15 MS Excel Tips to Make you a Productivity Guru

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We all like to customize things, to personalize them so that we feel better, faster and smarter using them. Microsoft Excel is a perfect example of highly customizable software. It is simple to learn and use, and at the same time it is relatively easy to change the way it works for you.

Here is a list of 15 useful excel tweaks that can make you hyper-productive. Happy Thursday 🙂

1. Change the order in which you edit cells

Change the order in which you edit cells - Excel Customization Hacks

We all know that when you hit enter on a cell excel usually takes you to the next cell in that column for editing. But what if you need to go to next cell in that row? Of course you can use tab. But you can also customize the cell edit order when you are typing out that large list of entries so that you need not change your habits for the software. Just go to Menu > Tools > Options > Edit tab and set the “move selection after enter” to whatever direction you like.

2. Change the number of default sheets on open from three

Change the number of default sheets on open from three - Excel Customization Hacks

Whenever you open a new workbook, excel shows 3 spreadsheets by default. Most of the times we need one or two of them. And when we are sharing the project plan or sales report (or whatever else the excel file has) with colleagues, we remove the other 2 sheets. You can save the trouble by telling excel to create only one sheet by default and let you add more if you need it. In Menu > Tools > Options > General Tab change the “sheets in new workbook” from 3 to 1.

3. Customize excel’s standard font to Arial to your favorite

Customize excel's standard font to Arial to your favorite - Excel Customization Hacks

Each one of us have our own favorite fonts. I like Verdana better than Arial. May be you like Georgia compared to Arial. But when you set out to create that gantt chart for your new project you have to manually change the font from Arial to Georgia everytime. No longer. Tell excel to change the default font from Arial to your favorite. In Menu > Tools > Options > General Tab set the “Standard font” to what you like. You can set the font size as well.

4. Hack auto-fills using custom lists

Hack auto-fills using custom lists - Excel Customization Hacks

Excel has few built-in lists that it uses for auto-filling cells when you drag that little pointer across. For eg. you can write Monday in 1st cell, Tuesday in 2nd cell and select these two and drag that over the next few cells by clicking in the corner and excel would fill rest of the weekdays in that range. This is a very useful feature. But what if you do repetitive typing your company products or annual holidays ? Of course you can tell excel to use your own lists for auto-fills. Just go to Menu > Tools > Options > Custom Lists and add your own lists by typing them or pointing to a location where they are.

5. Change the colors to something bold and better

Change the colors something bold and better - Excel Customization Hacks

Excel (2003 and earlier) has a limitation of 56 colors. We all have been living with that for a while now. But what if you need to tweak the colors to suit your company’s color scheme without spending too much time on it. Simple. Just change the colors for the current workbook by going to Menu > Tools > Options > Color and define your own RGB values for each of the colors. Alternative you can try this hack to get more colors in your charts.

6. Configure thousands separator and decimal symbols

Configure thousands seperator and decimal symbols - Excel Customization Hacks

Excel’s number formatting is pretty intelligent. It can get your country locale information from the system you are using and thus format the numbers (the thousands separators symbol and decimal point symbol) based on that. This is a very useful feature since you dont have to worry how the numbers are shown. But what if you are in US but your reports needs to show numbers according to some other country’s format? You can change the thousands separator and decimal point symbols to suit your preference. In the Menu > Tools > Options > International Tab, uncheck the “use system separators” and enter your own.

7. Bugged with annoying error checking options? Turn them off forever

Bugged with annoying error checking options? Turn them off forever - Excel Customization Hacks

Excel’s formula error checking options are both useful and annoying. For eg. Excel would tell me if there is an “inconsistent formula in region”. Very useful feature to spot omissions. But what if you already know what you are doing and you need to omit few cells in that region in that formula? Still excel would bug you to correct that error. It may be better to turn off this error checking option that silence it every time. Go to Menu > Tools > Options > Error Checking Tab and uncheck error checking rules that you don’t want excel to apply.

