::: Excel tips 18 :::

>>> Keep track of changes <<<

Track Changes works hand-in-hand with workbook sharing. It keeps a log of all changes to a workbook. It tracks cell changes, worksheet additions and deletions, column changes, and other types of changes, as well as the date, time, and name of the user who made the change. When data is changed, it keeps a record of the old and new values and the exact sheet and cell where the edit was made. One of the best parts of this tool is the ability to have Excel make a list of the changes in a separate worksheet. When this option is selected, Excel builds a listing of each change and even turns on Auto Filter to make finding specific changes easy. It also allows you to review each change and either accept or reject it. Rejecting a change restores the original value.
To turn on this tool, just select Tools | Track Changes | Highlight Changes. The Highlight Changes dialog box provides options such as tracking who makes the change, when the change is made, highlighting the change on-screen, and listing the changes.
When using this feature, you might like to see the Summary sheet when you open your workbook. Excel removes it when you save the sheet, but you can use this macro to have Excel quickly rebuild it:
Sub ViewChangeSummary()
With ActiveWorkbook
HighlightChangesOptions When:=xlAllChanges
ListChangesOnNewSheet = True
HighlightChangesOnScreen = True
End With
End Sub

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>>> Conditional formatting <<<

Conditional formatting is one of Excel's better features. It allows you to preset certain font styles, colors, and cell-background colors based on cell values. This can be very useful for highlighting important information and values outside an accepted range or providing a visual cue to associate value ranges with color codes.
The best part is that conditional formatting is easy to set up. Just click the cells you'd like to format and select Format | Conditional Formatting. The Conditional Formatting dialog box lets you set up the conditions by which the formatting of the cell will occur. You pick the operator (between, equal to, less than, etc.) and the value or range of values. Click Format to open the Format Cells dialog box, where you can select the colors and styles to be used.
Each cell can have several conditional formats. For example, you might say that if a certain cell's value is between 20 and 50, the text should be blue on a yellow background. But you can format that same cell to exhibit red, bolded text on a green background if it contains a value between 51 and 100.