click to select non8ad.acent cells 6 Choose Data$ Calidation to display the Data Calidation dialog "ox Click the 0ettings ta" )n the -llow field$ select Eist )n the 0ource field$ specify the range that contains the list items )n this example$ the items are in cells E& to E&'$ so type 4E&+E&' into the field Click %K

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-fter performing these steps$ you*ll see a drop8down arrow whenever any of the drop8down cells you .ust defined is 7active7 5that is$ selected and awaiting input6 Click the arrow and choose a month from the list )f you try to type something else into the cell$ you*ll get scolded in the form of a pop8up message )f you*d like to provide your own wording for invalid entries$ use the Error -lert ta" in the Data Calidation dialog "ox$ and enter your own text in the *Error message* field )f your list of items is relatively small$ you can "ypass 0tep & and enter the list items directly into the 0ource field in 0tep G !ust separate each list item with a comma

*. +ap the Num,ers- .eep the ormu!as %ne common type of spreadsheet is a fill8in8the8"lanks template Typically$ such a sheet will have a num"er of input cells$ and a num"er of formula cells ,ou enter your data in the input cells$ and the formula cells kick into action and use those values to display some type of 5usually6 useful result

#or example$ you may have a worksheet set up to calculate a loan amortiHation ta"le )nput cells would include items such as loan amount$ interest rate$ loan term$ and so on #ormulas in other cells use this information to display the calculated results -t some point$ you may want to clear the slate and delete all the values in the input cells Father than scroll around and look for the non8formula cells$ you can take advantage of an often8 overlooked Excel feature that lets you select cells in a 7special7 way+ & ' A B @ 0elect Edit$ >o To 5or press Ctrl8> or #@6 to "ring up the >o To dialog "ox Click the 0pecial "utton to show the >o To 0pecial dialog "ox Choose the Constants option$ then clear all of the check "oxes except 3um"ers 5if some of the input cells in the spreadsheet accept text$ leave the check mark next to Text6 Click %K$ and Excel will select all of the non8formula cells that contain a value ?ress the Delete key$ and those num"ers are history88"ut the formulas remain intact

/. Protect an# 0i#e 1our ormu!as When a cell contains a formula$ the formula is visi"le for all to see !ust activate the cell and glance up at the #ormula "ar )n some cases$ you many want to hide your formulas to give your worksheet a cleaner look88or to keep others from seeing how your calculations are done ,ou can hide the formulas "y setting the :ide option for the formula cells and protecting the sheet /ut "efore you protect the sheet$ you need to 7unlock7 all non8formula cells 5"y default$ all cells are locked6 :ere*s how to hide the formula cells+ & ' A B @ G 0elect Edit$ >o To 5or press Ctrl8> or #@6 to "ring up the >o To dialog "ox Click the 0pecial "utton to show the >o To 0pecial dialog "ox Choose the #ormulas option$ and make sure the four check "oxes are all checked Click %K$ and Excel selects all cells that contain a formula Choose #ormat$ Cells$ and click the ?rotection ta" ?lace a check mark next to the :idden option$ and make sure that there is a check mark next to the Eocked option Click %K

:ere*s how to unlock the non8formula cells+ & ' A Fepeat 0teps & and ' a"ove to show the >o To 0pecial dialog "ox Choose the Constants option$ and make sure the four check "oxes are all checked Click %K$ and Excel selects all non8empty cells that don*t contain a formula

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Choose #ormat$ Cells$ and click the ?rotection ta" Femove the check mark next to the Eocked option Click %K

-t this point$ the formula cells are set to :ide$ and the non8formula cells are set to ;nlock /ut these settings have no effect unless the sheet is protected Choose Tools$ ?rotection$ ?rotect 0heet to protect the worksheet ,ou can enter a password if you like -fter performing these steps$ you can select any formula cell$ and the formula will not "e displayed in the #ormula "ar #urthermore$ the formula cannot "e changed /ut the cells that contain other information can "e changed )t*s important to understand that protecting a worksheet88even if you use a password88is a very weak form of security ?assword8cracking utilities are widespread on the )nternet 2. Spot Dup!icate 3ntries This tip descri"es a way to use the Conditional #ormatting feature to <uickly identify dupes in a range 0ay that you*ve "een saddled with the .o" of organiHing the seating list for the company dinner party ,ou have the list of assignments in range -&+/&I %"viously$ the same person should not "e assigned to more than one ta"le :ere*s a <uick way to determine if the range contains duplicate names & ' A B @ G 0elect the range 5in this case$ -&+/&I6 Choose #ormat$ Conditional #ormatting to display the Conditional #ormatting dialog "ox 0elect #ormula )s from the first drop8down list "ox$ and enter 4C%;3T)#5J-J&+J/J&I$-&6K& in the second "ox Click the #ormat "utton to "ring up the #ormat Cells dialog "ox 0elect the ?atterns ta"$ and specify a "ackground color Click %K twice to return to your worksheet

