How to make numbers (assumptions) show as different color...

[Guest]

I use Excel '97 presently, but if this is doable in *ANY* version of Excel that'd be good to know too

Over 10 years ago in Lotus 1-2-3 is pathetically easy to have plug numbers in a financial model (ie, cells that contain only numbers but are not text values or symbols, things that evaluate when trying to do with math with them) show up as a different color. Back then, they'd show up as green against a black background, but now of course I'd assume you could control colors

I've played w/ conditional formatting and don't see a way to do this w/ it

The funny thing is, this seems like a basic need in a spreadsheet model. Even a slightly-involved spreadsheet can benefit from having your plugs / assumptions be readily visible so that when you give the thing to somebody else they don't have to hunt and peck to figure out how your model works or what numbers they can / should change
Ideas

Thanks

- TK

 

[Gord Dibben]

Select all cells using CRTL + A

Format>Conditional Formatting>Formula is:

=ISNUMBER(A1)

Format>Patterns. Pick a color and OK your way out.

Gord Dibben Excel MVP

 

[Guest]

Thanks

And oops. My bad, but I (forgot that I) asked this question 15 mos. ago. The one problem w/ what you prescribe is that it'll highlight cells w/ formulas (which will have numbers, but they won't be plugs)

This thread gets to to something workable (thanks to you Gord)

http://groups.google.com/groups?hl=...num=8&prev=/groups?hl=en&lr=&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-

I am still really surprised that MS hasn't provided a way to do this natively w/o VB after so many generations of the product since, imho, it's a best practice in good model building. Oh well, beggars can't be choosers.