Linking Data between Excel and PowerPoint

[Guest]

I have an Excel Spreadsheet that I am linking to PowerPoint using the
Paste-Special option on the Edit menu of PowerPoint. If I select the
"Linked" option the information looks fine when I first build the slide,
however when I "Update the Link", the font on the slide changes and the text
looks terrible.

Does anyone know how to hold the formating of the slide during an update?

 

[Guest]

Hibbs:
Did you find a solution to your problem? The problem that you are having
sounds similar to the problem my boss says our client is having. I can't
replicate the problem, but I also don't think I am getting the whole story.
I have been reading a few things and have some ideas - but I just wanted to
know if you found a solution before I go on a wild goose chase.

susie

 

[Guest]

VirtualSusie

I have not resolved the problem yet and I really need to fine a solution.
If you can help, I would appreciate it.

It is an easy thing to replacate. Open a spreadsheet. Open a Powerpoint
with a blank or heading only layout. On the Excel side, mark out the area to
copy (suggest that you try it with a few rows and a couple of columns). Copy
the selection (Ctrl-Ins) and switch to the Powerpoint. From the toolbar:
Edit - Paste Special. Choose the Paste-Link option and select the Excel
object. press return to paste the cells into powerpoint.

You can resize and it looks good...until you "update the link". Highlight
the object, right click and choose "update link" and you will see the change.
Suddenly there are gridlines and a terrible looking font.

Help!

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Thanks for the detailed step-by-step; I'll give it a try here, but let us lknow
what version of PPT and Windows you're using.

 

[Guest]

Steve,

I am working with Office 2003 - SP1.

Thanks for your help

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Bingo. I see it happening here too.

There are some differences in behavior depending on whether you've saved the XLS
first or not, which is itself odd; previous versions of PPT, at least some, wouldn't
let you Edit, Paste Special, Link if you hadn't saved the XLS file. Sane, in that
there's nothing to link TO until the file's been saved.

The fact that it now allows this is, IMO, a bug. The link only allows updating so
long as the original worksheet is open. Once it's closed w/o saving, if you try to
update the link, PPT wanders off into the weeds to cogitate for a while then comes
back and announces that the "linked file was unavailable and can't be updated."

In that there is and never was a linked file, this is positively Sherlockian in its
brilliance. That'd be Sherlock Smith, Holmes' halfwit cousin.

If you first save the XLS (which you should, of course) then it acts a bit more
normal, though still not the way it has in past versions where the Grid is normal ly
there, so long as you haven't turned it off in Excel.

Looks like we need to make a habit of always updating the link as soon as we've
inserted it in 2003. Nuts.

 

[brian]

Hibbs,
I can't replicate it here on Office 2003 original CD

The gridlines do show up because you are using Ctl+Ins rather than
Ctl+C. Turn off the gridlines in Excel if you don't want gridlines in
PPT.

I first thought it had to do with the Zoom level setting in Excel
which has been an issue before but that does change my results any
more.

Any chance you aspect ratio is not the same for height and width?

Brian Reilly, PowerPoint MVP

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

Hibbs,
I can't replicate it here on Office 2003 original CD

The gridlines do show up because you are using Ctl+Ins rather than
Ctl+C. Turn off the gridlines in Excel if you don't want gridlines in
PPT.

FWIW, I don't get 'em regardless of how I do the copy from Excel but they appear as
soon as I do the link/update trick or save and reopen the file (which updates the
links, so no surprise there).

It's not an aspect ratio deal here at least; if I rescaled it was by the corner so as
to keep it proportional, and I get the same sort of behavior even if I don't scale the
xl stuff up/down at all.