Forum Discussion
Is it possible to do this?
Hey all!
I currently use Smartsheet to track my trainees' progress and I love the way I can use Conditional Formatting in that program. Unfortunately, my company is going away from using Smartsheet, so I need to move all the information I have to an Excel document. I'm struggling with getting the Conditional Formatting to work the same way I have it in Smartsheet and I'm curious if it's even possible.
Here is an image of the Template I will be using for each employee. My plan is to have a tab for each employee, just duplicating the template and renaming it to their name and adding their information.
Here are the two things I'm struggling with getting set-up with Conditional Formatting:
1. In the Lvl column, I have a drop down that is linked to the Data tab where the icons on the left are images. I want to be able to select the "Assigned" option and have the A icon show up (this is currently set up) and then have the fill of the box turn to red. I'm struggling to get that to work properly. Currently, when I select the "Assigned" option in the drop-down menu, it just shows the "A" icon.
2. I also want to be able to have the "Date Completed" column change to a specific color if one of the checkbox columns (G, H, I, J, K) are checked (i.e. if G is checked, it turns a light brown, if H is checked, it's gray, if I is checked, then it's red, etc.).
This is what it looks like in Smartsheet and how I'm hoping to get it to look in Excel:
Thank you!
2 Replies
- Kumar850Copper Contributor
No
Yes—Excel can reproduce both behaviors, but the rules must test cells’ underlying values, not displayed icons. For the Level range, select the data cells, choose Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule > Use a formula, and enter =$F2="Assigned"; set a red fill and adjust F and the first row to your sheet. If the icon is an inserted picture, keep “Assigned” in the cell or a helper cell and base the rule there. For Date Completed, select its range and create one rule per checkbox: =$G2=TRUE for light brown, =$H2=TRUE for gray, and =$I2=TRUE for red. Put rules in the intended priority and use Stop If True if only one color should win. Modern in-cell checkboxes return TRUE/FALSE; older Form Control checkboxes must first be linked to helper cells. Duplicate the completed template sheet so every employee tab inherits the validation and formatting.