We have a macbook at home (we have a name for it too, we call it Shimla, the most romantic place for us). Like all latest macbooks, this one too came with a trail version of iWork. Even though I have used iWork before, this time I wanted to compare iWork numbers with Excel. In this post, I want to highlight 7 really cool features for iWork and how Microsoft excel can benefit from implementing the same.
1. iWork comes with sexy templates
When you try to make a new Numbers document, iWork asks you to select from some of the templates. The templates are really practical and very cool. For eg. they have a template for creating a check-list, product comparison worksheet, household budget. These are really easy to use and work to the point.
With excel 2007, MS introduced several new templates and gave us an option to import templates from web. But still, users resort to quite a few workarounds when it comes to building a neat looking worksheet. We all could benefit if something like this is available in Excel.
2. Simple but effective Paste Options
When you copy some values in to clipboard and try to paste them, iWork gives you an option to “paste values” and “paste and match styles”. 2 most commonly used paste options.
In excel, this is usually hidden in paste special menu (in 2007, paste values is available as a menu choice as well). Excel veterans know the ALT+ESV shortcut by heart. It would be cool to have these options highlighted in the menus and given easy to remember shortcuts.
3. Making Checkboxes, Sliders, Steppers ad List boxes is very easy
In iWork Numbers, to get a checkbox in a cell, all you need to do is format the cell as “checkbox”. You can also format a cell as slider, stepper or “pop-up menu” (usually known as combo box).
This is very easy compared to all the form control based stuff we are used to Excel. If MS implements this idea, we dont need to resort to sneaky tricks to get a bunch of checkboxes in excel or use wingdings font.
4. Quick summary of data
Whenever you select a bunch of numbers, iWork Numbers displays 5 quick statistics about the data, in the status area of the numbers application. (Unlike excel, iWork numbers has status bar in the left side).
Excel also shows the quick summary in the status bar, but usually the sum of values. (In excel 2007, you can configure the stats you want to see, thus mimicking this behavior. But it would surely help if these 5 stats are “always on” by default.
5. Cleaner Menu / toolbar area
While MS is going towards ribbon based interfaces for all their applications, iWork keeps the UI relatively simple and uncluttered. The toolbar area, shown below contains the vital buttons to make a filter, format a cell, create a chart, insert a function, table and change views. Everything else is buried one level deep.
This could be a more effective way to expose a complex application’s functionality. MS should consider these UI options as well.
6. Inspector Dialog for all the formatting options
Excel has a ton of dialogs to format cells, charts, drawings, printer settings, tables and more. In iWork, there is one dialog for all of these, called as inspector window. Using this you can setup printer options, page layout, table design, cell formatting, chart formatting, font, text, paragraph settings, drawing shape formats and other inserted object (such as movies) formats. Based on the selected item, the inspector window shows the corresponding tab where you can adjust the formatting.
This could be a great way to reduce the popup fatigue in Excel. In Excel 2007, MS introduced new popups that further complicated the way even a simple chart axis formatting. We all could benefit if MS implements simpler dialog boxes modeled after the inspector.
7. Switch rows and columns in charts intuitively
In iWork Numbers, to switch rows and columns in a chart, all you had to do is select the chart and then click on the little button that appears next to data range of the chart.
In excel you can do this using “select data” options of the chart. But doing this without leaving the worksheet is much more intuitive and cooler.
Have you tried iWork Numbers?
Apple is famous for its design sense and beautiful products. iWork is no exception. It is a visual treat to work with iWork.
What is your opinion about it?
37 Responses to “Quickly Change Formulas Using Find / Replace”
Chandoo,
this is a really cool stuff what I use quite often. In addtion this method also could be a good choice to switch the reference type of the formulas from relative to absolute or vice versa. (just simply replace the $ in the same way).
Andras
@Andras: you are right, we can use find / replace to change references, reference types etc. Now, only if they had regex in find/ replace, we could so much more 🙂
@Tony Rose: Thank you. This is very useful and powerful feature. I even use it for cleaning up data. While formulas are good, they are not the solution for every problem. Often when I need more powerful cleanup / changing, I copy paste the stuff to text editors like notepad++ and then use their find/replace to do the dirty task.
What if i have to change the formula from ='Analysis'!C1 to 'Analysis 1'!C1?
I tried doing it using Find /Replace but could't. Encountered some errors.
And is there a way to change this using VBA???
Hi,
Did you ever get a reply to this?
Thanks
Ollie
to make your life easier, suggest you to avoid (Space) in worksheet names whenever possible. Consider (underscore) instead.
As the first formula wouldn't have the single apostrophes (since there's no space) need to include that in replace. So, search for:
Analysis
and replace with:
'Analysis 1'
This could be the most useful tips I've seen in a while. I use this all the time and can instantly change 400 formulas with a few clicks. Like so many other functions in Excel, I don't know what I would do without this one.
Keep 'em coming!
[...] on formulas: 5 areas where mouse kicks keyboard’s butt | Edit formulas in bulk using Find / Replace | Excel Formulas Online [...]
THANKS BRO
You, sir, are a god among men...
This is really cool. Your just save me hours of work. Thanks.
Thanks so much for this fix! It saved me tons of work. I'm muddling my way through and this really helped!
Oh... My... God!
This tip just saved me about 2 hours every month! I can't believe how easy it is to use. Now, can somebody tell me who I should call to get a refund for the previous 100 hours I spent manually changing formulas cell by cell?
Thanks so much!
THANK YOU!!!
THANK YOU!!!!
You saved me hours, I had a sheet that has more than 500 formulas, and i needed to replace the year in all of them, you saved me hours
Awesome info on replacing cell addresses in formulas. I have never heard about Ctrl+` before. Thank you!
