Page 27 - Excel Timesaving Techniques for Dummies

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Technique 1: Customizing the Excel Screen Display
When making changes to display settings for filename in the workbook’s temporary file-
a template, select the settings that you find name as in 15 Wide Col1, No Gridlines2, and
yourself manually changing over and over 4-Sht Book3.
again (such as inserting an additional work-
sheet, removing the gridlines, and selecting a 5. Click Save to close the Save As dialog box and
new standard column width). When entering save your settings in the new template file.
display values (such a new default column
width or row height), select the value.
Using a template
2. Choose File➪Save or click the Save button To use your template to generate a new workbook
on the Standard toolbar to open the Save As
with your custom display settings, follow these
dialog box.
steps:
3. From the Save as Type drop-down list, choose
Template (*.xlt), as shown in Figure 1-5. 1. If the template is currently open, close it by
choosing File➪Close on the menu bar or by
pressing Ctrl+W.
You must close a new template file before you
can generate files from it.
2. Choose File➪New to open the New Workbook
task pane.
To use your new template, don’t click the New
button on the Standard toolbar or press the
keystroke shortcut Ctrl+N. Doing so automati-
cally opens a new workbook using the Excel
out-of-the-box settings, giving you no oppor-
tunity to generate the new book from any
other template. Choose File➪New on the
• Figure 1-5: Selecting Template (•.xlt) as the file type for
saving a new worksheet template. menu bar instead.

4. Highlight the temporary filename (Book1, 3. Select the On My Computer link under the
Book2, and so on) in the File Name combo Templates section of the New Workbook
box (be sure you don’t select the .xlt filename task pane.
extension) and then type in a descriptive name The Templates dialog box opens.
for the new template.
4. Double-click the name of the template you want
When replacing the temporary filename with to use, or click its name and then click OK.
one of your own, pick a brief name that
describes the new settings, such as 15 Wide Excel opens up a new blank workbook from the tem-
Col, No Gridlines, or 4-Sht Book. Be aware plate file, using all the custom display settings that
that when you generate a workbook from the you saved as part of it.
template you’re creating, Excel uses the main