Meet our new guest author, Ian Huitson, or Hui.
Hui will share excel tutorials, implementations with us once a week. Please visit About – Hui to learn more about him.
This week I am going to introduce a method for allowing single points to be highlighted and interactively moved in Excel Scatter / X-Y Charts and Line Charts.
You will see a lot of these style charts in various places where you want to highlight various aspects of the chart to your audience. It is a great technique for complex scientific and engineering charts where you may have hundreds or thousands of points.
Introduction
Excel charting basically has 2 styles of charts with these being Y value vs X Value charts and Y value vs X Label charts.
Examples of the X Value charts are Scatter and Bubble charts. Examples of the X Label charts are Line, Column, Surface, Area, Radar and Bar charts.
The basic differences between these is that the former has a variable X Axis and the later has a fixed X-Axis spacing between subsequent data points.
Some members of the X Label charts can display a value-type X axis when the X entries are dates, ie: The X values are plotted proportionally to the dates they represent. These types include Line, Area, Column, and Bar (Thanx Jon)
Y value vs X value (Scatter Charts)
As these charts are plotting Y vs X directly onto the chart, it is simple to add a series which contains the points you want to highlight.
It is worth noting that chart series for Scatter Charts don’t have to have an equal number of entries in each series. We will use this add a new series with just one point.
Method:
Goto Pg1 of the sample file. Sample File
My Data is an X-Y set of data in B2:C41, each Y value in Column C is plotted on the chart against the corresponding X value.
To plot a single point it is a matter of adding a new data series to the chart
The new series will be the 2 cells at B43:C43
1. Setup 2 lookup cells
In B43 put the equation =OFFSET(B$1,$B$44,0)
In C43 put the equation =OFFSET(C$1,$B$44,0)
Note that both these formula retrieve a value that is the value in the Cell Reference cell, B44, below B1 and C1 respectively.
2. Setup a Cell Reference cell
Put a value in B44 for now say 1
3.Add a new Data Series to the Chart
Right click on the chart and goto Select Data
Add a New Series
Series Name Highlight
X Values =’Pg1′!$B$43
Y Values =’Pg1′!$C$43
4. Add a slider
The slider is already installed
5. Set the Sliders Cell Link, Min, Max and other details
You will now have a new data point which will be at point 1 on the chart
6. Format the New Data Series
Right Click the new point and Format Data Series
Select a larger Marker Size and make it a Bold Red to stand out
7. Add a data Label to the series
Right Click the New Series and select Add Data Labels
8. Format the Data Label
Right Click the New Series and select Format Data Labels
On the Labels Options Tab, Tick the X & Y values
Select the Label and change the Font to a Bold and Increase Size so that it stands out
Use:
As you move the slider the Highlighted point will move back and forwards across the screen and show both the location and X & Y Values of the data point.
How Does This Work?
The chart contains a second series consisting of a single point (x,y) which has been formatted to make it stand out on the chart
The coordinates for the new point are retrieved from the My Data list by using an offset from the top of the list.
The offset retrieves its offset value from a Cell Reference cell which in turn is controlled by a slider.
Why use Offset instead of Vlookup or Index/Match?
We aren’t concerned with looking up the actual value of the highlighted point, we are interested in retrieving for example the 9th data point from the list and the the 10th or 8th as we move the slider. The Offset only cares about how far it has to go to get the value, not the value.
By doing this we can mix up the X values, as Scatter charts allow you to do, and offset will happily retrieve data in order and doesn’t care about duplicates or having sorted data. Type any values into the X Column and watch as the offset happily maintains the highlighted point.
Line Charts
As these charts are plotting Y vs the position of the value on the X-Axis, a slightly different method is employed to highlight a point of interest.
For Line Charts we will add a new series to the chart and then use a method for hiding the non-highlighted points so that only the highlighted point is visible.
Method
Goto Pg2 of the sample file. Sample File
1. Setup a Cell Reference cell
Setup a Cell Reference cell by putting a 1 in D43
2. Add a New Data Series
Besides the sample data, add a new series Highlight
D1: Highlight
D2: =IF(ROW()-1=$D$43,C2,NA())
Copy D2 down to D27, Don’t worry about the errors #N/A, you put them there.
