Forum Discussion
Show Linked Picture When Linked Data Column is Hidden
I have a linked picture that displays data from a column I want to hide.
When I hide the column, the linked picture disappears.
Is there a way to avoid this?
Thanks,
John
3 Replies
To my knowledge, when you hide a column that is the source of a linked picture in Excel, the picture will also disappear.
This is because the linked picture is directly tied to the data in the hidden column.
However, there are a few workarounds you can try:
- Resize the column: Instead of hiding the column, you can resize the column to make it very narrow. This will effectively hide the column, but the linked picture will still be able to access the data.
- Use a named range: Instead of linking directly to the column, you can create a named range that includes the data in the column. Then, link the picture to the named range instead of the column. When you hide the column, the named range will still be visible, and the linked picture will still be able to access the data.
- Use a macro: You can create a macro that will unhide the column when the worksheet is opened, and then hide the column again when the worksheet is closed. This will allow the linked picture to access the data even when the column is hidden.
Overall, while it is not possible to display a linked picture when the linked data column is hidden in Excel, these workarounds can help you achieve a similar result.
Thanks for the options. Unfortunately, the first two didn't work out. If I make the column very small, the format of the linked picture is impacted. The cell contains a number so the linked picture turns into ###.
When I name the range, it still disappears when I hide the column.
I'll probably just end up moving the data to another sheet and hide the sheet which appears to work fine. It's not as convenient for me, but it should be fine.
- picture turns into ###
Recommend formatting cells (right mouse button) > Alignment > Text control > Fit to cell size (tick)
