Forum Discussion
How to sort blank columns with color
Hi,
I have to color rows of information in an Excel spreadsheet, but when I sort the data, the blank columns on the right do not sort. This makes the whole right side of the sheet a complete mess of color which doesn't match the rest of the columns with data on the left.
Is there a way to sort the entire sheet including the blank columns, or should I be coloring the data a different way?
Thanks!
13 Replies
On what basis are colors assigned in the first place? Do you do it manually? Are you familiar with Excel's conditional formatting capabilities? If you were to use the conditional formatting method, then presumably there are values in some of the cells that ARE being sorted that would enable you to sort based on them.
Those are some starter questions: my basic point, though, is that you could help us help you by giving a few more details in response to my first couple of questions above, but don't limit yourself to those--anything more you can say about the nature of the data, what the colors mean, etc., could help us help you.
Hello mathetes,
On what basis are colors assigned in the first place?
It's a manual process, I have to check other data and then color the row based on the results I find, there's no way to automate it.
Do you do it manually?
Yes, I color each row manually by right-clicking on the row number and selecting a Fill Color.
Perhaps there is a better way to color the rows, so that the color doesn't extend into the empty columns, like a keyboard shortcut? I don't want to have to manually select all the fields in each row because that will add a lot of time to the process, especially when I have very long rows.
Are you familiar with Excel's conditional formatting capabilities?
I have used it a little bit but I don't see how it would apply here, perhaps you can offer me a tip.
Thank you very much for your help!!
Are you familiar with Excel's conditional formatting capabilities?
I have used it a little bit but I don't see how it would apply here, perhaps you can offer me a tip.
On what basis are colors assigned in the first place?
It's a manual process, I have to check other data and then color the row based on the results I find,
there's no way to automate it.
On the contrary, So long as that other data you're checking, and the decisions you make based on what you find, are consistent, then that's exactly what Conditional Formatting is for. So if you can describe some examples....maybe I can illustrate. Is it possible for you to post a copy of the actual spreadsheet, so long as it contains no confidential info? If you can't do it here in the forum, you could post it in OneDrive or GoogleDrive and grant access to it. Or send it to me attached to a private message here in the tech community.
