Tip #25 Access help for Lotus users

If you’ve converted from Lotus 1-2-3 and find Excel confusing, you can access help specific to your situation by clicking on Help, Lotus 1-2-3 Help…

Tip # 24 Use template worksheets

Templates can save you considerable time when you’re setting up a new worksheet. Click on File, New…, select the Spreadsheet solutions tab and choose a template from the list.

Tip # 23 Hide your data from prying eyes

If you want to hide from view any sensitive data, highlight the relevant cell and click on Format, Cells… Click on the Numbers tab, select Custom from the Category: list, double-click on the Type: input box and enter ;;;. Undo the operation to make your data visible again.

Tip # 22 Fit wide tables to the page width

To make your tables fit neatly on the page, click on File, Page Setup…, select the Page tab, click on the Fit to: radio button and pick 1 page wide. Click on the tall box and press [Delete], leaving the box empty.

Tip # 21 Remove hyperlinks from your work

If Excel has already converted your written URL into a hyperlink, you can cancel it by right-clicking on the offending address and selecting Hyperlink, Remove Hyperlink from the menu that pops up.

OR:

Type the url, press Enter key, and then Ctrl + Z. The text will remain but without a hyperlink.

OR:

When Excel automatically creates the hyperlink, click the small star and select 'Stop automatically creating hyperlinks'

Tip # 20 Calculate running totals

Enter the numbers to be added in column A, say A1 to A5, then enter =SUM($A$1:A1) into column B. Highlight the cells beside the ones with numbers in (in our example, B1 to B5) and go to Edit, Fill, Down. This places the running total of the figures in A1 to A5 in the adjacent column.

Filling Down – the easy way to perform
dynamic calculations.

Tip # 19 Enter URLs as text , not hyperlinks

To prevent Excel from converting written Internet addresses into hyperlinks, add an apostrophe to the beginning of the address, for example ‘www.excel-macros.blogspot.com.

Tip # 18 Calculate time between dates

Enter in a cell the formula =A2-A1,where A1 is the earlier date, and A2 the later one. Don’t forget to convert the target cell to number format – do this by highlighting the cell, clicking on Format, Cells…, picking on the Number tab and selecting Number from the Category: list.