3. Add a new Data Series to the Chart
Right click on the chart and goto Select Data
Add a New Series
Series Name – Highlight
Y Series =’Pg2′!$D$2:$D$27
Note there is no X Value as the Y values are plotted in order against the existing X Values
You will now have a new data point which will be at point 1 on the chart
4. Format the new Data Series
Right Click the new point and Format Data Series
Select a Bigger marker size and make it a Bold Red to stand out
5. Add Data Labels
Right Click the New Series and select Add Data Labels
Right Click the New Series and select Format Data Labels
On the Labels Options Tab, Tick the X & Y values
Select the Label and change the Font to a Bold and Increase Size so that it stands out
6. Add a slider
The slider is already installed
7. Set the Sliders Cell Link, Min, Max and other details
Use:
As you move the slider the Highlighted point will move back and forwards across the screen and show both the location and X & Y Values of the data point.
How Does This Work?
The chart contains a second series consisting of a Column of #N/A error messages and a single cell containing teh Y value for the corresponding data point
Excel ignores and doesn’t plot the cells with the error message and so only the highlighted cell is plotted
The coordinates for the new point are retrieved from the My Data list by comparing the current Row to the Cell Reference cells value and if they are the same retrieving the Y value, all others rows have an error message inserted.
The slider is connected to the Cell Reference cell and so when the slider is moved the Cell reference cell updates and the new highlighted cell retries its value.
Quick Tip #1:
You can change the highlight from a standard marker to pretty much anything you like
Insert an Icon on your worksheet, Insert Menu, Insert Icon
Format the icon as you wish, Color, Size and Copy the icon
Select the Chart and select the Highlighted data point and Paste
To apply the picture/icon to all points in a series select the series and paste
Quick Tip #2:
You can add multiple highlights using the same techniques described in this post ie: for showing Min and Max values.
Instead of linking the Cell Reference cell to a slider link it to the Minimum or Maximum value of the data: =Min(Range), =Max(range)
Checkout the example on Pg3 of the Sample File: Sample File
FUNCTIONS USED:
Offset: http://chandoo.org/wp/2008/11/19/vlookup-match-and-offset-explained-in-plain-english-spreadcheats/
Row: =Row() returns the Row number of the Current cell
=Row(M10) returns the Row Number of Cell M10 = 10
NA: = Returns the Error Message #N/A
How do you like to highlight your data? Let us all know in the comments below:
What would you like to see discussed as a How To? Let me know in the comments below:
55 Responses to “Quickly Fill Blank Cells in a Table [Reader Tip]”
this can be done in 3 steps:
1. select the blank cells (as described above)
2. select the cell with the value you want to copy (CTRL-CLICK to add to the selection)
3. place cursor into formula bar and hit CTRL-ENTER
please ignore or delete my comment - it solves a different problem: copying a single value to all blank cells. apologies.
That is a great method and it saves me a lot of time! I first heard about it from Mr Excel in this video - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jHmh_viESuw. He has a neat way of doing the paste special values at the end of his video.
Hi!
I fill blank cells with an almost identical method; go to any the first blank cell in any column and place the equation and enter (=D2, for the same example above); then copy that cell, select the columns/range you want to fill (even if in different columns), Special, go to Blanks, Paste (default), copy all range and paste as values.
although the two methods are almost identical, what i use might be less hectic regarding entering formulas without clicking any of the cells (step 7)
ie:
1. fill an empty cell with using =D2(cell above)
2. copy D3 (the cell with the formula)
2. Select blank cells after selecting the range with empty cells (steps 1,2,3,4 and 5)
3. paste (normal)
4. copy then paste as values
BR
AQ
Great tip. I'll use it later today!
Martin -Thank You! This wonderful tip will save me a great deal of time each week.
Thanks Martin! Up to this point, I've always used a clumsy combination of filters and fill-down's. This is much cleaner.
Fantastic. Thanks for sharing.
None of these steps are necessary, Excel has this feature built into the ribbon.
Click on any row label in the table where there are blanks under it.
Click on the PivotTable Tools>Design tab on the ribbon
Click the Report Layout button in the Layout group at the far left
Select the option in the list
Done
To remove the duplication, use the feature right below that option.
There is a slightly simpler way and more flexible. Hihglight the required cells - which could be the column only in your table. Do the Ctrl-G, Alt-S, K, Enter (or Goto, Special, Blank Cells) so that they are highlighted and Type ={up arrow}, Ctl-Enter. This will make the cells equal the cell above - you do not have to enter any address at all. The technique can obviously be adapted to many situations. An example of the practical use for this is when you have saved an Inventory report from an accounting program that prints a heading (or something) on one line and prints details of that group (the heading) on subsequent lines (without the heading).