I have something inside a formula like:
=sum(A1, A2*10) all over I now need to get rid of the *10 {=sume(A1, A2)} I thought to use the find replace trick above but with a blank in the replace but it then outputs just zeros. I thought I could trick it by doing *1 but then it just turns into =*1) with none of my references. Does anyone have an idea how to do this?
The Ctrl+ trick is cool.
@T
Instead of replacing with a blank try replacing
*10)
with
)
Thank you! This literally will save me hours and hours of time, and that's without losing my sanity in the process!
I have Sheet(1), Sheet(2), Sheet(3), etc ... Sheet(100).
Then there's a summary tab where I want to recap information on all those different sheets. Is there anyway to create a formula on the Summary tab to get ='Sheet(1)'!B$29 copied down for all 100 sheets without having to change each sheet # within the formula by hand?
@Brigitte
If you have a list of the sheet names in A2:A100
In B2: =INDIRECT("'"&A2&"'!$B$29")
Copy down
or if you don't have a list of the sheets names you can make it up on the fly
=INDIRECT("'sheet("&ROW()-1&")'!$B$29")
Copy down
Thanks for the suggestion. However, I copied your formula right back to my file and it didn't work. So I did it another way. I put the tab/cell reference in one cell and then did an =INDIRECT() to capture that information.
K2="'Sheet("&L2&")'!B$29" which has a value of 'Sheet(1)'!B$29
B2=INDIRECT(K2) which now has a value of 40 (contents on Sheet(1).
Thank you!!!!
Thank you ..
Hi, Out of all the formulae, I wish to replace the formula which has generated 0 value with blank space? I am unable to do it with find and replace function,
Please suggest.
Thanks.
Chandoo, you literally just saved me about 2 hours of work. I had a document with a daily report in two formats. The second formate just linked to all the appropriate cells in the other format (different sheets). This was 180 references that needed to be changed and I had to make this for a 4 week period (aka 28 different sheets at 180 references to change per sheet).
Thanks so much.
I have tried this way and without using the Ctrl-` formula view
Either way, I am trying to do something simple, but it won't let me.
I have a bunch of cells with a simple math formula like
=-(0.5*20)
various values in each cell, multiplied by 20
I simply want to change the multiplier globally from 20 to 25. But when I tell it to find *20 and replace it with *25, it replaces the entire cell contents with *25, rather than just replacing the *20 portion of the cell contents.
Can anyone assist with this? Seems so simple, but Excel isn't letting me do it.
Search/Replace 20 or 20) with a cell Reference eg A1 or A1)
Then put the value 25 in A1
By using a * in the search it replaces all the text
how to find a specific cell's value in a column & replace replace it with another cell value i actually need a method to replace a data in ca column and replace with the value i have in a specific cell can i give a [ location ] of data to what i need to find and then give row or column range to where i need to find and the given value & then give a [ location ] of data to what i want to be replace with the find and replace by row & column range & than by specific criteria and than by specific location.
please help.
how to find a specific cell’s value in a column & replace replace it with another cell's value.
i actually need a method to find a specific cell's data in a column and replace it with the value i have in a specific cell.
can i give a [ location ] of data to what i need to find and then give row or column range from where i need to find the given value & then give a [ location ] of data to what i want to be replace with.
find and replace by row & column range & than by specific criteria and than by specific location.
please help.
how to find a specific cell’s value in a column & replace it with another cell’s value.
i actually need a method to find a specific cell’s data in a column and replace it with the value i have in a specific cell.
can i give a [ location ] of data to what i need to find and then give row or column range from where i need to find the given value & then give a [ location ] of data to what i want to be replace with.
"find and replace by row & column range & than by specific criteria and than by specific location."
in more than 100 sheets in entire workbook
please help.
This is a great tool, does anyone knows an easiest way??
I'm working with a system that has over 59000 references... so every time the replace all is activated. I lose an entire day.
i actually needs to find cell number "D12" in column "D" and replace with Cell Number "B8" for example
find what = Cell Number "D12" John McNamara
find Where = in Column "D"
Replace with = Cell Number "B8" Bieber D'Souza
Replace Range = Column "D"
In which Sheet = All Sheets in Work Book (more than 100 Sheets)
Note: in every Sheet Cells Number "D12" & "B8" containing Different Employ Name but the find rang and replace rang are same in every sheet and find what cell number and replace with cell number are same also.
please help!
thank you. saved lot of time.
Thank you from the bottom of my heart!
Hi, I am trying to figure out how to use RE to find and replace several values in a column. Using find and replace does not work because of the values I am working with. I have a column with hundreds of rows that have a description of several operating systems and other info, which looks like this: Windows Server 2008 R2 Member Server Security Technical Implementation Guide; Windows 2008 Member Server Security Technical Implementation Guide; Solaris 10 10 SPARC SECURITY TECHNICAL IMPLEMENTATION GUIDE; and Windows Windows 2003 Member Server Security Technical Implementation Guide.
I need to be able to find and replace (or basically curtail the descriptions) to be Windows 2008 R2; Windows 2008; Windows 2003; and Solaris 10. BUT when I run find and replace with just *2008*, it finds every instance, including the ones with R2 at the end. I need it to only change the ones with 2008 to Windows 2008 and the ones that have 2008 R2 to Windows 2008 R2. I know it is possible, but I have no clue on how to write a macro to do this.
Thanks for your help,
Gerard
Wickedly efficient workaround. Excel really is a powerhouse program, all you have to do is dig into it. Ctl ~ exposes the formulas, and Ctl H allows for the multi edit. Brilliant, Chandoo!