8. Reduce your typing by using auto correct

Reduce your typing by using auto correct - Excel Customization Hacks

We have come to rely on features like spell check, undo, auto correct so much that our productivity would drop 50% if these features were to vanish tomorrow. But do you know that you can use auto-correct feature to be even more productive? You can set your own auto correct rules in Excel (Word, PowerPoint as well) and this little tweak can help you reduce typing. For eg. while writing blog posts I often write PHD to convey Pointy Haired Dilbert. Instead of actually typing Pointy Haired Dilbert every time, I can define an auto-correct rule that says replace PHD with Pointy Haired Dilbert. Imagine how much of typing you can reduce by defining simple replacements for several day to day words you type. Define your own auto correct rules in Menu > Tools > Auto Correct Options > Auto Correct Tab.

9. Tell excel to show full menus, Always!

Tell excel to show full menus, Always! - Excel Customization Hacks

One of the smart features of MS Office is that the menus learn what options you use often and show only them when you click on the menu. But this gets in the way of being productive if your work involves using various options all the time. Fortunately you can turn off this feature and tell Excel (and other office apps) to show Full menus always. Just go to Menu > Tools > Customize > Options Tab and check “Always show full menus” option.

10. Reduce the workbook size by compressing pictures

Reduce the workbook size by compressing pictures - Excel Customization Hacks

Whenever you are sharing the workbooks with colleagues either through mail or by uploading to a server, it is recommended to keep the size of workbooks low in order to let the receivers quickly get the file. Sometimes excel files can be very huge depending on the number of sheets and formulas you have used. There is one trick to reduce the size of excel files with images. You can tell excel to compress the images for web viewing. This will force saving the images at lower resolution of 96dpi instead of standard 200dpi. In the Menu > File > Save As dialog box, click on “Compress pictures” option and adjust the resolution in the “change resolution” area.

11. Tell excel how to calculate your formulas

Tell excel how to calculate your formulas - Excel Customization Hacks

Often when you are working on spreadsheets with lots of formulas it can be a bit inconvenient to have excel recalculate every formula at each key stroke. Especially if the formulas involve a large range then excel can take quite a while to perform the calculations hogging system resources. Of course there is a way to force excel to calculate formulas when you choose to (by hitting F9). In Menu > Tools > Options > Calculation tab set the calculation to Manual or Automatic except for tables.

12. Save time by using templates

Save time by using templates - Excel Customization Hacks

Every organization / individual has their own tastes on how a status report, project plan, gantt chart or grade table should look like. And often we spend hours touching up that spreadsheet / document to make sure it complies with standard styles / fonts / layouts. There is a simple work around that could reduce the time spent on formatting in Excel. Next time you make a project plan, save it as a template and use it whenever you need a project plan and edit the stuff you need to. Saves time for other nicer things like.. mmm, sipping coffee or reading Pointy Haired Dilbert.

13. Use paste special when copying charts to PowerPoint, it saves space as well

Use paste special when copying charts to PowerPoint, it saves space as well - Excel Customization Hacks

Ok, this is pretty common, we design charts, tables in Excel and then paste them in to PowerPoint. But somehow the formatting is not preserved or the file is too huge. Here is a simple hack that you may already know. Use paste special whenever you are pasting the charts / tables to PowerPoint / word or outlook and select “enhanced meta file” option. This makes sure you have a good quality chart that looks slick when projected (or printed) while taking up less space.

14. Remove any personal information from the spreadsheet with one click

Remove any personal information from the spreadsheet with one click - Excel Customization Hacks

Often when you make a spreadsheet about that vacation plan or to share party expenses and send it to others you may want to remove your personal information from the excel file, just to make sure the file is harmless even if it is posted on the cloud. In Menu > Tools > Options > Security tab, check the “Remove personal information from file properties on save” to make sure your company name, last name etc. are removed from the excel file properties.