Hi Martin,
great trick! If only I had known it earlier, it would have saved me quite some time...
Not again, thanks!
I came across this in a class recently myself and posted a tutorial on my blog. The Special area of the Go To dialogue box is wicked. Some great options in there, hidden away waiting to be found.
Good work Martin.
Hi Martin,
Many thanks for sharing this powerful trick. Saves alot of time.
Gabriel
Please give credit where credit is due. Posted on June 30, 1998: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/fillempt.htm
Ahhh... Very neat trick. Thank you, Martin.
Ken, I tried to follow your post but could not get it to work. Could not find options
I have been using this trick for ages and would be lost without it.
Thank you very much!!! I had other tricks to deal with it, but this one is way faster and easier!!!
@BigG: Good resource there. Thanks for sharing the link with us. Please note that, this technique is not new. I am sure many Excel users would have discovered this already. We have not copied or inspired from David's article. It was just a happy coincidence.
@Ken: Your technique works only with Pivot Tables made in Excel 2010 or above.
Thanks Martin!! Nice post 🙂
@Chandoo: I also use the ASAP utilities add- in available in the link below:
http://www.asap-utilities.com/download-asap-utilities.php
This summarizes lot of hidden features in excel (like using Find function on entire workbook, password protecting all sheets at once, copying print setting of sheets etc.,) and is quite useful for beginners like me 😉
Thanks Martin and Ahmad Qadah. This is useful. I previously used to ask the senders to retrieve the data again so that I did not have the blanks.
Nice trick. I always use the specialcells method of the range object in code to access this powerful goto special dialog box in vba - a trick that Chandoo taught me in vba school - which is another reason you should join (a free bit of promotion for you Chandoo..!)
🙂
Yes I have seen this one before so credit may belong elsewhere. Never the less still especially useful where a legacy system report is sent to a text file which is subsequently re-imported to Excel but the original report is indented by groups. You can then recreate a complete data record for each report line
NB Different Ken to above
Thanks Martin - great post. I often work with data in this form and I usually fill in the blanks manually, by copying and dragging a cell value down - this way is much less prone to human error!
One challenge.. the last step where I change formula to constants. This replaces any formulas that I have as well. What If I want to change the formula to constants only where I replaced them with blank ?
Hi martin, thanks a million 🙂
Nicely explained Martin, thanks for sharing this tip. As Tanja says, this method is far less error-prone. When I first learned this method it saved me lots of time, so I decided to create a video on Youtube to share it with others. In my 3 minute video I compare side-by-side two methods of filling in blanks on 500 rows of data (1) using the fill handle, (2) using Go To > Special > Select Blanks
Just like in Mr Excel's video shared by Andrew in comment (3), I used the right mouse button to drag the selection border to do paste special values at the last step.
If you want to check out my video, visit this link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TDcVOKbm34&hd=1
I've came across this a month ago, and it really is a gem of a tip!
Thanks. Great tip and useful for a range of excel projects 🙂
Vishy,
When you Ctrl Enter the formula into all blank cells, Excel keeps the formerly blank cells highlighted, revealing the new values.
At this point you can choose to Copy and Paste Special them as constants. All other formulas remain untouched.
BigG,
I was not familiar with that link and I certainly didn't copy the article from it. As Chandoo commented this is not a new technique, and I am hardly the first to have written about it.
@Martin,
using office 2007; you can not copy multiple selection, what version are you using?
Thanks
Thanks, Really nice, really helpful.
wow, how cool is that! Thank you for this tipp!! GREAT!
I thought this was a great tip. I had never done such things with tables in Excel (having only converted to 2007 a couple of months ago, I soon discovered what a versatile tool they can be). So I decided to create my own copy and duplicate the process. Taking it a step further, I recorded the steps in VBA and used those as a guideline to create this simple macro which accomplishes the same function.
Caveat: this will only work when a cell in the table is selected and it will replace ALL formulas in the table with their values.
Sub FillTableBlanks()
' Macro created 20 October 2011 by Jason B White
'Declare Variable
Dim strTable As String
'Get Current Table Name
strTable = ActiveCell.ListObject.Name
'Select Current Table
Range(strTable).Select
'Fill Blank Cells With Formulas
Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks).FormulaR1C1 = "=R[-1]C"
'Paste Values Of Formulas
Selection = Selection.Value
End Sub
I hope that submitting macros is sanctioned in this forum. My previous post was my first ever attempt at contributing to an Excel blog. And I'm unaware if there is a way to differentiate macro snippets by using tags as I've seen in other Excel VBA forums.
