300 excel tips

300 office tips • Special feature

Microsoft Excel
75 tips and tricks for your favourite spreadsheet.

1 Convert rows to
columns
You can convert rows to columns (and
the running total of the figures in A1 to
A5 in the adjacent column.
Pick the function you require from the
list box and click on OK. Now
highlight the cells on which you want
columns to rows) by highlighting the
cells you want to switch around,
clicking on Edit, Copy, selecting a new
5 Remove hyperlinks
from your work
If Excel has already converted your
the target to perform the function and
click on OK.

cell and then going to Edit, Paste written URL into a hyperlink, you can
Special… Finally, place a tick in the cancel it by right-clicking on the
Transpose box on the dialog box and offending address and selecting
click on OK. Hyperlink, Remove Hyperlink from
the menu that pops up.

2 Calculatedates
between
time
Enter in a cell the formula =A2-A1, 6 Fit wide tables to the
page width
where A1 is the earlier date, and A2 To make your tables fit neatly on the
the later one. Don’t forget to convert page, click on File, Page Setup…,
the target cell to number format – do select the Page tab, click on the Fit to:
this by highlighting the cell, clicking on radio button and pick 1 page wide.
Format, Cells…, picking on the Click on the tall box and press
Number tab and selecting Number [Delete], leaving the box empty.
from the Category: list.

3 Enter URLs as text,
not hyperlinks
7 Hide your data from 11 Customise your
prying eyes
AutoFills
If you want to hide from view any
Excel converts Web site
addresses to hyperlinks
automatically. Right-click
on them to remove the link.
To prevent Excel from converting sensitive data, highlight the relevant If you use the same list over and over
written Internet addresses into cell and click on Format, Cells… Click in different worksheets, you might want
hyperlinks, add an apostrophe to the on the Numbers tab, select Custom to add it to your AutoFill list – this will
beginning of the address, for example from the Category: list, double-click save you heaps of time in future.
‘www.futurenet.com. on the Type: input box and enter ;;;. Highlight your list, click on Tools,
Undo the operation to make your data Options… and select the Custom Lists

4 Calculatetotals
running
visible again. tab. Click on Import, then OK.

Enter the numbers to be added in
column A, say A1 to A5, then enter
=SUM($A$1:A1) into column B.
8 Use template
worksheets
Templates can save you considerable
The Paste Function button
enables you to browse
formulas and is the easiest
Highlight the cells beside the ones with time when you’re setting up a new way to enter Functions.
numbers in (in our example, B1 to B5) worksheet. Click on File, New…, select
and go to Edit, Fill, Down. This places the Spreadsheet Solutions tab and
choose a template from the list.

9 Access help for Lotus
users
If you’ve converted from Lotus 1-2-3
and find Excel confusing, you can
access help specific to your situation by
clicking on Help, Lotus 1-2-3 Help…
12 Use the
AutoCalculator
If you need to calculate a sum based
on a row or a column of figures and

Filling Down – the easy way to perform
10 Use the browser
formula
Select a cell and click on the Paste
you can’t be bothered typing in a
function, just select your figures and
glance down at the status bar – you’ll
dynamic calculations. Function button on the main toolbar. find the sum of the selected cells there.
➤
April 2001 PCAnswers
05

Special feature • 300 office tips

➤ What’s more, if you right-click on the
sum a pop-up menu will appear offering
Screen. Click on it again to return to a
normal window.
Alignment tab, and then drag the Text
pointer in the Orientation window.
additional quick calculation functions.

13 A quick way to
enter the time
17 Fit text
automatically
Make your work look neater by selecting
25 Zoomselection
your
in to
You can have Excel display just the area
To enter the current date or time click the relevant column, and clicking on you’re working in by highlighting the
Excel has two distinct date on a cell and type =today() or =now(). Format, Column, AutoFit Selection. relevant cells, clicking on the arrow on
calculators: one returns the
Excel updates the result every time you the Zoom box on the toolbar and

18 Fast copy, no
current date, the other
returns the creation date. open the sheet, so it’s always current. selecting Selection from the list.
clipboard
Pressing [Ctrl] + [‘] is a speedy way to
duplicate the formula or figure in the
cell above the one you’re in.
26 Another default
entry direction
When editing cells the cursor moves
down when you press [Return]. To

19 Fast and easy
multiple entry
If you need to enter a formula in several
change the direction click on Tools,
Options… and select Edit. Click on the
Move selection after Enter list box and
cells at once, simply select all the target choose another direction from the list.
cells, type your formula as normal and
press [Ctrl] + [Enter].
27 Launch Excel, open
your file
20 Pick cells for
AutoCalculator
You can select unconnected cells by
Launch Excel, open the file you use
most often, and click on File, Save
As… In the Save As dialog, navigate to
holding down [Ctrl] while you click on the Xlstart folder in your Office folder
the individual cells. and click Save. Now the file will open