15. Bored with Excel menus? Create your own

Bored with Excel menus? Create your own - Excel Customization Hacks

Finally, how would you like your own menu with your own shortcuts ? This can be super-productive if you spreadsheet a lot and need to access all those nifty features with one click. Here is a clue on how to get your own menus. Go to Menu > Tools > Customize > Commands Tab and add your menu to the list. How? That is your home work. After all you are a spreadsheet customization guru now.

That is all. So go ahead and tweak that spreadsheet software and have fun in all the time you have just saved.

Note: all tips are tested on MS Excel 2003. Let me know if you face any difficulties.

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104 Responses to “Form Controls – Adding Interactivity to Your Worksheets”

  1. kyrel says:

    how to change the font and font size in list box or combo box?

  2. Hui... says:

    @Kyrel
    You cannot change the font size/type in a List or Combo Box Form Control
    The Active X versions do give you that functionaility.

  3. kyrel says:

    tq so much...

  4. Luke M says:

    Just curious, has anyone been able to get a valid cell link from a list box when multiple selections are made? With both the combo and list boxes, I can get them to work okay when selecting 1 entry, but as soon as I try to get multiple selections, the list box seems to simply stop working.
    FYI, I'm using XL 2003.

  5. dan l says:

    Great post.

  6. Hui... says:

    @Luke
    You can only access the Multi Select options through VBA programming and is beyond the scope of the post.

  7. Luke M says:

    @Hui
    Thanks for the response. I was thinking that was the case, but figured it didn't hurt to hope this was somehow available. Great post on explaining all the different forms.

  8. Robert says:

    Luke,

    I discussed different techniques of implementing a multi-select input feature in Excel. A combobox / listbox and some other. As Hui already pointed out, there is some VBA needed. However it is not too complicated and the post provides all example workbooks for free download:

    http://www.clearlyandsimply.com/clearly_and_simply/2009/01/approach-with-caution.html

  9. Fred says:

    Great Post. I use form control whenever I can. The only thing I don't quite understand when to use form control or active x control. Most often I'd do a trial and error and see which fits my needs. If one doesn't then most often than not it's the other control that I'll need.

    I like form control very much as it makes things cleaner to look at, and limit how others interract with my spreadsheet.

  10. Fred says:

    question on list box: what if I pick "Multi" under control on List box format control? I have never use that one. How would chosen 1st, 4th and 7th and 9th on the list would make an impact on follow up formula/equation??

  11. bill says:

    @Fred -VBA code need to be used to untangle choices with a box that allows multi selection. i have not found any example code.

  12. Roji says:

    Why not have just one (Form Controls or ActiveX Controls) and make it work on all platforms? Wouldn't it be a lot simpler?

    Also, it would have been good if we're able to format Form controls.

    Something for Microsoft to think about.

  13. Hui... says:

    @Roji
    Form Controls have been around for a long time in Excel.
    Active X is the relatively new boy in town.

    Microsoft has always tried to maintain backward compatibility with file formats and I would suggest that is why it is maintained.

  14. Ken M says:

    A general observation - if you put too many of these controls on any one sheet ie Checkboxes then that sheet takes for ever to take focus so I am reluctant to overdo it

  15. MarkyB says:

    Chandoo - Just downloaded your excellent "Excel 2007+ Examples" file. Most useful !

    What I can't quite figure out is on the Check Box tab how the TRUE/FALSE indicators show or hide the data line / chart element ? A brief explanation would be gratefully received.

    Many Thanks

  16. Pedro Wave says:

    I just design an example of how to add interactivity to worksheets.

    I've been playing with the pictures of shapes to create a solitaire where cards are generated in VBA from scratch. You can view and download from my blog.

  17. Chandoo says:

    @MarkyB: Thank you so much for your purchase. See http://chandoo.org/wp/2010/08/31/dynamic-chart-with-check-boxes/ for an example on what you are asking.

