Still on the Road

As I mentioned last Saturday, I've been on a major road trip. Over the past week I've driven a bit under 2,000 miles, through Wyoming, Nebraska, Iowa, Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, and Ohio. We were able to attend the Navy boot camp graduation of my granddaughter on Thursday, and it was a very memorable experience. I'm grateful to so many of you who kindly expressed thanks for her willingness to serve. Soon she will be off to her specialized training and on with her chosen career.

Today we are on our way just a bit further east, skirting the Great Lakes and targeting the upstate area of New York, near the finger lakes. There is a small site there that has religious significance to me and my family. We will visit there tomorrow and then start our journey back westward again. We will, of course, stop at other places of note, such as Niagara Falls. (Have you ever noticed that "Niagara" is not pronounced as it is spelled? English is so odd at times.)

I hope that your weekend is going well and that you enjoy the tips in this week's newsletter.

—Allen
     

ExcelTips (ribbon) for 23 August 2025
Editing
Filling a Set Number of Cells

The fill capability of Excel is quite handy, allowing you to easily fill a range of cells based on the content in a particular cell. If you want to fill a specific number of cells, however, you'll appreciate the ideas in this tip.

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(Thanks to Michael Avidan (MVP), Henri Smeesters, Steve Aprahamian, Brian Dorey, Erik Oberg, Alex Blakenburg, Jacques Raubenheimer, and Neil Woller for contributing to this tip.)

 
Formulas
Finding the Directory Name

Need to know the directory (folder) in which a workbook was saved? You can create a formula that will return this information within any cell of a worksheet.

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Conditional formatting
Conditional Formatting for Errant Phone Numbers

Conditional formatting can be used to draw attention to all sorts of data based upon the criteria you specify. Here's how you can use conditional formatting to highlight which phone numbers aren't within the parameters you need.

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Powerful spreadsheets
Setting Print Ranges for Multiple Worksheets

Need the same print range set for different worksheets in the same workbook? It can't be done in one step manually, but you can use a macro to make the print ranges the same.

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Help Wanted

This section is for those having problems making Excel behave. If Excel is giving you fits, feel free to submit your own Help Wanted question.

If you have a solution for the problems below, click the link after the problem to send us your answer. (All responses become the sole property of Sharon Parq Associates, Inc., and can be used in any way deemed appropriate.) If your response is used in a future issue, you will be credited for your contribution to the answer.

 
Capitalizing the First Letter of a Cell

I have a column of text values extending over thousands of rows. I would like to change the capitalization of the text so that only the first letter of each cell is capitalized. Is there an easy way to do this?
—Georgia Roberts (provide an answer for this Help Wanted question)

 
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