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Microsoft Office
Mark Kaelin
TechRepublic Staff
Mark Kaelin
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Office challenge: When an IF() returns FALSE, when it should return TRUE
This week, your challenge is to discover why a seemingly perfect IF() function returns the wrong result.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 10, 2011, 12:47 PM PST | Latest comment by marj@...
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Five Microsoft Excel chart types we all should avoid
Microsoft Excel provides a number of charts types and styles that ordinary mortals should never try to tame.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 9, 2011, 7:35 AM PST | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Ignore unwanted email conversations in Outlook
Outlook lets you completely ignore an email conversation with a simple click or two of the mouse. Susan Harkins shows you how.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 8, 2011, 8:44 AM PST | Latest comment by CharlieSpencer_Palmetto
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Avoid unnecessary page breaks by using Word styles
Using styles, Word can control page breaks better than you. Learn how to use styles to insert hard page breaks.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 7, 2011, 11:29 AM PST
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Office challenge: Improve this Excel chart anyway you want
This week, impress your colleagues with your Excel charting skills! Improve this Excel chart based on default settings.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 3, 2011, 8:02 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Office solution: How to display the Close All command for ribbon users
This week, learn the solution to last week's challenge: How to close all open files in Word 2007.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 3, 2011, 7:53 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Choose the most efficient paste settings for you
Word lets you decide how to most efficiently paste text. There are four flexible options that let you, not Word, decide how to paste.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 2, 2011, 1:39 PM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Make every user a power Excel user with dynamic conditional row banding
Combine data validation and conditional formatting to implement an easy-to-use dynamic banding option for your users.
Posted by Susan Harkins | November 1, 2011, 8:32 AM PDT | Latest comment by BlueCollarCritic
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Use VBA to make PowerPoint AutoShape bigger and smaller
You can use VBA to increase and shrink an AutoShape inside an Microsoft PowerPoint slide with a simple click.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 31, 2011, 11:14 AM PDT | Latest comment by Mike_hqt
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Office solution: How to use the current input value as a control's default value in an Access form
This week, learn the solution to last week's Office challenge: How to use input values as default values in an Access form.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 27, 2011, 8:27 AM PDT | Latest comment by KaKaKen
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Office challenge: How to close all open files in Word 2007
This week, test your Word skills by solving the mystery of the disappearing Close All command in ribbon versions of Word.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 27, 2011, 8:22 AM PDT | Latest comment by quique6@...
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Use styles for quick Word to PowerPoint exchange
If you're lucky enough to have presentation information in a Word document, you don't need to start from scratch to build your presentation. Start with Word.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 26, 2011, 8:56 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Convert and format values into decimal values that Excel can interpret as time
Date arithmetic isn't for the timid, but this short lesson will help get your users headed in the right direction.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 25, 2011, 8:51 AM PDT
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Change Outlook's startup folder to match your preference
You don't have to start out in your Inbox every time you launch Outlook; take control and open Outlook to the folder you want.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 25, 2011, 8:43 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Office challenge: How to use input values as default values in an Access form
This week, test your Access skills with this fairly common efficiency request from data input personnel.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 24, 2011, 11:05 AM PDT | Latest comment by Snak
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Office solution: How to delete a page number from a title page
This week, learn the solution to last week's challenge: How do I delete the page number from a title page?
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 24, 2011, 7:47 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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How to add a graphic to an Access label report
A graphic to a label can add information or just a bit of fun to an Access database and it doesn't require any special expertise.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 24, 2011, 7:43 AM PDT
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Inserting the current Monday's date in a Word document
Use this easy-to-implement Word macro to return the date for the current Monday, any day of the week.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 24, 2011, 7:19 AM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Expose trends using a combo chart in Excel
A combo chart created in Microsoft Excel can expose hidden trends that you might otherwise miss.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 18, 2011, 1:26 PM PDT | Latest comment by ssharkins@...
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Create a dynamic Excel chart and make your own dashboard
A dynamic chart reuses the same chart object to chart different source values. You'll save time and your users will appreciate the effort.
Posted by Susan Harkins | October 14, 2011, 7:33 AM PDT | Latest comment by dljohn7
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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 manishdhir
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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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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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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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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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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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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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Convert your Word documents into PowerPoint 2007 presentations
If you need to make a PowerPoint presentation from a Word document, don't worry about endless cutting and pasting. Mary Ann Richardson shows how you can use Word's built-in formatting to make an...
Posted by Mary Ann Richardson | April 1, 2008, 12:00 AM PDT | Latest comment by nor12345
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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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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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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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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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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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10 things you can do to give your PowerPoint presentations a heartbeat
This information is also available as a PDF download. Imagine this: You've just returned to your seat for this afternoon's training seminar. The morning session was pretty interesting, providing...
Posted by Katherine Murray | July 10, 2007, 2:44 PM PDT
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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@...
