One of Excel’s less-recognised features is the ability to convert simple numbers into icons using conditional formatting. The most useful application? Converting a list of Yes/No possibilities into ticks and crosses.
Office expert Helen Bradley runs through the use of the Conditional Formatting feature. If you select a column of numbers featuring 0 for no, 1 for yes (and numbers in between for an exclamation mark), it can easily be turned into ticks and crosses by choosing that option from the Conditional Formatting Icon Sets. It’s easy to access the basic option from the Home tab, but it’s less obvious how you stop the number itself displaying in the column as well. To do that, select Manage Rules –> Edit Rules under Conditional Formatting and make sure ‘Show Icon Only’ is ticked.
It’s a handy feature and one I often take advantage of (I have a large spreadsheet that tracks my flights and identifies whether I’m going to maintain my frequent flyer status each month, for instance). Hit the post for full details on how to use it.
Recording Yes, No, Maybe so in Excel [Helen Bradley]
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