)f the range contains any duplicate entries$ they will "e flagged with the "ackground color you chose in 0tep @

,ou can adapt this techni<ue to any other worksheet "y changing the ranges used in the C%;3T)# function The first argument should "e the full address of the range you selected88and make sure that you use the dollar signs to signify an a"solute reference The second argument should "e the address of the upper left cell of your range$ expressed as a relative reference 5no dollar signs6 4. Skip rom Ce!! to Ce!! ,ou may have a spreadsheet set up with a num"er of data input cells Wouldn*t it "e nice if the user could .ust press the Ta" key to .ump to the next input cell?

This type of thing is fairly easy to set up The key is to unlock the input cells$ and then protect the worksheet :ere*s how to do it+ & ' A B 0elect all of the input cells on your worksheet 5To select non8ad.acent cells$ hold down Ctrl while you select the cells 6 0elect #ormat Cells to display the #ormat Cells dialog "ox Click the ?rotection ta" and remove the check mark from the Eocked check "ox Click %K

Keep in mind that all cells are locked "y default /ut also remem"er that locking or unlocking cells has no effect unless the worksheet is protected To protect the worksheet$ select Tools$ ?rotection$ ?rotect 0heet )f you*re using Excel '(('$ you*ll "e a"le to specify some additional options 0pecifically$ you can remove the check mark from the 0elect locked cells option When the sheet is protected$ you*ll find pressing Ta" moves the heavy8"ordered active cell indicator to the next unlocked cell /e aware that this does not prevent the user from selecting unlocked cells using the cursor keys88unless you*re using Excel '((' and you removed the check mark from *0elect locked cells* as descri"ed a"ove 15. 0i#e Those 6789 ormu!a 3rrors )f you*ve da""led with formulas$ you*ve pro"a"ly encountered the dreaded formula error Father than return a numeric result$ the formula cell displays a weird message such as LC-E;E= or LD)CM(= Most of the time$ this means you need to track down the source of the error and fix it /ut sometimes a formula error simply means that the data used "y the formula is not yet availa"le #or example$ say you run a small telemarketing company ,ou might have a spreadsheet set up to track your daily sales as a percentage of calls made The formulas in column D do the calculations that come up with the percentages #or example$ cell DB contains the formula 4CBM/B The formula in DB was simply copied down the column to handle the other days The formula does its .o" well88as long as there is data to calculate -n empty cell 5such as /16 is treated as a Hero$ and division "y Hero is not allowed on this planet -s a result$ Excel displays an ugly LD)CM(= error message$ which makes your entire worksheet look like it was created "y a novice ,ou can avoid displaying formula errors "y re8writing your formula to use an )# and an )0EFF%F function #or example$ 4)#5)0EFF%F5CBM/B6$77$ CBM/B6 displays a "lank if the division operation results in an error 5cell /B is empty or contains (6$ yet still displays valid results -lthough this formula looks complex$ when you "reak it down$ it*s not that daunting )n plain English+ )f you get an error performing the formula$ then display an empty string 5that is$ nothing69 otherwise$ display the result of the formula )t*s actually easy to adapt this techni<ue to any formula you might have The original formula serves as the argument for the )0EFF%F function$ and it repeats as the last argument of the )# function$ like this+ 4)#5)0EFF%F5%riginal#ormula6$77$%riginal#ormula6 )f you prefer$ you can replace the empty string 5776 with other text of your choice88.ust make sure the text is enclosed in <uote marks

/y the way$ if you really own a small telemarketing company$ please put me on your 7do not call7 list Thank you