Forum Discussion

Copper Contributor

Jul 06, 2018

Conditional Formatting

I don't have a problem using Conditional Formatting, but I do have a problem with the display. I want to color code certain cells. In order to see the results, I have to "refresh" the page, which...

excel

Reid Babbitt

Copper Contributor

Jul 06, 2018

I tried that. I made the range something like 10 cells, but the problem persists. Apply the Conditional Formatting rules and you don't see the results until you Page up then Page down to your 10 cells. I should add that you don't HAVE to Page Up/Down to force the cells to highlight. Cursing up and down accomplishes the same thing. The idea is that you have to slide the view of the cells until they are no longer in sight, then back again. So you can slide the viewpoint sideways, not vertically to force the Conditional Formatting to work.

I just got accustomed to having to play around with my spreadsheet every time I open it if I want to actually see the Conditional Formatting of those 3 columns. Usually, once they highlight, they stay highlighted until I close the spreadsheet. Although a few times they disappear for no apparent reason while the spreadsheet is still open and by that I mean the Formatting doesn't display, not that the cells disappear.

Reid Babbitt

Copper Contributor

Jul 07, 2018

I think the issue here ends up being one of "Formatting Overload". My particular worksheet is thick in color formatting. I have many different columns with different "fill" colors (not conditionally formatted, just background colors to distinguish types of columns). So when I added 3 more columns (farthest right, see attachment) and applied Conditional Formatting to those columns, Excel must be overtaxed to present the results to me spontaneously. I have to "refresh" the page in order to see the results.

As suggested proof of this, I opened a new worksheet with nothing but a column of values and applied Conditional Formatting to them with instantaneous results. So it does work. But not when this column of values is inserted into my active worksheet. I have to refresh the page in order to see the formatting.