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Microsoft Office Q&A: Ask anything (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.)

Started by Alexander James77 · · 👁 40 views · 1.5K replies

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Participants Alexander James77George Fox23Walter Jackson48Ashley Smith21Kyle Johnson2brightstag1Jack HayesJustin Moore10William Green34Keith Wells2Zachary Johnson8Dana Diaz8Frank Lee48driftingcanyon16crimsonridge44Larry Peterson30George Morris3neondrifter26Adam Watson3slyviper6Joshua Alvarez81Kevin Robinson44casualheron12brightcyclist2 …
Jacob Bennett6 Jacob Bennett6 Newcomer
6 messages
joined Oct 2010
#1401 ·
I’m running into an issue with Excel and could really use some help here.

I need to set a cell color in column E based on what gets entered into columns A through D:

\ A B C D E
1 . . . . . no color
2 X . . . . red
3 X X . . . yellow
4 X X X . . orange
5 X X X X green

If cells like A1, B1, C1, and D1 are all empty, then E should remain blank.
However, if A2 is filled but B2, C2, and D2 stay empty, E needs to turn red, and so on.
When both A and B are filled, E should be yellow, etc.

Essentially, I want to create a single column E in a complex spreadsheet that acts as a visual progress tracker via color coding. That is my main goal. In this logic, an "X" in cell A1 marks the start of the process, B1 and C1 represent the progression, and D1 signifies completion. This is a linear sequence from A to D—you can't have D filled if A, B, and C aren't already accounted for. As those A-B-C-D fields get populated, column E should shift colors accordingly.
Is this actually doable in Excel?
Kyle Johnson2 Kyle Johnson2 Newcomer
1 message
joined Feb 2015
#1402 ·
Anthony Ross71 said:but I have no clue how to set up second-level headings so they number with a period at the end (like: 1.1. , 1.2. , 1.3.)

Honestly, wasn't sure if you'd catch my drift in my last post since I just whipped that tutorial together real quick. Anyway, if you want to dive deep into NUMBERING in Word, check this link—it's got plenty of stuff on it.

- How to do heading and subheading numbering in Word with a period after the number
Walter Jackson48 Walter Jackson48 Active Member
234 messages
joined Feb 2010
#1403 ·
Jacob Bennett6 said:I'm having some trouble with Excel, could someone please help me out?

Give this a shot, maybe it'll solve your headache:

1. Select E1, go to Format, then Conditional Formatting, pick Formula Is, and type this into the box:
=ISTEXT(A1), Format (pick whatever color you want), OK, OK
2. In E2, type in this formula: =AND(ISTEXT(A2);ISTEXT(B2)), then hit Format (set your color), OK, OK.
3. Repeat that exact process for A3, B3, and C3, as well as for
4. A4, B4, C4, and D4.

Basically, if you type some text (let's say "X") into A1, E1 will change to the color you picked in step one. If you put that "X" in both A2 and B2, then E2 triggers the color from step two, and so on. It's just logic, really.
Kyle Johnson2 Kyle Johnson2 Newcomer
1 message
joined Feb 2015
#1404 ·
Jacob Bennett6 said:\ A B C D E
1 . . . . . no color
2 X . . . . red
3 X X . . . yellow
4 X X X . . orange
5 X X X X green

If Walter Jackson48's idea doesn't do it for you, try this instead:
- Highlight the cells in range E1 : E5
- Fire up Conditional Formatting and set up 5 rules using these formulas (check the second to last pic in the link)

no color format => =IF(AND(A1="";B1="";C1="";D1="");TRUE;FALSE) (you can probably just skip this one)
red format => =IF(AND(A1<>"";B1="";C1="";D1="");TRUE;FALSE)
yellow format => =IF(AND(A1<>"";B1<>"";C1="";D1="");TRUE;FALSE)
orange format => =IF(AND(A1<>"";B1<>"";C1<>"";D1="");TRUE;FALSE)
green format => =IF(AND(A1<>"";B1<>"";C1<>"";D1<>"");TRUE;FALSE)

Assuming you're filling out the rows in order like you mentioned.
image
Drew Morris8 Drew Morris8 Newcomer
1 message
joined Mar 2014
#1405 ·
I could really use some help here—I’ve been banging my head against the wall with this one and just can't seem to get it right
I'm trying to add a specific target line to an Excel bar chart—basically an "optimum" value line
For instance, if my Y-axis runs from 1 to 10, I want to draw a horizontal line at 5.5 so I can easily see which bars cross that threshold. I actually found a way to draw a line, but it's not quite working for me—it doesn't scale with the graph, so when the chart scales or changes shape, the line stays stuck in its original spot. Does anyone know the proper way to make this work?
Walter Jackson48 Walter Jackson48 Active Member
234 messages
joined Feb 2010
#1406 ·
So, let's say you plug some numbers—say, anything from 1 to 10—into cells A1 through J1. Then, over in B2
, you drop in this formula: =SUM(A1:J1)/10 (or whatever specific math you need to find an average or an optimum based on that first row of data). After that, you put this in B2: =A2. Once that's set, just grab B2 and drag it across all the way to J2.
Next, you head over to the chart types and pick something like a Line with Marks. What happens? You get this line tracing the values from 1 to 10, and then this perfectly flat line sitting right at 5.5.
The cool part—or the part that actually works—is that when you start messing with those initial values in the top row, the second row updates automatically, and the chart follows suit. Everything shifts in real-time.
That’s basically what I’ve come up with so far. I’m sure there are much more sophisticated ways to handle this, but this gets the job done for now.
Kyle Murphy45 Kyle Murphy45 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1407 ·
I'm currently working on a drafting assignment for school and I need to figure out how to set up a border in Word. I've attached some images so you can see exactly what the layout should look like (it's standard US Letter size, with measurements in inches).
http://zaslike.com/files/lhtc1oj4edij30ju7n.png
Any advice would be appreciated.
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1408 ·
Kyle Johnson2 said:I'm not sure who else actually cares about getting an ECDL certification. Speaking from experience, I knocked out both the Start and Advance packages, but honestly, it didn't really get me anywhere. If you end up going for the Advance level, I might be able to help you out with some Excel practice problems for the exam.
Maybe you'll have better luck 🙂

