Microsoft Excel

How do I unlock a cell that I previously locked?

Can I split a column that contains a person's first and last name into two separate columns?

The cell borders/lines are not printing out.

When sharing a spreadsheet with someone, is there a way I can "lock" them out of certain cells so the information won't be changed?

I am missing the button to transfer a file from administrative computing into Excel. How do I get it back?

When doing a mail merge with an Excel spreadsheet as my data source, the leading zeros on my zip codes won't print. But I formatted them as zip codes in Excel and I can see the zeros.

 

How do I unlock a cell that I previously locked?

Assuming you password protected the locked cells . . .

1. Go to the TOOLS menu and Choose PROTECTION and then UNPROTECT SHEET.
2. You will be prompted for the password.  Type it and click OK.

You should now be able to type, delete, or edit the contents of the locked cells.

Can I split a column that contains a person's first and last name into two separate columns?

Yes, you can.  Suppose the full name is listed in the column in the following format:

Smith, John

You first need to insert a blank column to the right of the full name column.  Then follow these steps.

1. Highlight all of the names in the column.
2. Go to the DATA menu and choose TEXT TO COLUMNS.
3. Step 1 of a wizard displays.  Choose Delimited.
4. In Step 2, click into Comma ONLY.
5. In Step 3, click Finish.
6. Your column will now be divided in two columns.

The cell borders/lines are not printing out.

1. To print borders/lines (known as gridlines) on an Excel spreadsheet, go to the FILE menu and choose PAGE SETUP.
2. Click on the SHEET tab.
3. In the center area under the "Print" section, click into the checkbox next to GRIDLINES.
4. Click OK.  Your gridlines should now print.

When sharing a spreadsheet with someone, is there a way I can "lock" them out of certain cells so the information won't be changed?

Yes, you can lock one cell, multiple cells, or the entire sheet if you choose.

1. Highlight the entire sheet.
2. Go to the FORMAT menu and choose CELLS.
3. Click on the PROTECTION tab.
4. UNCHECK the box that says "Locked."  Click OK.
5. Select the cell or cells you wish to lock from any changes.  Go back to the FORMAT menu and choose CELLS once again.
6. On the PROTECTION tab, check the box that says "Locked."  Click OK.
7. There is one last step that most people forget to do.  That is to PROTECT the spreadsheet.
8. Go to the TOOLS menu, click on PROTECTION, and then PROTECT SHEET.
9. Accept the default choices.  DO enter a password (don't forget it).  Click OK.Type the password again to confirm.  Click OK.

 

I am missing the button to transfer a file from administrative computing into Excel.  How do I get it back?

The "button" you speak of is the CLIENT ACCESS TOOLBAR.  You can install it following these steps.

1. In Excel, go to the TOOLS menu and choose ADD-INS.
2. Click BROWSE and find and open the following file:  C:/Program Files/IBM/Client Access/Shared/cwbtfxla.xll.
3. The new toolbar will appear in the list of Add-ins and will be highlighted and CHECKED (if not, place a check in the box next to it).
4. Click OK.

 

When doing a mail merge with an Excel spreadsheet as my data source, the leading zeros on my zip codes won't print.  But I formatted them as zip codes in Excel and I can see the zeros.

You must use "Dynamic Data Exchange" (DDE) to connect to the Excel worksheet that contains the data that you want to use. To do this, follow these steps:

1. Start Word, and then open a new blank document.
2. On the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the General tab.
3. Click to select the Confirm conversion at Open check box, and then click OK.
4. Close Word.  Then open it back up and begin your mail merge.
5. On the Tools menu, point to Letters and Mailings, and then click Mail Merge Wizard.
6. In the Mail Merge task pane, select the type of document that you want to work on, and then click Next.
7. Under Select starting document, select the starting document that you want to use, and then click Next.
8. Under Select recipients, click Use an existing list, and then click Browse.
9. In the Select Data Source dialog box, locate the folder that contains the Excel workbook that you want to use as your data source, select the workbook, and then click Open.
10. In the Confirm Data Source dialog box, click MS Excel Worksheets via DDE (*.xls), and then click OK.
11. In the Microsoft Excel dialog box, under Named or cell range, select the cell range or worksheet that contains the data that you want to use, and then click OK.
12. Continue with your mail merge as you usually do.