Allen Wyatt's ExcelTips

Checking for the Existence of a File

2009-11-14T01:04:00-08:00

The data stored in a worksheet can often correspond to information external to that worksheet. For instance, you might collect data that represents filenames in a directory somewhere. If you want Excel to check whether those collected filenames exist, it's easy to do using a simple macro.

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Too Many Rows or Columns in a PivotTable

2009-11-14T01:03:00-08:00

PivotTables are often used to aggregate lots of information, and they do it beautifully. What do you do if Excel starts balking all of a sudden when it comes time to refresh an existing PivotTable? The answer could lie in how much data you have and how that data is configured within the data table.

]]> Read this ExcelTip: Too Many Rows or Columns in a PivotTable
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Determining a Value of a Cell

2009-11-14T01:02:00-08:00

Cells can store all sorts of information that can be formatted and displayed in a myriad of ways. If you want to quickly get to the value stored within the cell, you can use the N worksheet function.

]]> Read this ExcelTip: Determining a Value of a Cell
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Declaring Variables

2009-11-14T01:01:00-08:00

Macros depend on the use of variables to do their work. This tip examines how variables are declared in a macro, using the Dim keyword.

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Help Wanted: Changing an Invalid AutoSave Folder

2009-11-14T01:00:00-08:00

My laptop used to be connected to a business LAN and I used mapped drives (O:, P:, etc.) for file saves. I no longer am on the network, and Excel has remembered a P:\Autosave folder destination for AutoSave, which is no longer valid. I can't get access to Tools | Options | Save to change this; the error message says "Can't access directory P:\Autosave". So I can't get in there to correct it. Is there another way to modify my AutoSave folder location?

-Michael Domagalski

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Help Wanted: Replacing Links with Values

2009-11-14T01:00:00-08:00

I have a large number of workbooks that have links to them and they are getting very large. Is there any way for Excel to convert the links to the data that is is getting from the links so that I can archive these old workbooks?

-John Mitchell

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Excel Applies Scientific Notation to Imported Data

2009-11-07T01:04:00-08:00

Using Excel to import data from another source (such as a database) is a great approach to analyze that data. What do you do, however, when the data you import is misinterpreted by Excel? Here's a way to handle that problem.

]]> Read this ExcelTip: Excel Applies Scientific Notation to Imported Data
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Creating a Photo Catalog from a Folder of Photos

2009-11-07T01:03:00-08:00

Excel is great for collecting all sorts of information. You might even use it to create a catalog of your photos. Working with hundreds or thousands of photos can be a challenge, though. Here's how you can work with all those photo files.

]]> Read this ExcelTip: Creating a Photo Catalog from a Folder of Photos
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Elapsed Days as Years, Months and Days

2009-11-07T01:02:00-08:00

Need to know how many days there are between two dates? It's easy to figure out—unless you need the figure in years, months, and days. Here's why.

]]> Read this ExcelTip: Elapsed Days as Years, Months and Days
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Continuing Macro Lines

2009-11-07T01:01:00-08:00

Sometimes a macro command line can get very, very long. This can make it hard to understand when you look at it a month or so from now. It is better to break your command lines up into individual lines that are easier to understand and document.

]]> Read this ExcelTip: Continuing Macro Lines
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