I just wanted to mention that I figured out a way to modify my macro so that it doesn't overwrite ALL formulas in the table, but only those which were filled in by the macro.
Modifying the fourth section (Fill Blank Cells With Formulas) as shown below accomplishes that:
'Fill Blank Cells With Formulas
Selection.SpecialCells(xlCellTypeBlanks).Select
Selection.FormulaR1C1 = "=R[-1]C"
Hi,
I face a similar situation in office and use the below macro after selecting the range of data across which I want to duplicate the data below.
Sub FillBlankCellsSelectionDown()
Dim rAcells As Range, rLoopCells As Range
Set rAcells = Selection
For Each rLoopCells In rAcells
If rLoopCells.Value = "" Then
rLoopCells.FillDown
End If
Next rLoopCells
End Sub
re: paste special -> values
Drag the Paste Values toolbutton on to the standard toolbar next to the Paste button and save a couple of clicks.
Hi everyone many thanks for sharing this solutions but do not work Excel 2003? right? Thanks
@Alejandra:
I know that the macro I created was in Excel 2007. I assume that it's probably specific to 2007 (or 2010), but can't be sure, as I no longer have access to a PC running Excel 2003.
I have to admit that I didn't even realize that tables existed when I was using 2003.
Filling blank cells (cleaning-up the pivot-table aftermath) is one of our "daily-ritual", to dealing with those, we've create a short-cut (one of the many) to very quickly fill-up those blanks.
Basically what we need to do is to select the whole area to be filled-up (with the value above), and click a button, VBA automatically deals with the rest.
We use VBA to handle this problem just as mentioned above by several other people, however, I think we'll also need to consider the extreme (well, actually not that extreme if you're dealing with lots of data on a day-to-day basis) case: that the "blank" cells are highly fragmented, e.g. the maximum "areas" that Excel 2003 can handle is around 6500 (sorry I couldn't find the exact spec).
Thus, in our function, there's another step to cut-off the number of cells going into the "specialcells" function, just to make sure that the function will run in every condition.
I just wanna give a solution to similar problem which i face regularly while copying the data from a pivot as it is. I apply the following solution which i think is the easiest one on earth. Select a cell F2 (considering that column E is the last column filled with data) and type the following formula =IF(ISBLANK(A2),F1,A2). Now just drag the formula equivalent to the length and breadth of the entire range of data which want to fill in this case drag it from F2:I21 , remember do not apply on the cost column.
Now just copy whole new range i.e: F2:I21 and paste special it over the former range A2:D21. That's it 🙂
If u find any problem related to this formula u r welcome to contact me.
thanks martin
This doesn't work in excel 2007. So request to Martin , if he can confirm which version he has used. Guess 2010.
@BK
my method (comment #4) which is almost the same as Martins works on excel 2007... i've been using it since 2007 came out actually.
Excelent trick, thanks Martin.
[...] Quickly Fill Blank Cells in a Table [...]
eXCEEELLTOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO......!
Many thanks to Martin.
im getting an error no cells were found why is this
Very cool trick!
I'm facing a similar problem, but I'd like to use a formula to pick the first non-empty above the referenced cell, and keep the empty cells empty. Any solution?
Example case:
I've got 3 columns, 1) consecutive dates, 2) my current weight, 3) my BMI. The first data row would be like: A2) jan-1, B2) 70 (kg), C2) =70/1,75^2 (because my height, 175cm, is pretty constant)
Now of course I forget to write down my weight on jan-2nd, so the formula would return 0. If my weight is blank, I'd like to refer to the last 'non-blank' weight (up the list of course, so jan-1st).
The solution on this page would solve my problem partially, but every time I leave cells blank, I have to repeat these steps. A formula would prevent this, AND I can still see which days were actually not filled in.
[…] http://chandoo.org/wp/2011/10/17/fill-blank-cells-in-a-table/ […]
Thxs! Yes, "knew" you could do this with "one" col of data...never thought to try it with >>multiple<< cols...Cool!
Thanks a lot i was searching this thing for many days ,
Thanks a lot to martin
Thanks a lot to martin
Thanks a lot i was searching this thing for many days ,
Thanks a lot to martin
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