microsoft excel
Create an Excel Gantt Chart with Conditional Formatting
1:00PM Gina Trapani | Software engineer Chandoo shares some Excel conditional formatting tricks that make for good-looking and useful spreadsheets, like a Gantt chart. Conditional formatting makes a cell look a certain way based on its contents. A Gantt chart maps out deadlines within a project. Chandoo’s Excel Gantt chart combines a calendar and to-do list to display what has to be completed when in a good-looking table layout. If you don’t want to set up the sheet yourself, download an Excel Gantt chart template here. Here’s more on using conditional formatting in your spreadsheets. More »
Get Started with Pivot Tables in Excel 2007
3:30AM Kevin Purdy | As you might have seen in our comments, our readers love them some Pivot Tables, an aggregation tool that can show your spreadsheet data any way you tell it to. If you’ve felt left off of the data-wrangling bandwagon, the Productivity Portfolio blog has a guide walkthrough explaining the benefits and features of the tables and setting up a simple voting analysis table for an example. Better yet, the post includes a printable PDF for your do-this-when-I-get-home convenience. For more Excel 2007 knowledge, try out PP’s equally helpful guide to AutoFilter. Learn to use Pivot Tables in Excel 2007 to Organize Data [Productivity Portfolio] More »
Remove Excel Passwords
6:00AM Adam Pash | Windows only: Donationware Excel plug-in Excel Password Remover strips the password protection from Excel workbooks and spreadsheets so that next time you’re working late and your co-worker locked you out of a spreadsheet you need access to, you won’t be left in the dark. The plug-in adds Unprotect workbook and Unprotect sheet options to Excel’s Tools menu, and using it is as simple as selecting an option when you’re locked out. The add-in won’t necessarily work in every instance, but as a last resort it’s a great utility to have on hand. Excel Password Remover is donationware, Windows only. A pro, non-nagware version is available for $25. Excel Password Remover [via NoHeat] More »
