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tommyr12's avatar
tommyr12
Copper Contributor
Feb 19, 2024

Flashing cells

Guys, I need your help. We use an Excel table prepared by me in a card game where people are divided into pairs (the game is played with several people, so one name is listed several times in the table). And here I would need help with the flashing cells. When one is looking for another (there is 64 people), the name of "the wanted person" should start to flash (one name in only one chosen cell), but there can be more than one wanted person at the same time. I've tried everything on youtube, I've also tried to adapt them, but it's not as good as I'd like. Basically, I just need the cell I marked to start blinking, doesn't need conditional formatting, etc. Can you please help me?

  • NikolinoDE's avatar
    NikolinoDE
    Gold Contributor

    tommyr12 

    Creating flashing cells in Excel without using VBA or complex conditional formatting can be a bit tricky. However, one way to achieve this effect is by using Excel's built-in animation features combined with conditional formatting. Here's a step-by-step guide to create flashing cells:

    1. Set up your Excel table: Ensure you have your table set up with the names of the players.
    2. Conditional formatting: Apply conditional formatting to the cells where you want the names to flash.
      • Select the cell or cells where you want the flashing effect to occur.
      • Go to the Home tab on the Excel ribbon.
      • Click on Conditional Formatting, then choose New Rule.
      • In the New Formatting Rule dialog box, select "Use a formula to determine which cells to format".
      • Enter the following formula (assuming the name you're looking for is in cell A1):

    =ISNUMBER(SEARCH("WantedName", $A1))

    Replace "WantedName" with the name you're searching for, and adjust the cell reference as needed.

      • Click on the Format button, choose the Fill tab, and select a color for the flashing effect.
      • Click OK to apply the formatting.
    1. Use Excel's built-in animation features:
      • Select the flashing cells.
      • Go to the View tab on the Excel ribbon.
      • Click on the "Macros" dropdown menu.
      • Choose "Record Macro" and give your macro a name (e.g., "Flashing").
      • Click OK to start recording.
      • With the cells still selected, go to the Home tab, click on the Fill Color dropdown arrow, and choose a different color.
      • Stop recording the macro by clicking on the "Stop Recording" button in the bottom-left corner of the Excel window.
    2. Assign the macro to a button:
      • Go to the Developer tab on the Excel ribbon (if you don't see the Developer tab, you may need to enable it in Excel's options).
      • Click on Insert, then choose a button from the Form Controls section.
      • Draw the button on your worksheet.
      • In the Assign Macro dialog box, select the macro you just recorded ("Flashing").
      • Click OK to assign the macro to the button.
    3. Activate the flashing effect:
      • Whenever you want the cells to start flashing, click on the button you inserted, and the selected cells will begin to flash.

    Note: This method relies on Excel's animation features, which may vary depending on the version of Excel you're using. Additionally, the flashing effect may not be as smooth or noticeable as you'd like, but it's one way to achieve a basic flashing effect without using VBA. The text and steps were edited with the help of AI.

     

    When creating flashing cells in Excel using VBA, you can find some example files that I have included that might help you with your plans. There are older examples that I have in my archive, unfortunately I can't remember the pages from which I got them back then.

     

    My answers are voluntary and without guarantee!

     

    Hope this will help you.

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