Most common & most unusual forms of Excel abuse?

[Expiry]

I have used Excel for flowcharts and high level plans, when perhaps I should have used Powerpoint. I do like powerpoint though, but I'm just comfortable with Excel.

Try listing all of your tasks/ names for a flowchart on one sheet, then use the camera tool to take a picture of each one and use those as your flowchart boxes, instead of text boxes. Why? Because you can then use conditional formatting on the cells, which then copies to the flowchart. It also makes it easier to update if you have all your entries in a list, rather than skipping from box to box.

I have definitely used Excel when perhaps I should have used Word, because I HATE WORD!!!! It's the most user-unfriendly application ever. Font size changing when you delete a line and sometimes you can't place things easily like you can in excel or PPT.

Word out!

 

[Patience]

I agree with your comments about Word - but I always assumed that was because I am an Excel person, not a Word person. Some people love it.

What does annoy me, though, is those people who create a table in Word and fill in the pretty boxes (using a calculator when necessary). Why not use Excel to fill in those pretty boxes? Not the best use of Excel, maybe, but surely better than Word???



Edit - hey - I just noticed - I have 222 posts, you have 333. Spooky? (Or just me being geeky?)

 

[Gerald Higgins]

They should have used a die ?

Once used Excel for making a "whose turn is it to make the coffee" application.

Don't tell Expiry, but it very rarely came up with my name

 

[Gerald Higgins]

(Or just me being geeky?)

errr, I thought that's why all of us are here

 

[Domski]

errr, I thought that's why all of us are here

I thought it was because it was Tuesday and I was trying to avoid going to the pub. Smeg!!!

 

[Gerald Higgins]

Can't you take your laptop to the pub ?

 

[Norie]

Can't you take your laptop to the pub ?

What? In Leeds?

I know Edinburger is a genteel place but some of those English northern towns, I don't know.

Mind you, if the laptop is heavy enough you could maybe use it to protect yourself.

But there's also the chance that someone might lose some data if you do.

 

[SydneyGeek]

I have definitely used Excel when perhaps I should have used Word, because I HATE WORD!!!! It's the most user-unfriendly application ever. Font size changing when you delete a line and sometimes you can't place things easily like you can in excel or PPT.

Word out!

Word's fine for what it does. It's a lousy drawing tool, calculator and database, and I've seen it used for all of those things, but if you need to write a structured document and you understand Styles, it's great. Which could lead to a side-track on abuses of Word...

Don't get me started on Word VBA, though -- that's an exercise in head-banging if I ever saw one.

Denis

 

[Fazza]

Most common & most unusual forms of Excel abuse? Self abuse - plain & simple misuse of Excel. Doing tasks the wrong way!

 

[Greg Truby]

Most common & most unusual forms of ... abuse? Self abuse...

Just mouse away, Greg, just mouse away. Don't make the moderators for the lounge have to decide whether you went over the line... just mouse away...