A SHARP COOKIE - Microsoft Office Tips and Tricks

IPhone Hotspot on Windows 10

Mon, 30 Mar 2020 18:38:56 GMT

My Windows 10 computer wasn’t seeing my phone hotspot.

1. Switch off Windows 10 wifi
2. Change phone name to all letters, no spaces
3. Turn on WiFi.

BOOM! Fixed!

Data Lists in Excel

Sat, 24 Jun 2017 03:19:08 GMT

Dropdown lists can increase efficiency and help ensure data reliability.

If the Mac version isn't playing, try the Youtube link. These recordings do not have audio...yet.

The key to dropdown lists is that you need to use the absolute cell references (example: $A$1:$A$3), because you want to ensure that the list always points to the same data fields.

This dropdown list exercise was for a teaching demonstration. The PC video was recorded with Windows's X-Box recorder (Windows +G), which does not show the pop-up window for the data validation tools.

Using the old 2010 Microsoft Office Clipart in 2013 and Beyond

Sun, 28 May 2017 20:02:28 GMT

I miss the easy clipart of Office 2010.

I am not a fan of the lack of clipart in Word, Excel, and PowerPoint 2013 and 2016. I like the easy access to online images, but I am concerned about violating copyrights and I don't want to feel like I am always connected online.

Also, teachers know that students can not always have online access. Clipart ensured that students would find appropriate images even when the wifi wasn't working at school.

My current project is moving the old clipart from 2010 to my new computer.

Where are the Microsoft Word and PowerPoint Clipart files stored???

First, I went to the C: Program Files > Microsoft Office > Media > CAGCAT10 files.

The files have names like J0149407.wmf - Windows Meta Files. When I open them, they look like clipart.

Then there is a folder called 1033 and in it is a CAGCAT10 Media Catalog File. It gives me a warning if I try to open it.

I saved the files to the SD card that I left in this old Windows 7 computer before I closed it years ago, and put it in my current computer. I can import them into Word as just a regular picture, but there isn't the clipart option to search for them, so I am going to have to put them into categories or something.

Another day of adventures with computers.

Efficient Excel: Easy Adding and AutoSum Tips

Sat, 13 May 2017 17:56:29 GMT

If you are new to Excel or you want to work more efficiently, try these tips for using Autosum.

Let's start with some basics.

If you just want a quick view of a running total, select the numbers and look in the bottom right corner of your screen.

For numbers that will stay in place, you can:
Use the Autosum key on the Home tab or the Formula tab (or add it to the Quick Access toolbar)
Press Alt+11
Use the Quick Analysis tools on the bottom right corner of a selected cell group (or press CTRL+Q)
Make a table (Ctrl+T) and click table rows on the Table Design tool.

Conditional formatting for multiple columns

Fri, 12 May 2017 14:02:04 GMT

Question: I want to apply conditional formatting to two columns, so that when one column is highlighted by a color, the column next to it is, also.

When I am teaching Excel, the question of how to apply conditional formatting to other columns comes up a lot, and in the past I solved it with a macro or an =if rule mimicking conditional formatting, and this is still a good solution.

However the clever engineer I am married to showed a me a better, more efficient way, and that is a golden rule: in Excel, efficiency is everything.

To start, I am setting up a simple spreadsheet. I have the days of the week in Column A1:A7 and numbers 1-7 in Column B1:B7.

For this scenario, I want to say that anything in column B that is greater than 5 is highlighted.

Step 1: Make your range a table by pressing CRTL+T at the same time. This inserts a header row, making the table span A1:B8.
Step 2: Select your cells that should be affected by the conditional formatting.
Step 3: Create a conditional formatting rule. I will use anything above 4 will be highlighted as yellow.
a. New Rule
b. =$B2>=4 and the formatting is yellow. Using the $B keeps Excel looking in row B to find a value in 4.
Step 3: Modify the rules. This will include column A. Go to Modify Rules to open the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager.
a. The rules should apply to =$A$2:$B$8. Use F4 to get the magical $ to indicate absolute value.

Create a random drawing with Excel

Thu, 11 May 2017 12:23:40 GMT

In a class recently, someone asked me how to use Excel for a random drawing. Like all things Excel, it seems like it is possible. Also like all things Excel, it is more complicated than it needs to be.

To do this, we use:
=rand
=rank
conditional formatting

Step One:

a. Cell A1: Type Number of Winners
b. Cell A2 is the number of winners, and this number can be changed depending on how many prizes are available. In formulas, it is written as $A$2 because it is the only place to look at numbers.

Step Two
a. A3 is the =rand() formula This tells excel to create a random number in each cell. If you want random whole numbers, use =randbetween() and choose the numbers you want, such as =randbetween(1,10000)

b. B3 is the names of the eligible people. In my example, these names go from B4:B10.

c. C3 is a rank formula that is looking at column A and figuring for any cell, how does it relate to the rest of the cells. It is =RANK(A4,$A$4:$A$10) - or whichever rows you use.

d. D3 is an if formula that is looking at the number of winners less than or equal to whatever is in A2. =IF(C4<=$A$2,"WINNER","Not winner")

e. The conditional formatting is applied to columns B, C, and D. B4 through D10 all have the same conditional formatting, applied one column at a time. This could become a macro because you are doing the same thing three times.

f. Go to conditional formatting, new rule, =C4<=$A$2 and pick a color. The C4 is replaced with whatever cell when it is dragged down/across.

Step Three

The random numbers will always be changing, so copy and paste it either as values with source formatting or (my preference) as a picture so it will be the same every time.

Paste it in another area of the sheet, but press the drop down arrow by the paste and choose paste as values and keep the source formatting or paste as picture. This is on a sheet called step 3.

If I were doing it, I would paste it on a new sheet as a picture. That way it is frozen in time and you can name the sheet for that week's contest.
Paste it in another area of the sheet, but press the drop down arrow by the paste and choose paste as values and keep the source formatting or paste as picture. This is on a sheet called step 3.

If I were doing it, I would paste it on a new sheet as a picture. That way it is frozen in time and you can name the sheet for that week's contest.