Years ago, I took a two-day course in Excel. Because I had never seen it or used it, it was as understandable as trying to speak Chinese without ever hearing it. (Doesn't that just boggle the mind.) I came away from the course feeling frustrated and like a failure.
But I still needed to be able to use the program. The only thing I learned was how to write a formula to add and subtract, and that actually came in pretty handy.
I used spreadsheets quite a bit when I was at my last day job, but I rarely had to set them up. Since I've been an author, I find I simply can't live without several spreadsheets going at any given moment. From the time I get up in the morning until the time I shut down the computer at the end of the day, there's a t least one spreadsheet (and often three) going. It's the second program I open every day. (The first one is AOL.)
But, darnit, I still don't know how to properly use the thing. I only learned how to multiply back in September. (Really handy.) And I would DEARLY love to learn how to control that darn old freeze panes. (I can never get the thing to freeze where I want it to.)
I love my Excel. Will someone tell me how to freeze panes so I can love it even more?
The area(s) frozen by the freeze pane function is determined by what cell you are in when you activate it. If you only want to freeze columns, position yourself in row 1 before freezing. For rows only, be in the A column. Excel will freeze the rows above or columns left of the freeze point. If you are in a cell in the middle of your spreadsheet, Excel will create a frozen pane above AND to the left of that cell so you can scroll either way.
ReplyDeleteDoes that help any?
Well...not really. If I click on the A above the first row/colum, it still freezes everything out to Column H. I don't want to freeze that far out. Is there a way to freeze just column A so that I don't have to see B-H while I'm in Column XYandZ?
ReplyDeleteYou can hide the columns you don't want to see.
ReplyDeleteIf you want to freeze column A, then your cursor needs to be on Column B and then use the freeze function.
Example: if you want to freeze column A and Row 1 - then your cursor should be in cell B2 and then use the freeze function.
Thanks, Dru. I wasn't being clear on that.
ReplyDeleteLorna, make sure you are in a cell, not on the column header (the A, B, C, etc.). And don't use the A1 cell. Since there is nothing above or to the left of it, it will create pre-set panes (which will extend out to column H). If you have descriptive headers across row one then B2 is as high to the top left as you want to go.
Better?
Yea, it worked. Thanks, guys.
ReplyDeleteLorna, I feel your pain with freezing panes. I can spend hours figuring it out, do it and then the next time I need to do it, I forget. Thank goodness reading one of your novels is easy assignment.
ReplyDeleteWow. THANK YOU, Linda and Dru, for answering the question (and especially you, Lorraine for asking the question!). I've been trying to figure that out for ages! Now it makes sense.
ReplyDeleteIsn't it funny how "easy" something is when you know exactly what to ask and (even better) someone knows exactly HOW to answer? :-)