Any Excel experts about today?

Using a spreadsheet as a form I want to put text into a cell to remind the user what to do, this info should automatically disappear and be replaced by whatever they're typing. Hopfully its something simple and not a bleedin macro....... and, the prompt text is in diminished grey with the entered text in full black

 

I'm not but I know a man who is, I'll ask him. nt

 

The answer might be using conditional formatting. If the cell is blank it shows the text you want displayed, if it's populated it doesn't. Haven't got access to excel on this pc so can't check the theory though.

 

Cant you just highlight the cell / insert / comment ?</p>

Have a little red flag in the cell with instruction text ?</p>

Then spend two weeks reminding the user to click on the little ref flag in the corner of the cell ! </p>

 

can you do it using the 'look up' stuff*


* look up stuff being a technical term

 

Conditonal formatting?

By using formula instead of value?

Menu "Format" > conditional formating

 

Couple of options here if you can't get a formula to work in conditional formatting.

http://www.contextures.com/xlDataVal12.html

http://www.ozgrid.com/forum/showthread.php?t=69757

Rather you than me though

 

Thanks guys - sorted

Conditional formatting does'nt work. It needs a bit of VB.</p>

If anybody wants a copy let me know.</p>

Some clever arse in the office did it - in about 20 minutes.</p>

 

If you want to avoid macros

you could do the following, see example. The prompt disappears when typing something into the box. It reappears if the box is cleared.
</p>

Example
</p>

 

Yer dummy! How easy is that?!

You should have concentrated in class at puffy Broadway instead of being loved over the pommel horse.

What do you think Westie?

 

Thank you for that Hard Arse.

 

RE: If you want to avoid macros

Very good. How?

 

RE: If you want to avoid macros

The column B has been made very narrow (you could probably make it zero width). This means that text in that cell (B3) overspills onto the next (C3).

All you have to do then is put this expression in B3...

=IF(C3=""," Type in your name","")

In other words, if C3 is empty, display " Type in your name" otherwise don't display anything. Oh, and make the text grey for cell B3. Note the spaces preceding "Type in your name" to jog the text along a bit.

I greyed out all the other cells (just used a grey fill colour) and protected the sheet just to tidy things up, as you probably will in your "form" sheet.

 

RE: If you want to avoid macros

Clever that.

 

RE: If you want to avoid macros

I was trying:

=IF(ISBLANK(C3),"Type in your name","")

It wouldn't work though in C3 as it made it a circular reference, but did work if you put it into one of the other cells. Never thought of making it overspill like that. Genius!

 

You're welcome. Put hours into writing that!

 

Any Word Experts on Here.

I'm trying to get the page number on report to start on the second page.

i.e. I want the title page / front cover not to have a page number in the footer.

Bill Gates wants fecking shooting.

 

what version of word are you in. Think you just need to go into header and footer and check 'different first page'

 

Goto Insert/Page Numbers & take the tick out of 'show number on first page' nt

 

RE: Any Word Experts on Here.

When you click Insert>page numbers there's a little check box that says 'include number on first page'. Just uncheck it.