After seeing Andrew’s simple excel based check-list I got this idea of preparing a simple To-Do list application using excel.
Since most of us use Excel on day to day basis, why not use it as a productivity application as well by keeping track of all the things we must do (TO DO List). When we have finished a task, we can mark it as “Done” in the sheet and it will be removed. See below:

Click here to download the Simple To Do List application in Excel
How to use Simple To do List?
- Open the downloaded workbook. It may ask for enabling macros, please say “Yes”
- Start entering your to do tasks in the table. See below:
- Now, leave the spreadsheet here and go get some of the things done!
- When you return mark the items you have finished as done. See below:
- Finally once a day or so, click on the “Remove done items” button. This will remove all the to do list entries with “Done” as the status. Please be aware that once you remove the items you can never get them back. See below:
- That is all, this spreadsheet to do list is soo simple that it leaves you tons of time to actually get some of the things done.
How the Simple To do List works?
The key functionality of this excel based to do list lies in the “remove done items” button. When you click it a VBA macro runs in the background and checks tabular area where you have entered to do items for anything with “done” status. If it finds any, the code will remove those items and move up the remaining ones accordingly. Click here to see the VBA Macro code.
Download the to do list excel workbook and become productive
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12 Responses to “Analyzing Search Keywords using Excel : Array Formulas in Real Life”
Very interesting Chandoo, as always. Personally I find endless uses for formulae such as {=sum(if(B$2:B$5=$A2,$C$2$C$5))}, just the flexibility in absolute and relative relative referencing and multiple conditions gives it the edge over dsum and others methods.
I've added to my blog a piece on SQL in VBA that I think might be of interest to you http://aviatormonkey.wordpress.com/2009/02/10/lesson-one-sql-in-vba/ . It's a bit techie, but I think you might like it.
Keep up the good work, aviatormonkey
Hi Chandoo,
You might find this coded solution I posted on a forum interesting.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-programming/680810-create-tag-cloud-in-vba-possible.html
[...] under certain circumstances. One of the tips involved arranging search keywords in excel using Array Forumlas. Basically, if you need to know how frequent a word or group of keywords appear, you can use this [...]
@Aviatormonkey: Thanks for sharing the url. I found it a bit technical.. but very interesting.
@Andy: Looks like Jarad, the person who emailed me this problem has posted the same in excelforum too. Very good solution btw...
Realy great article
"You can take this basic model and extend it to include parameters like number of searches each key phrase has, how long the users stay on the site etc. to enhance the way tag cloud is generated and colored."
How would you go about doing this? I think it would need some VB
Hi,
I found the usage very interesting, but is giving me hard time because the LENs formula that use ranges are not considering the full range, in other words, the LEN formula is only bringing results from the respective "line" cell.
Using the example, when I place the formula to calculate the frequency for "windows" brings me only 1 result, not 11 as displayed in the example. It seems that the LEN formula using ranges is considering the respective line within the range, not the full range.
Any hint?
@Thiago
You have to enter the formula as an Array Formula
Enter the Formula and press Ctrl+Shift+Enter
Not just Enter
Thank you, Hui! I couldn't work out how this didn't work
is there a limit to the number of lines it can analyse.
Ie i am trying to get this to work on a list of sentances 1500 long.
@Gary
In Excel 2010/2013 Excel is only limited by available memory,
So just give it a go
As always try on a copy of the file first if you have any doubts
Apologies if I am missing something, but coudn't getting frequency be easier with Countif formula. Something like this - COUNTIF(Range with text,"*"&_cell with keyword_&"*")
Apologies if I missed, but what is the Array Formula to:
1. Analyze a list of URL's or a list of word phrases to understand frequency;
2. List in a nearby column from most used words to least used words;
3. Next to the list of words the count of occurrences.