  18. Hui... says:

    @MarkyB
    The Check Boxes and other Form Controls don't show or hide the data line.
    That is they don't control the chart.
    .
    They can be used to control the data that feeds the chart
    I don't plot the data directly but via an intermediate range where I can use formulas to control the data
    .
    There are 2 techniques I use to do this
    .
    When a Check box is ticked a linked cell will be true
    a) So use a formula for your data to make it say 200 when the Y Axis is set to a Maximum of 100
    eg: =if(b1=TRUE,a10,200)
    or
    b) set the cells value to na()
    eg: =if(b1=TRUE,a10,na())
    .
    Either way the point wont be plotted on your chart.
    .
    An Example of This is on the Check Box page of the example file above
    http://rapidshare.com/files/455058939/Form_Controls.xlsm

  19. Gregory says:

    I didn't realize ActiveX controls didn't work in Excel for Mac so I tested it out and you're absolutely correct. In fact, any VBA code that references an ActiveX control will fail when run by the compiler.

  20. RichG says:

    With form controls you can really look like a spreadsheet master. It also make it really easy for other users to enter data and ensure the integrity of the formats. Great information, thanks!

  21. pibfer says:

    Hi there,
    I have a question, It's very simple for you, I guess!!!
    How can I get a vertical scroll bar (I get it yet) and an horizontal scroll bar (the challenge) in the same table?
    The main idea is to show a 10x10 table, wich contains more than 100 rows and 100 columns?
    I appreciate your advise a lot!!!
    Kind regards,

    pibfer

  22. Hui... says:

    @Pibfer
    You can use scroll bars linked to a cell and then use an Offset in your table to do what you want
    Refer an example at: https://rapidshare.com/files/4271493887/Table_Scroll.xlsx

  23. bkourtni says:

    Is there a way to wrap text in a form control list box? I do not want to increase the horizontal size of my box to fit my list choices. Thanks!

  24. Pooja says:

    How do we get the vale of a dropdown box in excel ?

  25. Hui... says:

    @Pooja
    Right click on the Drop Down box and Look at the Cell Link cell Reference
    That cell has a number which can be used to lookup using Vlookup or Index the value from the source range
    Lets say your source Range was AA1:AA10 and cell link was AB1
    You can put =INDEX(AA1:AA10,AB1,1)
    anywhere to return the value displayed in the DropDown

  26. JR says:

    Verging on off-topic, but an important consideration! The Selected property of the listbox on the Mac appears to be broken, so it seems useless cross platform. If you looking to iterate through to work out which items are selected using (for example):

    For i = 1 To .ListCount - 1
    If .Selected(i) Then
    Action here
    End If
    Next i

    The method works on Excel 2010 but seems not be supported in Excel 2011.

    Anyone got a work around?

  27. Eric says:

    I'd like to use the radio-select buttons on one sheet, for multiple things. Example... Question 1... Select Yes or No. "Yes" performs a function, "No" performs another. Works great on the first question. However, when I get to question 2.... My Yes / No button's cell reference defaults to the cell references in question 1. If I change it, question 1 defaults to question 2. Can you only use these form controls once-per sheet? ugh!

  28. Hui... says:

    @Eric
    Insert 2 radio buttons
    Set their properties, cell links, text
    Then add a group box
    Group the 3 items
    .
    Repeat

  29. Tim M says:

    Is there a way to completely lock an option button or check box so when it is selected and you have protected the workbook/sheet, no one else can change it. Currently anyone can click on a checkbox and remove the check.

  30. Carrie says:

    Is there a way to lock the checkbox so it can not be unchecked by the user? I would like the checkbox to "default" to checked and not let the user change it.

    • Kevin says:

      My suggestion would be to right click the check box, click form control, then under control and then value, click checked then ok. Then protect the worksheet.

  31. Phil says:

    Anyone know if there's a way around the fact that the Extend option for Forms listboxes no longer works?
    In 2003, if you checked Extend in a listbox, you could select multiple entries by keeping the CTRL button pressed while clicking each entry. In 2010, when you press the CTRL button and click on an entry in the listbox, the whole listbox gets selected.
    I'd prefer not to use the Mutli option.
    Thanks!

  32. infinitedrifter says:

    Is there a way to make the vertical scroll bar on an active x drop down list wider? The one I'm working with is super tiny & I haven't found in the properties how to change it.

