::: Excel tips 16 :::

>>> Converting Julian dates <<<

Here's a little piece of post-Y2K calendar trivia for you. Since the 1950s, astronomers and geophysicists have used Julian dates to track time in continuous, absolute terms, without bothersome seasons, leap years, or man-made conventions. Julian dates associate a date with the number of days elapsed since January 1 of the same year. (For example, Jan. 2, 2000, has the value of 2.)
Excel doesn't have a built-in option to convert dates to Julian time, but you can use this shortcut to convert today's date to the Julian format:
Just type this equation into any cell in your worksheet:
=VALUE(RIGHT(YEAR(TODAY()),2)&TEXT(TODAY()-DATE(YEAR(TODAY())-1,12,31),"000"))
Now, you'll need to format this value to display five digits.

• Right-click in the cell that contains the value and select Format Cells.
• On the Number tab, choose Custom from the Category list box.
• In the Type text box, enter 00000.
• Click OK.

======================================

>>> Saving time with Custom Views <<<

Custom Views is a tool in Excel that lets you assign a name to a particular sheet layout so you can recall it for later viewing. You can access the feature by selecting View | Custom Views. In the Custom Views dialog box, you'll see a listing of saved views, and you can add or delete views. When adding a view, you have the option of including print settings, hidden rows and columns, and filter settings. The new view even remembers where the active cell was when the view was saved, so when you open that view, it will ”jump” to the spot in your sheet that corresponds to that view.
Making good use of custom views can save a great deal of time. For example, you can eliminate repetitive hiding, resizing, filtering, and other changes for producing various printed reports. Each set of options can be saved as a view. Then, all you need to do is apply the view before you print.