Excel Pranks

Learning Objectives

• To identify how to specify the number of worksheets that appear when a new workbook is created.
• To State the location of the Custom Lists feature within Excel's menu interface.
• To discuss how to enable or disable the R1C1 reference style in Excel.

Course Description

In this somewhat whimsical online CPE presentation Excel expert David H. Ringstrom, CPA will share with you several Excel features that can be used for good or bad. The more that we understand what's possible in Excel, the easier it become to learn ever more about spreadsheets. Techniques range from two different ways to set the default font for spreadsheets, hiding portions—or even the entire—Excel menu, randomizing the months of the year, and temporarily making workbooks invisible. The goal of this presentation is to spark thoughts along the lines of "Well, if Excel can do that, how do I do this?" You'll also have a better sense of how to recover from situations Excel exhibits odd behavior when certain settings get changed inadvertently.

David demonstrates every technique at least twice: first, on a PowerPoint slide with numbered steps, and second, in the subscription-based Microsoft 365 (formerly Office 365) version of Excel. David draws your attention to any differences in the older versions of Excel (2019, 2016, 2013, and earlier) during the presentation as well as in his detailed handouts. David also provides an Excel workbook that includes most of the examples he uses during the webcast.

Microsoft 365 is a subscription-based product that provides new feature updates as often as monthly. Conversely, the perpetual licensed versions of Excel have feature sets that don't change. Perpetual licensed versions have year numbers, such as Excel 2019, Excel 2016, and so on.

In this online continuing education program following major topics are covered:  

• Adding as many as 255 blank worksheets to new workbooks.
• Disabling the ability to edit worksheet cells by double-clicking, which also unlocks two hidden features.
• Enabling the R1C1 reference style in Excel so that column letters are replaced with column numbers in the worksheet frame.
• Exploring the nuance of the 1904 date system and how it can cause dates to shift by 4 years.
• Hiding selected menu tabs in Excel’s ribbon interface.
• Making Excel’s menu vanish when a workbook is activated and return when the user switches to another workbook.
• Preventing users from overwriting key workbooks by way of the Read Only setting.
• Reversing the column order for selected worksheets.
• Setting the default font for all future new workbooks.
• Setting workbooks to remain invisible while open in Excel.
• Triggering the arrow keys to scroll the worksheet instead of navigating to an adjacent cell.
• Using the Zoom feature to purposefully zoom an Excel spreadsheet to a particular size, especially after accidentally altering the zoom level.

Overview

• Excel prank: Auto correct

  3 mins
• R1C1 reference style

  10 mins
• Excel prank: Make them flip

  22 mins
• Excel prank: Scroll Lock

  34 mins
• Show/Hide excel ribbon

  48 mins