February 2nd, 2012
MS Excel will allow you to change the background patterns used in your cells. There could be any number of reasons why you may want to do this, but luckily it is very easy to accomplish.
Follow the steps below to learn how:
version 2003:
- Select the cells whose patterns you would like to change.
- Select Cells from the Format menu to discplay the dialog box.
- Be certain the Patterns tab has been selected.
- Use the Pattern drop-down list to select one of the patterns available to you.
- Click on OK.
Versions 2007, 2010:
- Select the cells whose patterns you would like to change.
- Click on the Home tab of your Ribbon.
- In the Cells group, click the Format tool and then click Format Cells to display the dialog box.
- Be certain the Fill tab has been selected.
- Use the Pattern Color drop-down list to select the color of your choice for your background.
- Use the Pattern Style drop-down list to select the pattern of your choice.
- Click on OK.
Cool stuff: Because any pattern you select appears in the background of your cell, that means that it appears behind any information in that cell. So, if you combine patterns and pattern colors along with other formatting options, you can be very creative with special effects!
Tags: 2007, 2010, background, box, cell, change, dialog, home, pattern, patterns, Ribbon
Posted in Excel 2003, Excel 2007, Excel 2010, Microsoft Office Excel | No Comments »
February 1st, 2012
Everyone knows you can create text boxes in MS Word. They certainly come in handy at times. I have clients in law offices that use them to create line numbering in a sidebar and other clients who use them to box text, like I do when creating a tutorial that includes screen shots. There could be a time however, when you might like whatever is behind your text box to be visible.
There are a couple of ways to accomplish this:
- You can make your text box partially transparent; or
- Completely transparent.
Follow the steps below to learn how:
- Create your text box as you normally would.
- Right-click on your text box to display a Context menu.
- Select Format Text Box from the context menu to display the dialog box.
- Be certain the Colors and Lines tab has been selected.
- Click the Semitransparent check box for a ghosted image of what is behind your text box to be visible.
- If you want your text box to be fully transparent, use the Color setting in the Fill area to select No Fill.
- Display the Layout tab.
- Be certain the Wrapping style is set to None or In Front of Text.
- Click on OK.
Versions 2003, 2007, 2010
Tags: box, colors, format, layout, lines, style, tab, text, transparent, wrapping
Posted in Microsoft Office Word, Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010 | No Comments »
January 31st, 2012
Sometimes there is a need to print out a medley of selections from different worksheets and have them all on one sheet of stationery.
You can do this by setting up a “Print” worksheet that you use for printing.
Follow the steps below to learn how:
- Create a new worksheet to be used for printing purposes.
- Select the range on the worksheet that you would like to print.
- Click the shortcut key combination Ctrl + C to copy your selection.
- Move to your new Print sheet and select the cell where you would like your copied data to appear.
- Click on Edit | Paste Special in version 2003 and in versions 2007 – 2010, click on the Home tab of your Ribbon and click the down-arrow under the Paste tool at the left side of your Ribbon and select Paste Special from the menu displayed.
- The Paste Special dialog box will open.
- Click on Paste Link. The dialog box will disappear and the linked information will appear in your worksheet.
- Repeat the steps above for any other ranges you would like included on your printout.
Then print your worksheet with the information.
The only problem you may encounter using this method is that if the worksheets from which you are copying have different formatting, you may not be able to merge them into a consolidated worksheet to your satisfaction. In that instance, you will need to adjust the formatting in your consolidation worksheet after you paste the different ranges.
Tags: Ctrl, data, Formatting, multiple, paste, ranges, selections, special
Posted in Microsoft Office Word, Word 2003, Word 2007, Word 2010 | No Comments »
