Part VII: Appendixes

Chapter 43

•monitor a range.xlsm: A workbook that contains a VBA Worksheet_Change macro that monitors all changes made to a specific range.

•selection change event.xlsm: A workbook that contains a VBA Selection_Change macro that changes the color of the row and column of the active cell.

Chapter 44

•chart macros.xlsm: A workbook that contains VBA macros that manipulate charts.

•range copy.xlsm: A workbook that contains a VBA macro that copies a variable-sized range.

•range move.xlsm: A workbook that contains a VBA macro that moves a range of cells.

•select cells.xlsm: A workbook that contains VBA macros that demonstrate range selection techniques.

•selection type.xlsm: A workbook that contains a VBA macro that demonstrates how to identify the object type of the current selection.

•skip blanks while looping.xlsm: A workbook that contains a VBA macro that demonstrates how to loop through a range of cells efficiently.

Chapter 45

•change case.xlam: An add-in file, created from the change case.xlsm example in Chapter 41.

Troubleshooting

If you have difficulty installing or using any of the materials on the companion CD, try the following solutions:

•Turn off any antivirus software that you may have running. Installers sometimes mimic virus activity and can make your computer incorrectly believe that it is being infected by a virus. (Be sure to turn the antivirus software back on later.)

•Close all running programs. The more programs you’re running, the less memory is available to other programs. Installers also typically update files and programs; if you keep other programs running, installation may not work properly.

•Reference the ReadMe: Refer to the ReadMe file located at the root of the CD-ROM for the latest product information (if any) at the time of publication.

Customer Care

If you have trouble with the CD-ROM, please call the Wiley Product Technical Support phone number at (800) 762-2974. Outside the United States, call 1(317) 572-3994. You can also contact Wiley Product Technical Support at http://support.wiley.com. John Wiley & Sons will provide technical support only for installation and other general quality control items. For technical support on the applications themselves, consult the program’s vendor or author.

To place additional orders or to request information about other Wiley products, please call (877) 762-2974.

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APPENDIX

Additional Excel

Resources

If I’ve done my job, the information provided in this book will be very useful to you. The book, however, can’t cover every conceivable topic about Excel. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of additional resources that you may find

helpful.

I classify these resources into four categories: Excel’s Help System, Microsoft technical support, Internet newsgroups, and Internet Web sites.

The Excel Help System

Many users tend to forget about an excellent source of information: the Excel Help system. This Help information is available by clicking the question mark icon in the upper-right corner of Excel’s window. Or, just press F1. Either method displays Excel Help in a new window. Type your search query and then click Search.

Note

The Search button is a drop-down control that lets you specify what and where to search. n

The Excel Help system isn’t perfect — it often provides only superficial help and ignores some topics altogether — but, if you’re stuck, a quick search of the Help system may be worth a try.

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Part VII: Appendixes

Microsoft Technical Support

Technical support is the common term for assistance provided by a software vendor. In this case, I’m talking about assistance that comes directly from Microsoft. Its technical support is available in several different forms.

Support options

The Microsoft support options are constantly changing. To find out what options are available (both free and fee-based), go to

http://support.microsoft.com

Microsoft Knowledge Base

Perhaps your best bet for solving a problem may be the Microsoft Knowledge Base, which is the primary Microsoft product information source. This extensive, searchable database comprises tens of thousands of detailed articles containing technical information, bug lists, fix lists, and more.

You have free and unlimited access to the Knowledge Base via the Internet. To access the Knowledge Base, use the following URL and then click Search the Knowledge Base:

http://support.microsoft.com/search

Microsoft Excel Home Page

The official home page of Excel is at

http://www.microsoft.com/office/excel

This site contains a variety of material, such as tips, templates, answers to questions, training materials, and links to companion products.

Microsoft Office Home Page

For information about Office 2010 (including Excel), try this site:

http://office.microsoft.com

You’ll find product updates, add-ins, examples, and lots of other useful information.

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Appendix C: Additional Excel Resources

Note

As you know, the Internet is a dynamic entity that changes rapidly. Web sites are often reorganized, so a particular URL listed in this appendix may not be available when you try to access it. n

Internet Newsgroups

Usenet is an Internet service that provides access to several thousand special interest groups that enable you to communicate with people who share common interests. A newsgroup works like a public bulletin board. You can post a message or questions, and (usually) others reply to your message.

Thousands of newsgroups cover virtually every topic you can think of (and many that you haven’t thought of). Typically, questions posed on a newsgroup are answered within 24 hours — assuming, of course, that you ask the questions in a manner that makes others want to reply.

Accessing newsgroups by using a newsreader

You can use newsreader software to access the Usenet newsgroups. Many such programs are available, but you probably already have one installed: Microsoft Outlook Express, which is installed with Internet Explorer.

Microsoft maintains an extensive list of newsgroups, including quite a few devoted to Excel. If your Internet service provider (ISP) doesn’t carry the Microsoft newsgroups, you can access them directly from the Microsoft’s news server. (In fact, that’s the preferred method.) You need to configure your newsreader software (not your Web browser) to access Microsoft’s news server at this address:

msnews.microsoft.com

Accessing newsgroups by using a Web browser

As an alternative to using newsreader software, you can read and post to the Microsoft newsgroups directly from your Web browser. This option is often significantly slower than using standard newsgroup software and is best suited for situations in which newsgroup access is prohibited by network policies.

•Access thousands of newsgroups at Google Groups. The URL is http://groups.google.com

•Access the Microsoft newsgroups (including Excel newsgroups) from this URL: www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx

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Part VII: Appendixes

Table C.1 lists the most popular English-language Excel newsgroups found on the Microsoft news server (and also available at Google Groups).

TABLE C.1

The Microsoft.com Excel-Related Newsgroups

Searching newsgroups

The fastest way to find a quick answer to a question is to search the past newsgroup postings. Often, searching past newsgroup postings is an excellent alternative to posting a question to the newsgroup because you can get the answer immediately. Unless your question is very obscure, there’s an excellent chance that your question has already been asked and answered. The best source for searching newsgroup postings is Google Groups, at the following Web address:

http://groups.google.com

How does searching work? Suppose that you have a problem identifying unique values in a range of cells. You can perform a search using the following keywords: Excel, Range, and Unique. The Google search engine probably will find dozens of newsgroup postings that deal with these topics.

If the number of results is too large, refine your search by adding search terms. Sifting through the messages may take a while, but you have an excellent chance of finding an answer to your question. In fact, I estimate that at least 90 percent of the questions posted in the Excel newsgroups can be answered by searching Google Groups.

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