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Microsoft Office
Mark Kaelin
TechRepublic Staff
Mark Kaelin
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Use stacked Excel charts to compare data over time
When you need to present two or more Excel charts of similar items, rather than present them separately, stack them together so that they are easier to compare. Follow these steps to create a...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 25, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by SheaJeff
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Add a watermark to your Word 2007 document
Word 2007 includes a number of predefined watermarks that you can add to your document without any additional formatting. Here's how to set them up.
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 25, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by miross
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Hide Access database objects from unauthorized users
If you're working on a new Access form for your database that you don't want released to the public just yet, you can prevent others from accessing this form. Mary Ann Richardson explains to hide...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 25, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by danrev99@...
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How to wrap Excel text using a macro
Formats determine how Excel displays data and they're easy enough to apply. Simply select the appropriate cells, open the Format menu, and proceed accordingly. Word has a neat feature that puts...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 24, 2007, 11:16 AM PDT
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How to tame the Research Pane
Office 2003's Research Pane shows up in several applications, including Internet Explorer (oddly enough). It's one of those features you might never use because you're just not use to researching...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 21, 2007, 11:56 AM PDT
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Tip: Office 2003 Service Pack 3 available
This morning, I downloaded and installed Office 2003's latest service pack, published yesterday (September 18, 2007). The primary improvements seem to be in security. Specifically, the service...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 19, 2007, 6:55 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Create professional-looking page borders in Word 2007
Whether you're creating a flyer for your company bulletin board or the cover page for your quarterly department report, adding a professional-looking page border can help attract attention to your...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 18, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by martha.lapierre@...
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Format Excel column charts to match data series values
It would be great if you could change the color of certain Excel columns so they would stand out; unfortunately, Excel does not support conditional formatting of data series objects. Instead,...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 18, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by helmma
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Add more white space to long Access reports for better readability
The more records output to an Access report, the harder it becomes to read. When you see your employees taking out their rulers to read your reports, it's time to add some white space between the...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 18, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by richard.morgan@...
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Tip: Don't forget to cancel multiple sheet selections
It's common to make the same change to more than one sheet in an Excel workbook. For instance, you might want to change column widths or apply a format to a range of cells for several sheets. By...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 17, 2007, 6:27 AM PDT
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How to turn an Outlook message into an appointment or a task
E-mail messages often contain data you use to generate new appointments and tasks. If you print those messages so you can re-enter the information in another application... STOP! When you receive...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 12, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT
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Replace Access navigation bars with a command button for easier data entry
When designing a data entry form, it's a good idea to replace the navigation bars with an Add New Record command button. A conveniently placed button not only makes it easier to enter data, but it...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 11, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Automatically add new data to an Excel chart
Once you go through all the work of creating and formatting a chart, you don't want to have to start over again when new data comes in. Fortunately, you don't have to with Excel. You can simply...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 11, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by erins.ghost@...
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Format Word 2007 documents using Change Case and Clear Formatting commands
Word 2007's Ribbon has two commands -- Change Case and Clear Formatting -- that make formatting easier. Mary Ann Richardson explains how you can use Change Case to change text case from upper to...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 11, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by frank_s
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How to get the right average in Excel
Excel’s Average() function considers all the entries in the input range and 0s matter. For instance, if the input range is three cells, and one of those cells contains a 0, Excel totals the...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 9, 2007, 8:33 AM PDT
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Tip: Finding items in Outlook's reading pane
Yesterday, I wanted to sort the 4,000 messages in my Deleted folder by the To field. Now, that field's not in the reading pane by default, so I added it, but it still wasn't there. Using the...
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 9, 2007, 6:51 AM PDT
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How to print Excel comments
Comments are scattered all over my Excel spreadsheets and I find them helpful. Most of the time, they're just for me -- they're reminders of partial payments, specific check numbers, and so on....
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 5, 2007, 11:35 AM PDT
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Use Word's Tabs dialog box to set multiple tabs
Measure twice, cut once -- or, in the case of Word tabs, get rid of the ruler entirely. Mary Ann Richardson explains how you can use the Tabs dialog box to easily set multiple tabs with one dialog...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 4, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by islandjiXi
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Put the finishing touches on your Access 2007 forms in Layout view
Customize your Access 2007 forms with the new Layout view, which displays data while allowing you to edit the look and feel of the form as you create it.
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 4, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT
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Group Excel charts together for displaying, copying, and pasting
Here's how to link two or more Excel charts together for easy manipulation within a document or presentation.
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | September 4, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT
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Two ways to add checkbox controls to a Word document
Use a customized bulleted list or a content control to insert checkboxes into a Word document, depending on how you are going to use it.
Posted by Susan Harkins | February 22, 2012, 8:16 AM PST | Latest comment by ian@...