Honestly, I'm having such a hard time with this stuff my head is spinning... thanks anyway! 🙂
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1409 ·
Quick question?
Is it actually possible to move a document from Word over to Adobe and just keep working on it there without any issues?
Kyle Johnson2 Kyle Johnson2 Newcomer
1 message
joined Feb 2015
#1410 ·
Kyle Murphy45 said:Doing some technical drawing homework for school and I need to make a border in Word.

If you're trying to mess with margins in Word, check these links: margins in Word 2003 and margins in Word 2007
Also, don't forget to tweak your grid settings—set them to about 0.02 inches. You could just drag a two-cell table to fill the page, or better yet, just drop in a couple of TextBoxes in Word to get the look you want, then group them together as one object.

Download file
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1411 ·
Kyle Johnson2 said:If you need to mess with margins in Word, check out these links: margins in Word 2003 and margins in Word 2007

Download file

I tried tackling this assignment myself, and everything went smooth except for one thing—I can't figure out how to drop in that vertical line on the right side, positioned 30 mm from the right margin. 🤷
Walter Jackson48 Walter Jackson48 Active Member
234 messages
joined Feb 2010
#1412 ·
@Walter Jackson48/">@@Walter Jackson48 said, "...2x Text Box...", so you might as well listen to him.
What I mean is, just go ahead and drop another Text Box right inside the first one, and make sure it’s exactly 30 mm wide.
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1413 ·
Walter Jackson48 said:@IvanC said "...2x Text Box...", so just follow his lead.
Basically, just drop a second Text Box inside the first one and set its width to about 0.12 inches.

My bad, I'm still pretty new to this and my Microsoft Office is set to English, so sorry! 🙄
Kyle Johnson2 Kyle Johnson2 Newcomer
1 message
joined Feb 2015
#1414 ·
Taylor Parker5 said:The only thing I can't figure out is how to insert a right vertical border (like a line) that stays exactly 30 mm from the right margin.

Did you check the file I uploaded? It uses a two-cell table to fix the issue.
Here’s a downloadable file using 2 x TextBox (the Word 2003 Text Box tool) and you can grab this one for Word 2007. Didn't mess with the dimensions on that one.
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1415 ·
Kyle Johnson2;49102250 said:Did you check out that file I uploaded? It’s got a solution using a two-cell table.

I actually managed to pull it off 🙂 You're killing it! Honestly, I could use some pointers. I've got a Word ahhh exam coming up this Saturday... so these kinds of drills are a lifesaver.
Thanks a ton
Kyle Murphy45 Kyle Murphy45 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1416 ·
Kyle Johnson2 said:If you're looking to mess with margins in Word, check out these guides: margins in Word 2003 and margins in Word 2007.
One thing to watch out for is the grid settings—sometimes they default to something tiny like 0.02 inches, which can be a headache. Besides that, you could always just build a two-cell table and stretch it to the edges, or you could try creating 2 x TextBox in Word. You can resize them however you want and then group them together as one single object.

Download file

THANKS, I finally got it working! You're a lifesaver. Drinks are on me if we ever run into each other in person. 😉
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1417 ·
Kyle Johnson2 is the man!! I'm gonna be bugging him constantly now 🙂
Benjamin Wilson7 Benjamin Wilson7 Member
15 messages
joined Oct 2008
#1418 ·
Kyle Johnson2, you're actually against the law? Seriously? He's right here serving his community service sentence. The guy robbed some jewelry store. He got two years of probation plus four years of community service.
Taylor Parker5 Taylor Parker5 Member
13 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1419 ·
Benjamin Wilson7 said:John C is actually doing community service. He's out here working off his sentence for the public good after some jewelry heist went sideways. Got him a two-year suspended sentence plus four years of community service.

Whatever, as long as he stays healthy and keeps helping us out. I'm crushing my Microsoft Word exam this Saturday. If John C gives me his Facebook, maybe I can get him to do some community service for me too.
Kyle Murphy45 Kyle Murphy45 Newcomer
4 messages
joined Mar 2014
#1420 ·
Honestly, I owe John C a massive thank you for pulling me out of that hole. And Taylor Parker5, best of luck on your exam—I’m crossing my fingers for you. You’ve totally got this 😁

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