  33. Hui... says:

    @Infinitedrifter
    Not that I am aware of

  34. clif says:

    hi there! tanks for the post. 🙂 im starting familiarizing those control.. i want to have an idea of making an option form as reference to any formula..and how it works when it is included in the equation.. Tnx..

  35. MES says:

    is this possible to assign a value to each button and it will appear to the linked cell?

  36. Kaloyan says:

    Hi! Thanks for the tips! All I need are scroll bars to increase/decrease cell values, for which I use excel mixer pro (convexdna.com, I think). It makes amazing charts, on top of providing sliders. Has anyone tried it on excel 2011 for Mac? Do you know of any other similar tool?

  37. AB says:

    Hi!

    I am trying to add insert tick box. I have thousands of documents that i am recieving and would like to tick the box when i have recieved this information so i need to have alot of tick boxes over a wide cell range, how can i insert tick boxes over a wide range without individually adding them? I also would like to lock this box once i have selected it so that i cant mistakenly click it, is this possible?

    Thanks!

  38. silva says:

    hello,

    i wonder if there is a way to ajuste a range size controling a spinbutton.
    ex:

    when spinbottun says 1, the range became (a10:a10)
    when spinbottun says 2, the range became (a10:a12)
    when spinbottun says 3, the range became (a10:a13)
    and so on
    ....

    and i wonder if ther is a way to establice a range size with a formula inspired in this thing: =(a1:a"(=COUNTA(b1:b10000)")

    thanks

    • Hui... says:

      @Silva
      Q1- Maybe
      Do you mean like
      =OFFSET(A10,,,Spinbuttonlink,)
      or
      =Sum(OFFSET(A10,,,Spinbuttonlink,))
      .
      Q2 - Yes, Use Indirect
      =INDIRECT("A1:A"&COUNTA(A:A))
      or as a range
      =SUM(INDIRECT("A1:A"&COUNTA(A:A)))

  39. Mozzy says:

    is there a way that you can show like an order form with check boxes on a facebook page then once submitted it will be compiled in another workbook or page where it cannot be accesed by visitors or viewers anymore? I am trying to prevent pranksters from vandalizing clients orders on an order form I am trying to create using excel. thanks.

  40. Ashwin says:

    I have spread sheet with Name of player in Row and his career highlights in column. I wanted to fetch particular details of player in one click so I created the combo box from form control. Combo box will give list of player and respective position in input range. Using if statement the data will be fetched to show particular details of player. I got what I wanted using simple "if" statement.

    In my actual spread sheet the column and rows are more than 15. Is there any better alternate formula or neat formula for this?

  41. raymond says:

    how to use button (form control) to function like spin button, to increase value to an existing cell?

    eg. value 10 in cell A1, and with a click of the button, it increases to 11

    thanks

  42. Chad says:

    I saw a question here earlier and wondering if anyone knows the answer. Tim asked above in September. I think I have same question. I'm working on a form where we complete some data and customer completes the rest - we use the protect sheet featuer. I have used the locked cell option to lock down cells from customer changes. It doesn't seem to work for drop down lists though. If I click format control on the drop down list and select "locked" on the protection tab it doesn't work. When I protect the sheet, the user can still change the value slected in the drop down. Looking to lock that down. Thanks in advance for any help.

    • Ken M says:

      If you are working within a sheet using data validation it is possible to enter a 'new' value if there is a blank cell within the drop down list range and 'Ignore blank' is checked - may be a clue to your data entry form problem - Good luck

  43. Ryan says:

    Check Box

    ? Under Format Object, move and size with cells is grayed out, why is this not available?

    I want to format the checked box to a specific cell.

    Thanks. 

  44. Abdul wahed says:

    Namaste chandoo garu,

    I am abdul wahed. How are you ?