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How to add a drop-down list to an Excel cell
Drop-down lists can greatly facilitate data entry. Here's a look at how to use Excel's data validation feature to create handy lists within your worksheets.
Posted by Susan Harkins | June 12, 2008, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by dhivya.vasu01@...
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Transpose Excel data from rows to columns, or vice versa
When you need to flip-flop data in an Excel worksheet, don't waste time doing it manually. Excel offers a handy Transpose option that will quickly take care of the task.
Posted by Jeff Davis | June 23, 2009, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by excelinexcel
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Use SUMIFS() to sum by multiple conditions in Excel
Excel's SUMIF() lets you sum values, conditionally. It's new sibling, SUMIFS() lets you sum values by multiple conditions.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 14, 2011, 11:25 AM PST | Latest comment by peter.r7
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How to use Excel 2010's new conditional formatting with references
Excel 2010's new referencing option makes conditional formatting more powerful than ever before!
Posted by Susan Harkins | August 30, 2010, 8:40 AM PDT | Latest comment by jeboy.06
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Add horizontal lines to a Word document
Susan Harkins shows you two easy ways to insert a horizontal line into a Word document.
Posted by Susan Harkins | September 29, 2010, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Shrike49
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Four ways to insert an em dash in a Word document
When you need an em dash, you can let Word enter it for you the easy way. If that approach doesn't suit your needs, try one of three manual methods.
Posted by Susan Harkins | March 1, 2010, 12:00 AM PST | Latest comment by Marshwiggle
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A quick and dirty way to compare columns of Excel data
Using this little-known feature in Excel, you can quickly compare one column of data to another.
Posted by Susan Harkins | April 6, 2012, 11:41 AM PDT | Latest comment by HAL 9000
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Use COUNTIFS() to evaluate multiple count and criteria ranges
Excel's COUNTIFS() function is flexible enough to handle different ranges and data types.
Posted by Susan Harkins | May 21, 2012, 10:37 AM PDT | Latest comment by jbenton@...
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How to Alphabetize Lists In Word
I learned something new the other day—Word can alphabetize a list. I’m sure many users already know this, but it’s brand new to me. Years ago, I could do this with WordPerfect, but I’ve...
Posted by Susan Harkins | May 29, 2007, 12:13 PM PDT
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The secret to unhiding column A in an Excel worksheet
After you hide column A, it might seem like it's gone forever. Fortunately, there are two simple tricks for unhiding it.
Posted by Susan Harkins | March 16, 2009, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by fallon.stuart@...
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Quickly fill blank cells in Excel
Blank cells can spell trouble. Here's an easy way to fill in those blanks and protect the validity of your data.
Posted by Susan Harkins | April 26, 2010, 10:50 AM PDT | Latest comment by Midhunmj
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Use Word's Vertical Alignment settings to center a page
Centering text vertically isn't difficult; you just have to know where to look!
Posted by Susan Harkins | July 28, 2010, 6:30 PM PDT
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Build a simple timesheet in Excel
Excel makes it easy to set up a system for tracking time. Follow these steps to create your own or download our sample timesheet template and customize it to fit your needs.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 26, 2010, 9:43 AM PST | Latest comment by raj_as
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Create an Excel data entry form that includes check boxes
You can keep a lot of information on an Excel data entry form, but you can make it easier for your users -- and yourself -- to create tables by adding check boxes. Here's how to set up check boxes...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | July 31, 2007, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by Corbybhoy
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Use a formula to trigger Excel's Conditional Formatting feature
If you need a visual clue to hype a worksheet, use Excel's Conditional Formatting feature to help values stand out.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 5, 2009, 1:07 PM PST | Latest comment by JNirvaha
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Use a custom format in Excel to display easier to read millions
Use a custom format in Microsoft Excel to reduce the number of digits in a large number without losing its scale.
Posted by Susan Harkins | March 14, 2012, 11:16 AM PDT | Latest comment by jeng02@...
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A quick way to delete blank rows in Excel
Deleting blank rows in an Excel data range is easy with this technique, but watch out for unintended consequences.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 5, 2012, 11:48 AM PST | Latest comment by jbenton@...
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Delete a stubborn page break in Word
Sometimes, Word won't let you delete a page break. The fix is usually simple -- although the cause might surprise you.
Posted by Susan Harkins | January 8, 2010, 7:13 AM PST | Latest comment by kramer22
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Two ways to build dynamic charts in Excel
Users will appreciate a chart that updates right before their eyes. In Excel 2007 and 2010 it's as easy as creating a table. In earlier versions, you'll need the formula method.
Posted by Susan Harkins | April 19, 2012, 11:48 AM PDT | Latest comment by chip_long@...
