Tag: autofill

Creating a Growth Series in MS Excel

by admin, posted in MS Office

The little, green ‘Fill Handle’ in the lower right hand corner of a selected cell in an Excel spreadsheet is a very versatile asset. It provides an easy way of copying the contents of cells, especially formulas, into adjacent cells. It can also automate the creation of common labels such as the names of months and weekdays.  One need only enter the initial label (e.g January, Monday), position the mouse over the fill handle in the lower right, and then drag over the required range in the adjacent row or column, and…Voila!

With a simple but clever variation on this technique, you can also easily produce a ‘growth’ series,  Just enter the first two values of your intended series, in order to define the increment that you want between the values:

i.e. 20,24…28,32,36,40

Then select both the first two cells, and use the fill handle to create your series with the required growth factor between the successive values.

This method is also ideal for a series of dates. Again, simply enter the first two dates in your intended series, to define the pattern you seek:

i.e. 16/11/18, 23/11/18…30/11/18,7/12/18, 14/12/18

This can be  a great way to eliminate much of the tedium of creating rosters, time sheets and the like in your Excel spreadsheets.

Creating a Personal AutoFill Series in MS Excel

by admin, posted in MS Office

Most relatively experienced Excel users are familiar with the use of the Fill Handle, the little green square in the lower right corner of the selected cell, to automate and streamline many routine spreadsheet functions.  For example, it provides the user with a simple way to copy formulas into adjacent cells.  It is also a great way to “Autofill” a common series of labels, such as weekdays or months.  You can just enter the initial label in the first cell (e.g. January, Monday…) position the mouse over the Fill Handle and then drag to the right or down to complete the series as required.

The good news here is that you can “tame” the AutoFill feature to create your own personalised series, and automate its creation in any spreadsheet in the future. Simply create a version of your intended series in consecutive cells in any spreadsheet,and then select (highlight) this range.  Go to the File tab and select Options, the last choice on the lower left hand side. Then select the “Advanced” category on the left, and scroll down the right hand screen until you encounter a button bearing the label: “Edit Custom Lists…”

This is the ‘brains’ of the ‘Autofill’ feature.  In this dialogue box, you will see your selected range already visible in the “Import list from cells” box on the lower right. If you simply click on the Import button, your list will join the master “list of lists” in the window on the left.  You can then create this list via the same AutoFill handle maneuver, and thus significantly accelerate your routine typing process, and earn the undying respect and awe of your workmates and colleagues.