Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

CHAPTER 6 CONDITIONAL FORMATTING

INFOCUS

WPL_E821

Formatting allows you to change the way that the data in cells in a
worksheet appear on the screen. For example, numbers can be
made to appear as currency values or percentages by formatting
them accordingly.
Microsoft Excel 2010 provides a variation on formatting known as
conditional formatting. With conditional formatting, cells can be
formatted in different colours schemes. Rather than this formatting
being applied to all cells in a range, it is applied selectively and
based on specific rules. This type of formatting allows you to see,
for example, values that are over a certain amount, or to instantly
spot high and low values based on assigned colouring.

In this session you will:

 gain an understanding of conditional formatting

 learn how to conditionally format cells containing specific
values
 learn how to clear conditional formatting
 learn how to use more of the cell formatting options
 learn how to format the top ten items in a range
 learn how to use the various Top/Bottom Rules
 learn how to work with data bars
 learn how to work with colour scales when formatting
conditionally
 learn how to apply icon sets to conditionally format a
range
 gain an understanding of Sparklines
 learn how to create Sparklines
 learn how to edit Sparklines.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

UNDERSTANDING CONDITIONAL FORMATTING

As the name suggests, conditional formatting customised and edited, in rules that have been
is a type of formatting that is applied to cells or programmed into Excel. There are two types of
ranges when certain conditions are met. These conditional formatting – values-based formatting,
conditions are set, but can quite often be and trend-based formatting.

What Happens With Conditional Formatting

With conditional formatting, cells in a specified range are coloured or shaded according to certain
conditions which are outlined in rules.

1 Values-Based Conditional Formatting

With values-based conditional formatting, cells in the range are examined and their shading and
colouring is based on whether they meet the conditions of the rule. This type of formatting allows you
to see whether values in a range are greater than a certain value, less than a certain value, equal
a certain value, or fall between a range. You can also display top ten, bottom ten, top 10%, bottom
10%, and above and below averages with this type of formatting.
In all cases a dialog box will appear which will allow you to tweak the rule to what is needed.
Basically, the dialog box will allow you to specify a rules value and to determine the colour of the
shading. A dialog box for the between value appears as follows:

2 Trend-Based Conditional Formatting

With trend-based conditional formatting, colouring is applied to all of the cells in the range. The
depth of the colouring is determined by the values shown in each cell relative to the overall total of
the range. This allows you to instantly spot higher, lower, and median values in the range and to see
the trend of the numbers. The formatting can be applied in the form of coloured bars, coloured
scales, and even icons. An example of all of these is shown below:

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

FORMATTING CELLS CONTAINING VALUES

A common analysis requirement is to see which be done using the Greater Than option which
values in a worksheet are greater than a specific appears as one of the options in the Highlight
amount. For example, if you want to see which Cells Rules set of the Conditional Formatting
salespeople have bettered their targets. This can command.

2
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
Open

you MUST open the file

File

E821 Conditional
Formatting_1.xlsx...

 Select the range I4:I45

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool in the
Styles group on the Home
tab of the Ribbon, then
move the mouse pointer
over Highlight Cells Rules
to see the options

 Click on Greater Than to

see the Greater Than
dialog box

 With Live Preview, the cells

in the range that meet the
condition are highlighted…

 Type 90000 and watch how

the formatting changes

 Click on the drop arrow

for With and click on Green
Fill with Dark Green Text
to change the colouring

 Click on [OK] to complete

the formatting 5

 Click on A1 to deselect the

range and see the
formatting more clearly

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To format cells containing specific values:  The Greater Than conditional formatting
1. Select the range option is very literal. If you ask it to format
values over 90,000 for example, it will only
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
format values that are over 90,000 – any
and select Highlight Cells Rules > value of 90,000 will not be formatted.
[option]

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

CLEARING CONDITIONAL FORMATTING

Excel will compound conditional formats. For what is required in the second format. Unless you
example you can apply a Greater Than format, want compounding formats, it is much safer to
then come back and apply a Less Than format. clear any previous formats from the worksheet
The original format will remain, depending upon before applying a new one.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the file
E821 Conditional
Formatting_2.xlsx...