14 EnterExcel time 21 Hide comments to
into
a fixed automatically when you launch Excel.

reduce clutter
If you want Excel to enter the current
28 Set decimal points
date or time and fix it at that point – for
example, to show the last date the sheet
You can hide notes and other comments
by using the Insert Comment function. Click on Tools, Options… and select
was modified – click on a cell and press Highlight a cell, click on Insert, the Edit tab. Place a tick in the Fixed
[Ctrl] + [;] for the date and [Ctrl] + [:] Comment and type your text. Click decimal tick box and use the arrows in
for the time. away from the input box when you’ve the Places: input box to set the number
finished. The comment will appear of decimal places.

15 Find the currently
active cell
If you’ve been scrolling around your
whenever you pass your mouse over
the relevant cell.
29 Calculate the
median value
spreadsheet and you lose your place,
you can jump back to the currently
active cell by pressing the [Ctrl] +
22 Re-colouring the
grid lines
You can change the colour of the grid
To calculate the median value of a
number of figures, say A1 to A10, enter
=median(A1:A10) into the target cell.
[Backspace] keys. by clicking on Tools, Options…,

16 See the
big picture
selecting the View tab, clicking on the
Color: list box and choosing a new
colour from the palette. Choosing white
30 #NAME!errors
#NUM!
and
Excel returns a #NAME! or #NUM!
If you’re working on a large sheet you effectively removes the grid completely. error whenever a formula refers to non-
might want to switch to Full Screen existent names or numbers. To sort it
mode: simply click on View, Full
23 Angle your
entries…
out, re-enter the formula correctly.

To make Excel display the text in cells at
an angle of 45 degrees, right-click on
the toolbar, select Chart, and pick either
31 Quick sort your
columns
The quickest way to sort a column into
of the ab icons on the new toolbar. a hierarchy is to select it and click on
the Sort Ascending or Sort Descending

24 …to like degree
you
any buttons (the ones with the AZ arrows).

Use angled text to add
visual interest to your lists
and graphs.
If you want custom angles right-click on
the cell and select Format Cells…
From the pop-up menu, click on the
32 Quickly change
cell dimensions
The quickest way to change a column’s

PCAnswers April 2001
06


width or a row’s height is to place your
mouse pointer close to the join between
in the Category: pane, click on the
Type: input box and press [M]
Handy keyboard tips
two columns or rows, then click and repeatedly until the desired format is 30 shortcuts to speed up your calculations.
hold down the mouse button, and drag displayed in the Sample area above.
Select the current column [Ctrl] + [Space]
the column or row to the desired size.

40 Quick copy
Select the current row [Shift] + [Space]

33
Edit the active cell [F2]
Erasing entries column Move to the beginning of the worksheet [Ctrl] + [Home]
while typing You can fill out the cells in a column by Move to the last cell on the worksheet [Ctrl] + [End]
If you mistype your formula, press double-clicking on a cell’s handle. Paste a name into a formula [F3]
Paste a function into a formula [Shift] + [F3]
[Esc] to erase the cell’s content. Excel will place copies of the clicked
Alternate value/formula view [Ctrl] + [`] (on key [1])
cell in each cell below, stopping when

34 Enter number
Calculate all sheets in all open workbooks [F9]
it reaches a cell with blanks either side. Display the Go To dialog box [F5]
sequences (Confused? Try this: enter a figure in Display the Find dialog box [Shift] + [F5]
Enter the first number in a cell, press cell A1, then enter figures in cells B1 to Display the Format Cells dialog box [Ctrl] + [1]
Create a chart [F11]
the [Ctrl] key, and then click, hold and B5, then double-click on A1’s handle.)
Insert a new sheet [Alt] + [Shift] + [F1]
drag the cell’s handle until you’ve

41 Merge cell
Repeat the last action [F4]
reached the desired number of cells. Repeat Find [Shift] + [F4]
Release the mouse button first, and contents Open [Ctrl] + [F12]
then the [Ctrl] key. To merge the contents of cells A1 and Exit [Ctrl] + [F4]
Check spelling of current cell [F7]
B1, click on cell C1 and enter =A1&B1.