    I have a small query regarding ms excel .
    In the institute I am working that is NIIT,THANE 1 of mumbai. I have accidently deleted one excel sheet tab called poonam tab and saved the file.That tab conatined data of 6 years students details.The cashier si screaming at me and crying like anything .
    I said that She should have put the backup of file ? Big problem has happened here ?
    Now how can I recover the lost data ?
    How to create an excel backup file ?
    Help me.
    Waiting eagerly for your reply
    bye

    Regards,
    Abdul wahed

    • Hui... says:

      @Abdul wahed

      1. Look for backups!, Official Backups, Has anybody taken a copy or emailed it recently etc

      2. Using Windows Explorer Look in the directory where the file was, are there any odd named files? If so copy them and put them aside somewhere. On the copies rename them to *.xlsx and then try and open them in excel

      3. Start typing!

  45. [...] Check boxes – to mark each activity as done (or not done) [...]

  46. Brett says:

    Spin Button Challenge
     
    I successfully linked a spin button form control to a cell, and have the spin button update the value shown in the cell. Great!
    Now I want to take this further. I want to have the spin button cell link to a formula such as indirect or offset so that I might update another cell, which in turn easily changes the cell to which a particular Cell Link, the spin button refers. The Cell Link doesn't seem to be able to accept a formula such as OFFSET or INDIRECT. Can anyone help me with this please?
    Ultimately what I want to achieve is to set up a template with spin buttons that update a summary page value which in turn change the displayed value on the template.
    I want to have many templates, so I need many rows on summary page, and I want to have a cell on each template such as  1, 2, 3 etc. that is used to refer to the row number offset, which in turn is used in the spin button Cell Link to update the correct row in the summary worksheet based on the template number.
    I would appreciate any help, even to solving this problem via a completely different method.
    Many thanks in advance

    • Hui... says:

      @Brett
      Hi from West Perth

      You cannot link controls to formulas as you are suggesting
      As you have already done, you link a control to a Cell
      You can then use that cell in a Offset or Indirect formula as you have suggested

      The Spin control changes the cell link cell
      The cell link value is then used in the Offset/Indirect to adjust the range/sheet that is being sought

      If that doesn't help you can email me, click on Hui... above, email address at bottom of the page

  47. Brett says:

    Thanks Hui
    Happy Greetings to another Perthian.
    Your help is much appreciated.
    I need to digest what you have said. I can use offset or indirect functions but I can't see how I can get them to work in this instance. I will likely write to you.
    Take care,
    Brett

  48. [...] Specify input range as lstChartTypes and cell link as a blank cell in your output sheet (or data sheet). [Related: Detailed tutorial on Excel Combo box & other form controls] [...]

  49. Aniket Reddy says:

    How to add list name in Combo-box ??

  50. Jacques Deseure says:

    How do you refer to a worksheet form control (e.g. button) in VBA code?
    Something like:
    Dim btnHelp As Shape
    Set btnHelp = ActiveSheet.Shapes("button 1793")
    Is this correct? Or should one do it differently?

    • Hui... says:

      @Jacques

      It really depends on what you want to do with the buttons with VBA?

      As most controls have a cell link, it is generally easier to reference that address to collect the status/value of the button

  51. Chelsea says:

    Hi,

    Is it possible to have a Check Box (Form Control) appear/disappear in a cell by selecting a value from a dropdown menu? For example: I have my dropdown menu in cell b2. Based on certain dropdown values, I would like different Check Boxes to appear in B4-B6.

    Meaning, if B2="Apple", I need B4 to have a check box to enable "Granny Smith", B5 to have a check box to enable "Pink Lady", and B6 to have a check box to enable "Fuji". But if B2="Grape", I need B4 to have a check box to enable "Green" and B5 to have a check box to enable "Purple".

    I am open to using other types of form controls or coding to make this happen--it's just that my knowledge in that area is slim.

    Appreciate the assistance!

  52. Zachary Bass says:

    How do you change change the index value of form control spin button with vba? The spin butoon contains two items. Something like Worksheets("Sheet2").Shapes("ListBox_TASKS").

    Thanks...

  53. Zachary Bass says:

    Thanks very much!

