Did you know you can apply any text effect to a single character or group of text characters within a cell ?
How?
Select the cell
Enter Edit Mode by pressing F2
Move to the characters you want to edit,
Hint 1: Use Ctrl and the Left/Right Arrows to jump words left and right
Hint 2: Use Ctrl Home/End to Jump to the Start /End of the cells text
Select the text with Shift and Left/Right Arrows
Hint 3: Use Ctrl Shift and the Left/Right Arrows to Jump over and select words left and right
Apply the format, see below for a list of available formats
You can then move to other characters and edit them as appropriate.
Here is a quick demo:
Did you know you can apply any text effect to text as you enter it?
How?
As you are typing some text try the following
Enter some text, as you are typing apply Bold (Ctrl B), Italic (Ctrl I), Underline (Ctrl U) to toggle the effects on,
Hint 4: Use the keyboard shortcuts, Bold (Ctrl B), Italic (Ctrl I), Underline (Ctrl U) again to toggle the effect on/off as required
You can also apply color /font by using the appropriate menu drop down or Ctrl 1, Format Cells
Once again apply a format continue to type the text, apply/change formats as you go
Here is another quick demo:
What Formats are available
There are many Text formats that are available:
Bold – Ctrl B
Underline – Ctrl U
Double Underline – Ctrl 1 menu
Italic – Ctrl I
Font Color – Color Picker or Ctrl 1 menu
Font Size – Font Size Picker or Ctrl 1 menu
Super Script – Ctrl 1 menu
Sub Script – Ctrl 1 menu
Strikethrough – Ctrl 1 menu
Alt Enter – Add a second Line of text
Uses
There are many times where the use of in-cell text formatting is required
- Highlighting Individual Characters or Words
- Adding Footnote and other references
- Writing Chemical Formulas
- Writing Mathematical Formulas
Limitations
There are a few limitations to what and when in-cell formatting can be applied
- The limitations of these techniques is that it cannot be applied to characters of a cell where the cell is a formula
- The formats can’t be applied selectively by Conditional Formatting
- The Cells background color applies to the whole cell and cannot be changed for part of the cell or on a character by Character basis
- The Copy Cell Format tool does not copy in-cell text formats 🙁
Uses
When have you used in-cell text formats to great effect ?
Let us know in the comments below.
9 Responses to “Show forecast values in a different color with this simple trick [charting]”
While this works in a pinch, it clearly "lightens" the colors of the entire chart. Depending on where you use this, it will be blatantly obvious that you don't know what you are doing and present a poor looking graph.
Why not separate the data into different segments when charting and have as many colors as you have data points? You might have to create a new legend and/or repeat the chart in "invisible ink", but it would be cleaner and more consistent when new or updated data becomes available.
While I think I agree that doing it "properly" via a second series is preferable, I don't necessarily agree that making the entirety of the "future" (data, gridlines, and even the axis) semi-transparent is "poor looking". I think it could be seen as adding more emphasis to the "future-ness" of the forecast data.
In short, it's another tool for the toolbox, even if it's never needed.
Simply and clever 🙂
Quick & effective, cool. thanks.
I always use the dummy series.
Nice little trick, thanks very much!
Two sets of data better. Control is much better.
You can use the same chart next month to see what is actual and what is forecast.
To use this trick, I think grid lines has to be removed, that will make the graphic much more sharp.
to be honest, i dont understand why there is needed to do this way... in this case horizontal lines will be pale as well. then why a just can't change the color of the line partly???
Great tutorial. Thanks for the tutorial!