Re: Making pretty reports - Advice please

From: Ragdyer (RagDyer_at_cutoutmsn.com)
Date: 02/29/04 

Date: Sun, 29 Feb 2004 14:30:06 -0800

FWIW,

*Forget* about your data at the outset!

First, place the "ToggleGrid" icon on your toolbar:
Right click in the toolbar and choose "Customize", and click on the
"Commands" tab.
Scroll down in the "Categories" window and click on "Forms".
Then, scroll down almost to the bottom of the "Commands" window and click
and drag the "ToggleGrid" icon to your toolbar.

Second, place the "SetPrintArea" icon on your toolbar.
Same procedure as above, except find it in "File" in the "Categories"
window.

Now, start in the unused portions of your WS (ColAA, ColBA, ... whatever)
and format 40 or 50 columns to a width of 2
.
This gives a "graph paper" appearance to this part of the WS, permitting you
to more accurately place titles and headings and line lengths where they
would be the most appealing.
When your text runs over 5 or 10 or 20 columns, select these and
"CenterAcrossSelection", *DO NOT* merge cells!

Click in the top right cell of your proposed form, navigate to the bottom
left cell, hold down shift and click in it to select the entire future print
area.
Just guess at this point.
Changing it as you go along is easy.
Now, while this area is selected, click in the name box and type a short
name, maybe "Print1" (no quotes) and hit <Enter>.

Now, start adding your borders and lines.
Toggle your grid off and on to see what the printout would look like.

As you go along, click in the name box and select the form, and click on the
"SetPrintArea" icon, and print out a ***.
Add or subtract columns and/or rows, resize your "Print1" selection, or
create a "Print2" selection and use the "SetPrintArea" icon to print out
this test version.

What you are doing here, is creating a presentable form, with no concern
whatever as to what or where your formulas and data are located.

When you have something that you think might work, *now* add your data.

Just use links!

For example, from the main data section of the WS, right click in the cell
for the totals for August, choose "Copy", navigate to the cell in the print
form that is to display this total, and right click in it and choose
"PasteSpecial", and click the "PasteLink" button.
This cell will now display whatever is contained in the August total cell,
even if subsequent calculations change/update it.

When everything is completed to your liking, just print out this
presentation ***.
If you wish to keep a record, one that will *not* update with future
calculations, just copy this *** *down* the columns, (to preserve the
columnar formats), and "PasteSpecial" selecting "Values" to eliminate the
links and preserve the existing data.

A little practice and a little playing around should give you something
that's presentable. 

-- 
HTH,
RD
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"mdeboard >" <<mdeboard.12e4zn@excelforum-nospam.com> wrote in message
news:mdeboard.12e4zn@excelforum-nospam.com...
> I am using Excel to generate the raw data and ideally would like to
> present it in a Word format.  But I have been having alot of issues
> getting the data exported to Word, and I figured the solution would be
> to just create another work*** and try to format that work*** into
> a printable, 8.5" x 11" final product.  I've figured out how to import
> my company logo into the work***, but the column formatting to make
> the report look professional, and lining up the text with the formula
> cells, is a bear.  I figure there must be a solution that allows you to
> create a work*** that is text-formatting friendly and dynamic enough
> to handle changing sizes of values...  otherwise I end with awkward
> gaps that are far from the polished product that I'd like to be able to
> print and present to a client. :(
>
>
> ---
> Message posted from http://www.ExcelForum.com/
>