35 See formulas at a
Activate the menu bar [F10]
The result is not a sum but a text Display the Macro dialog box [Alt] + [F8]
glance string, so merging 10 and 7 will return Apply outline to active cell [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [&]
You can view all of your formulas at 107, rather than 17. Convert to a percentage [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [%]
once by clicking on Tools, Options…, Select all filled cells around active cell [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [*]

42 Use dynamic
selecting the View tab, and placing a Move to next sheet [Ctrl] + [Page Down]
Move to previous sheet [Ctrl] + [Page Up]
tick in the Formulas tick box. formatting Complete a cell entry and move up [Shift] + [Enter]
You can set Excel to alert you to critical

36
Complete a cell entry and move right [Tab]
Highlight cells of figures in cells by setting it up so the Complete a cell entry and move left [Shift] + [Tab]
a kind colour or size of text in a given cell Edit a cell comment [Shift] + [F2]
You can select all the cells of a certain changes whenever a certain condition is
type by using the Special functions. reached. Select a cell (say, the cell
Click on Edit, Go To…, click on the containing the total of your bank be, so this isn’t practical for small cells
Special… button, choose the cell type balance) and click on Format, with lots of content.
from the dialog box and click on OK. Conditional Formatting… Choose the

37 Switch off
the zeroes
conditions in the pop-up dialog (say
‘Cell value is less than 0’) and click on
the Format… button. Now choose a
45 Create hyperlinks
to support files
To place links in cells that enable you
You can prevent zeroes from cluttering new colour in the Color: list box and to load other documents with one click,
your sheets by clicking on Tools, click on OK. Click on OK again to enter a name for the link in a cell and
Options…, selecting the View tab, and finish. From now on Excel will display press [Ctrl] + [K]. Click on the File…
unticking the Zero values tick box. your chosen figure in the new colour button. Navigate to the file you wish to
whenever the figure falls below zero. link to. Double-click on it and click

38 Protect
your work
Open the sheet you wish to protect and 43 Border connected
cells
OK. From now on, whenever you click
in that cell, Excel will jump to the file.

Prevent cell
click on File, Save As… Click on the You can place a border around a group content from
General Options… item in the Tools of related cells – all the totals, for overlapping
menu (in the top right corner of the example – by selecting them and neighbouring
cells by shrinking
Save As dialog) and enter a password clicking on Format, Cells…, then it to fit.
in the Password to open: input box. selecting the Border tab and clicking
Finally, click on the Save button. You on the Outline button.
might want to make a note of the
password before continuing.
44 Shrink entries to
fit their cells
39 Customise
your dates
You can customise the format of a date
You can force Excel to display the full
text of a cell by using the Shrink to fit
option. Click on Format, Cells…, click
in a cell using the Custom cell formatter. on the Alignment tab and place a tick
To do this, enter a date in a cell, click in the Shrink to fit tick box. Obviously,
on Format, Cells…, click on Custom the more text you have, the smaller it’ll
➤
07

Special feature • 300 office tips

➤
Outlook, PowerPoint,
Bringing up the rear are Microsoft’s email client, presentation, and
DTP software. Here are the hottest 15 tips and 35 shortcuts…
Outlook separate spell-checking options – tick
each box for the optimal spelling 7 Quickly adjust font
sizes, no mouse!

1
system. If you want to switch the whole Getting the font sizes right is paramount
Find the contact thing off, you should untick the second to a well-designed layout, and if you’re
you’re after quickly box in the list. constantly shifting and resizing frames,
To locate a contact from just a fragment it can become a bit of a headache.
use the Find a Contact input box on
the main toolbar. Just click on the box
and enter what you remember of the
4 Automatically
addressed email
Click on Folder, Contacts, select the
However, there is a speedy method for
switching font sizes without any mouse
operations: highlight the text you wish
contact’s name. Outlook will find the contact you want to email and click on to change and press [Ctrl] + [right
contact and open his or her details in a Actions, New Message to Contact. A square bracket] to increase the font size
dialog box. new message pane will open with the by a point, and [Ctrl] + [left square
contact’s address details already bracket] to decrease it by one point.
entered for you.

5 Trackmail
your
You can find out when your mail is read
by sending a receipt request with your
messages. Click on Tools, Options…
and select the Preferences tab. Click on
the E-mail options… and Tracking
Options… buttons on the following
dialog. Finally, place a tick in the You can use the design gallery to store your
Request a read receipt for all own page elements.
messages I send tick box.
Find a Contact brings up
the Contact Properties.
Here you can add, edit or
remove the contact from 2 Shred your waste,
don’t bin it Publisher 8 Build your own
Design Gallery
The Design Gallery is Publisher’s library
your address book. Outlook doesn’t really delete messages, of professionally-designed elements and
it places them in the Deleted items
folder. To delete them click on Tools,
Options..., select the Other tab, and
6 Resize objects using
central origin
To keep the centre of an object
objects that help to bring consistent
design to your projects. It’s handy for
dabblers but pretty useless for
place a tick in the Empty the Deleted in the same place while you more committed users. To
Items folder upon Exiting tick box. resize it, hold down [Ctrl] get the best from the
while you are dragging the Design Gallery, you should