  54. […] you know, there is a form control in Excel that behaves like on/off switch. It is called check box. Although they are easy to use, check boxes are not very slick. So I though, why not make an on/off […]

  55. JC says:

    I like this template. I may modify how the checkboxes work though for a couple reasons:

    1) It's a pain to add more rows. If I want to add 10 more rows, it appears that I have to re-point each new object to the appropriate link-cell. Otherwise, they all point back to the copied row - checking one causes all of them to check.

    2) I can't group and collapse rows in the checklist without all the objects stacking together and remaining visible in the lowest non-collapsed row. With a simple "x", this would be ok.

    One solution would be to have a simple "x" instead of a checkbox object. I could just use an "x" to mark complete, and make the TRUE/FALSE based on an If formula (If "x" then TRUE; otherwise FALSE).

  56. You actually make it seem so easy with your presentation but I find this matter to be actually something that I think I
    would never understand. It seems too complicated and
    very broad for me. I am looking forward for your next post, I'll try to get the hang
    of it!

  57. Chris Vyhnal says:

    So I've got a spreadsheet with some scrollbars, and when I quit the sheet, it doesn't save my format controls for the page change. Minimum and maximum values and incremental change are stored, but my page change is not--upon opening it always defaults to 0 page change.

    What the heck? Suggestions?

    C

    • Hui... says:

      @Chris
      I've never seen Excel do that

      A few ideas:

      1. Are you using Form Controls or Active X Controls?
      Changing to Active X Controls has fixed up a few odd things for me in the past

      2. Try resetting the internal links in the file
      Close Excel if open
      .
      Start Excel
      Open your File
      Ctrl+Alt+Shift+F9
      Save your file
      Close Excel
      .
      Start Excel
      Open Your file

  58. Paul says:

    "They also have much better ties to VBA in terms of programmability and have a number of events that can be accessed programmatically."

    I don't understand how you can say this if you can't even acess them programatically in any reasonable way. Sorry to come off so negatively but, I wasted days on trying to find a solution that should be as fundamental as incrementing a counter.

    And BTW, Google searches for an answer that doesn't exist is great at producing thousands of dead ends.

    You cannot put them in an array such as ShapeRange, you cannot identify the control name in an expression and requires some kind of awkward workaround like finding a unique property I guess?

    Only solution seems to be hard coding the control name So if I have a 25x25 array of buttons, to change one I need to select from 625 cases? And once I give up I need to completely change my strategy and now 2 weeks work is trash.

    But to work with a shape it's just a matter of:
    ShapeName = "SomeName" & i
    Shape(ShapeName).someproperty

    Or create a ShapeRange array and reset a large group with a single statement

    Am I offbase here? I really hope I'm wrong but I can't seem to find the answer other than one trick that required a new class but that treats all controls like they are clones which might work for some unique cases.

    If you think this in just non constructive criticism, I wish I'd found one statement like this in my searches weeks ago.

  59. Sasi Rekha says:

    Hi.. I am using combobox for one report. My need is i want to link 3 to 4 combo boxes to show the report understandably. Eg. If i am selecting "Zone 1" from combobox1, the combobox2 should show all the "Regions" under region 1 and combobox3 should all the "Branches". ie-Combobox1 for "Zone", Combobox2 for "Region" and Combobox3 for "Branch".. Please help me out sir... Thanks...

  60. Sasi Rekha says:

    Hi.. I am using combobox for one report. My need is i want to link 3 to 4 combo boxes to show the report understandably. Eg. If i am selecting “Zone 1? from combobox1, the combobox2 should show all the “Regions” under Zone 1 and combobox3 should all the “Branches”under region 1. ie-Combobox1 for “Zone”, Combobox2 for “Region” and Combobox3 for “Branch”.. Please help me out sir… Thanks…

  61. Chris says:

    Not sure this is still monitored, but hoping you can help. I've created a worksheet that is sortable by checkboxes. This is probably outside the scope of this page, but . . . The macro code is as follows:
    Sub Front_Door_click()
    '
    ' Front_Door_click Macro
    ' When clicked, opens all FR DR options
    '

