Microsoft Word
Use Spike to copy multiple blocks of Word text or graphics
Spike is a Clipboard feature available in Word that lets you copy multiple selections of content to the Clipboard and then paste them as a group to a new location. It's easy to use and allows for a bit more flexibility when the need arises. You can use it in most any document, and it works with text and graphics, as follows:
- Use [Ctrl]+[F3] to copy text and graphics to the Clipboard.
- Use [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[F3] to paste the contents of Spike. (This process also clears Spike's content.)
We'll use the document below to illustrate how easy this feature is to use:
- Select the Galleries heading and press [Ctrl]+[F3].
- Select the Formatting paragraph (not the heading) and press [Ctrl]+[F3].
- Now, open a new document by pressing [Ctrl]+N.
- Press [Ctrl]+[Shift]+[F3] to copy both copied blocks into the blank document.
This feature copied both the heading and the paragraph of text to a new document with one pasting task. Imagine how much time you could save if you needed to copy many components!
This technique can have a downside, however, depending on how you look at it. When you copy text or graphics using Spike, you cut, not copy, the content from the source document. That might not be what you want. Fortunately, after pressing [Ctrl]+[F3] to copy text, you can press [Ctrl]+Z to undo the cut, without removing the content from Spike.
Pasting clears Spike, but you can paste its contents without clearing it, by doing the following:
- Type spike
- Press [F3].
Or, paste Spike content using the AutoText feature, as follows in Word 2010:
- Click the Insert tab.
- Click the Quick Parts option in the Text group.
- Choose AutoText and the Spike content will be at the bottom of the list.
In Word 2003, do the following:
- Choose AutoText from the Insert menu.
- Choose AutoText.
- Click the AutoText tab and you'll find Spike in the Enter AutoText entries.
Both paste techniques will paste Spike's contents without clearing it!
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Microsoft Excel
Make every user a power Excel user with dynamic conditional row banding
Thanks to conditional formatting, you can apply several banding schemes to your Excel worksheets, and we've discussed several of them already. One possibility we haven't reviewed, however, is using data to determine which rows are banded. Throw in a little data validation and you can let users band (or shade) specific rows by simply choosing an item from a list.
To illustrate this technique, we'll use data validation to display category values. When the user chooses a category, conditional formatting will shade records for the selected category. For example, I choose Beverages from the data validation list is G2 to identify all beverage records.
Steps
Implementing this banding scheme is easier than you might think. First, we'll create a unique list of category values from the actual data. Using that list, we'll create the data validation list in G2. Then, we'll add a conditional format that will shade rows where the Category value equals the value selected in G2. When applying this to your own worksheets, you might not need all three steps.
Step One
First, create a unique list of category values, as follows:
- Select the list of values. In this case, select G4..G46. Be sure to include the header cell (G4).
- Click the Data tab.
- In the Sort & Filter group, click Advanced. In Excel 2003, choose Filter from the Data menu, and then select Advanced Filter.
- In the resulting dialog box, check the Copy To Another Location option.
- The List Range option should reflect the selection ($G$4:$G$49) from step 1.
- In the Copy To control, enter $I$4. You can copy the list most anywhere you like. I chose to copy the list near the data range, so you could see it in the figures.
- Check the Unique Records Only option.
- Click OK and Excel will copy a list of unique category values to column I.
Step Two
Now you're ready to build the validation list to make the whole process easy and intuitive for the user:
- Select the cell where you want to create the validation list. In this case, that's G2. (I also entered some explanatory text in G1, to help alert the user - this isn't necessary for the technique to work, but doing so helps the user.)
- Click Data Validation in the Data Tools group (on the Data tab). In Excel 2003, choose Validation from the Data menu.
- From the Allow dropdown, choose List.
- In the Source control, enter =$I$5:$I$20.
- Click OK.
Step Three
With the validation list in place, you're ready to apply the conditional formatting that will create the bands:
- Select the data range. In this case, that's A5..G49.
- Click the Home tab.
- In the Styles group, click the Conditional Formatting dropdown and choose New Rule. In Excel 2003, choose Conditional Formatting from the Format menu.
- In the upper panel, highlight the Use A Formula To Determine Which Cells To Format option. In Excel 2003, choose Formula Is from the Condition 1 control.
- In the Format Values Where This Formula Is True control, enter the following formula: =$G5=$G$2. (There's no option name for this control in Excel 2003.) Pay close attention to the absolute references. If you don't enter the $ symbols correctly, this technique won't work.
- Click Format and then click the Fill tab (Patterns tab in Excel 2003) in the resulting dialog box.
- Choose a color and click OK.
Using it!
After applying the conditional format, you're ready to put all the pieces together. From the validation list in G2, select any category and watch Excel update the bands, accordingly.
There are a couple of things you'll want to keep in mind when using this technique:
- If you use the ribbon version's table feature, be sure to use a banding color that contrasts with the table's light blue banding.
- Because the unique list of category values isn't dynamic, this technique works best with a static list of values. You'll have to work much harder if you want the validation list to update when you enter a new category value.
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Microsoft Outlook
Use a rule in Outlook to delay email messages
We all work differently and there's no reason you can't configure Outlook to accommodate your needs, when possible. For instance, you might write emails, but want to send them at a specific time. Maybe you want to edit the email later or you have some kind of timeline to maintain. One way to do this is to save messages to the Drafts folder until you're ready to send them and then send them manually. If you do this as a matter of routine, you might want to create a delay rule.
For example, you might want to delay messages for an hour, giving you ample time to return later to make last minute changes. To create a delay rule, do the following:
- In the Mail window, click the Home tab.
- In the Move group, click the Rules dropdown.
- Choose Manage Rules & Alerts.
- In the resulting window, click New Rule.
- In the Start From A Blank Rule section, select Apply Rule On Messages I Send.
- Click Next twice and then Yes (you don't need to set a condition at this point, but you could).
- Check the Delay Deliver By A Number Of Minutes option.
- In the step 2 pane, click the a number of minutes link, enter 60, and click OK.
- Click Next. In the next window, you could specify exceptions to your delay rule.
- Click Next.
- In the last pane, enter a name, such as Delay Send Rule.
- Click Finish, and then OK.
Delay rules come with an inherent problem-Outlook will send messages when the time arrives, regardless of your intentions. In addition, a delay rule like our example will impact all of your mail, not just those you actually need to delay. In other words, a delay rule might have some unfortunate repercussions, so use these rules judiciously.
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Susan Sales Harkins is an IT consultant, specializing in desktop solutions. Previously, she was editor in chief for The Cobb Group, the world's largest publisher of technical journals.
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