3 Spell check your
outgoing mail
To spellcheck your email before you
object’s handles.

Let Publisher solve your layout
use it to store your own
objects. To add an object
to the Gallery, select it and
send it, click on Tools, Options… and problems for you with the click on Insert, Add
Design Checker.
then on the Spelling tab. There are five Selection to Design Gallery…
Enter a name and category in the input

Outlook shortcuts boxes and click OK.

Five email shortcuts no one should be without,.
Display Inbox
Check for new mail
[Ctrl] + [Shift] + [I]
[F5]
9 Check your design
for problems
Once you’ve finished your project it
Reply to selected mail [Ctrl] + [R] pays to run it through its paces in the
Create new mail [Ctrl] + [N] Design Checker and check it for flaws:
Send mail [Ctrl] + [Enter] select Tools, Design Checker… and
click on Options… Select the Check

PCAnswers April 2001
08


and Publisher
all problems radio button and then and slides to the new button will appear
both OK buttons. Publisher now checks once you’ve released the mouse button. Publisher shortcuts
the integrity of your frames, bringing
attention to any potential problems, Five essential DTP shortcuts.
and suggesting remedies by way of a Toggle frame opacity [Ctrl] + [T]
pop-up dialog box. Nudge frame [Alt] + [Arrow] (any of the four directions)
Format copy [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [C]

10 No needpaste
Format paste [Ctrl] + [Shift] + [V]
to Toggle current/actual page view [F9]
cut and
To copy an object simply select it,
press [Ctrl] and drag it to a new the same place as the line. This
location. The copy is left behind in the means you can align all the
original position. pieces of your document with
Adding buttons is a simple two-step process. very little effort. Once your
elements are in position you
PowerPoint
13 Just go
and
pack can drag the Guides to new
locations or you can disable

11 Get the most from
your videos
If you’re using a video clip in your
If you want others to be able to watch
your presentations and you’re not sure
whether they have PowerPoint, use the
them. The frames are
unaffected. To activate the
Guidelines click on View, Guides.
presentation, make sure it’s in the same File, Pack and Go… command. This
folder as the presentation, otherwise it
will display a Find Files dialog when
Pack and Go Wizard enables you to
collate all of the presentation elements
PowerPoint shortcuts
run. Once you’ve loaded your film you into one standalone, portable program.
Five shortcuts to increase your speed.
can access its properties by right

14
Insert slide [Ctrl] + [M]
clicking on it and selecting Edit Movie Make your text Move to the next pane [F6]
Object… from the pop-up menu. The stand out Move to the previous pane [Shift] + [F6]
dialog displays the clip’s total playing To add instant pizzazz to your headings Insert a hyperlink [Ctrl] + [K]
time and playing options. go to WordArt on the Drawing Tools Start slide show [F5]
menu. You can configure WordArt text
to run in a line, around a circle or in any
other shape. It can be multi-coloured,
3D or textured. Used sparingly,
Generic shortcuts
WordArt can be an eye-opener. These shortcuts work in all Office applications, as

15 Use Guides to
well as some third-party software.
Open [Ctrl] + [O]
place frames Exit [Alt] + [F4]
Guidelines are non-printing lines that Save [Ctrl] + [S]
enable you to align frames with ease. Print [Ctrl] + [P]
When you drop a frame close to a Select All [Ctrl] + [A]
Add impact to your presentation with a Guideline it automatically snaps into Cut [Ctrl] + [X]
movie object. Copy [Ctrl] + [C]
Paste [Ctrl] + [V]

12 Add buttons to
Undo [Ctrl] + [Z]
Redo [Ctrl] + [Y]
your slides Help [F1]
Buttons make your presentation look Open pop-up menu [Shift] + [F10]
Open window control menu [Alt] + [Space]
and feel professional. Activate the
Scroll one page length down [Page Down]
Action Buttons sub-menu on the Slide Scroll one page length up [Page Up]
Show menu and hover your mouse Delete [Delete]
pointer over each of the available Switch applications [Alt] + [Tab]
buttons to view their descriptions. To Activate menus [F10]
Close menu [Alt]
use one. click on the button and draw
Select first/last menu item [Home]/[End]
a square on your slide. A dialog that Share your presentations more easily with

➤
enables you to link sounds, programs Pack and Go.

09

300 excel tips

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