    '

    If Check_Box_28 = True Then
    Check_Box_30.Value = False
    Check_Box_32.Value = False
    Check_Box_34.Value = False
    End If

    If Sheets("Master List").CheckBoxes("Check Box 28").Value = 1 Then
    Range("C193").Select
    ActiveSheet.Range("$A$8:$X$206").AutoFilter Field:=3, Criteria1:=Array( _
    "FR-LH", "FR-RH", "FR-RH FR-LH", "FR-RH FR-LH RR-RH RR-LH", _
    "FR-RH FR-LH RR-RH RR-LH SD-RH SD-LH", "FR-RH FR-LH SD-RD SD-LH"), Operator:= _
    xlFilterValues

    Else
    Range("C193").Select
    ActiveSheet.Range("$A$8:$X$206").AutoFilter Field:=3, Criteria1:=Array( _
    "FR-LH", "FR-RH", "FR-RH FR-LH", "RR-LH", "RR-RH", "RR-RH RR-LH", "SD-RH", "SD-LH", "SD-RH SD-LH", "FR-RH FR-LH RR-RH RR-LH", _
    "FR-RH FR-LH RR-RH RR-LH SD-RH SD-LH", "FR-RH FR-LH SD-RD SD-LH", "RR-RH RR-LH SD-RD SD-LH"), Operator:= _
    xlFilterValues
    End If
    End Sub

    That's the code for one button, the other buttons list Rear Door options or Sideliners. The code works perfectly, but when a checkbox is chosen it jumps you down the page, sometimes below the list completely. How can I force it to stay at the top of the page?

  62. Adil says:

    hi Chandu,

    I am facing problem in adding ALL option in combo box and then sum upon selection.

    Like Sales of Region
    A
    b
    c
    d
    All region
    Can you help me ? How Can I do that?

  63. Prajakta says:

    Hi,

    I have created a dashboard using "Option/ Radio Button" and received a lot of appreciation.

    Thank you for that!!!

    Moving ahead, I have a query in the same.
    Now I want to put those option button/check boxes in a way that whenever I'll select both of them, there will be two charts appearing at the same time so that I can compare.

    I hope you got it what I am trying to say.

    Awaiting your reply.

    Regards,
    Prajakta

  64. amir says:

    hi
    i am iranian
    i like to leaning excel industrial

  65. Mahantesh says:

    Hello,

    I want to learn sumproduct() function.. can anyone discuss with proper example as i found it very tough to understand.

    Where it is used and how?

    Regards,
    Mahantesh

  66. irul says:

    its very interactive form in excel.. how to create form by calling value from one column..? How to create pop up entry data form in excel, by clicking a member

  67. Ramesh says:

    Hi Chandoo,

    Is there any chance to select multiple radio buttons at a time in excel 2013.
    please help me on this.

    Regards,
    Ramesh

    • Hui... says:

      @Ramesh
      If your talking about Form Control Option Buttons
      No, They are either on or off and when grouped only a single one can be active

      If you want to select multiple items use a Check Box Form Control instead

      You can use separate Radio Control Buttons
      Each must belong to its own group
      Each group will have different cell links
      Then you will need to apply the logic to control them yourself

  68. Andrew says:

    I have added the SEP date control to a spreadsheet to provide a date picker.

    Does anyone know if it is possible to link the output (the picked date) to a text box or cell elsewhere in a workbook?

    I have a form where I'd like to be able to pick the date, and then show this date on an output worksheet somewhere else.

    Thanks

    Andrew

  69. donna dennis says:

    Hi,
    Regarding the cell link in the Form Control. Can the cell link value be dragged from cell to cell vertically without having to input individually as a time saver? I would like to have c3, c4, c5, c6, etc. but when I try dragging it just populates c3 all the way down.

  70. Sandeep Kothari says:

    Comprehensive guide on excel form controls.

  71. Sandeep Kothari says:

    What are problems with using Active X controls?

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