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool in
the Styles group on the
Home tab of the Ribbon

 Move the mouse pointer

over Clear Rules to see
the options available

 Click on Clear Rules

from Entire Sheet to
2
clear all of the formatting
from the entire worksheet

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To clear conditional formatting:  You can also clear the conditional formatting
1. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool for a selected range. This will be useful when
you have conditional formatting in some
places in the worksheet that you wish to
2. Move the mouse pointer over Clear Rules keep.
and click on Clear Rules from Entire Sheet

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

MORE CELL FORMATTING OPTIONS

There are a number of options under Highlight greater than), to format for values between two
Cells Rules in the Conditional Formatting tool values, and to format for values equal to a specific
that are handy to know and use. These include value.
the ability to format less than (in addition to

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the file
E821 Conditional
Formatting_3.xlsx...
1

 Select the range C4:H10

which includes all of the
sales for BMW motor
vehicles

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool ,
click on Highlight Cells
Rules then click on Less
than to display the Less
Than dialog box

 Type 15000 to see how

many months had model
sales less than 15,000

 At this stage we want to

use more of these
3

commands so we’ll cancel

from the previous one… 5

 Click on [Cancel] to
cancel the formatting

 Repeat the above steps

and try the Between
setting and the Equal to
setting as shown

 Click on [Cancel] to
cancel the formatting

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To format cells containing specific values:  When applying conditional formatting, if you
1. Select the range inadvertently click on [OK] instead of
[Cancel], you can either use the Clear
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
Rules option or the Undo operation in Excel
and select Highlight Cells Rules > to remove the unwanted formatting.
[option]

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

TOP TEN ITEMS

Conditional formatting can be used in a sold in the last year. This can be achieved using
worksheet to highlight upper and lower values. the Top/Bottom Rules of the Conditional
For example, it is often interesting to know your Formatting command.
top 10 customers, or the top 10% of products

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same

file with this exercise, or open

File

the file E821 Conditional

Formatting_4.xlsx...

 Select the range C4:H10

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting command in
the Styles grouping on the
Home tab of the Ribbon.
Move the mouse pointer over
Top/Bottom Rules to see the
options available

 Click on Top 10 Items to see

the Top 10 Items dialog box –
the top 10 items in the range
will now be coloured

 Click on the down arrow next

to the quantity until only 5
appears – the top 5 items in
the range should now be
coloured

 Click on [OK] to apply the

formatting

 Click on A1 to see the

changes more clearly
3

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To format the top <n> items:  Don’t confuse the Top 10 Items with Top
1. Select the range 10% - one displays only 10 results while the
other can display a variable amount of
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
results based on what fits into the top 10 per
and select Top/Bottom Rules > Top cent of a category.
10 Items

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

MORE TOP AND BOTTOM FORMATTING OPTIONS

The Top/Bottom Rules option in the top and bottom <n> number of values, the top and
Conditional Formatting command provides a bottom percentage, and whether values are above
number of useful options for displaying upper and or below average.
lower ranges in your data. You can display the

2
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the file
E821 Conditional
Formatting_5.xlsx...

 Select the range C4:H10

which includes all of the
sales for BMW motor
vehicles

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting command
, click on Top/Bottom
Rules then click on Top
10% to display the Top 4
10% dialog box

 Spend a few moments

studying the results, then
click on [Cancel] to clear
any formatting

 Repeat steps 2 & 3 and try

the Bottom 10 Items,
Bottom 10%, Above
Average, and Below
Average options as shown

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

Formatting cells for top or bottom:  Remember, the spinner arrows (the up and
1. Select the range down arrows) next to the values in the
conditional formatting dialog boxes allow you
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
to refine your conditional formatting for the
and select Top/Bottom Rules > number of items and the percentage of
[option] items.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

WORKING WITH DATA BARS

It is sometimes tricky to spot patterns or trends from high value to low value. Data bars provide
when confronted with a worksheet full of figures. colour accents to cells in the selected range. The
Conditional formatting allows you to colour width of the accents depends on the data value and
cells so that you can see how the figures move its relation to the overall total.

Try This Yourself:

Before starting this
Open

exercise you MUST open

File

the file E821 Conditional

Formatting_6.xlsx...

 Select the range C11:H11

– this range represents
the total monthly sales of
BMW vehicles 1

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool in
the Styles group on the 2
Home tab of the Ribbon,
then move the mouse
pointer over Data Bars to
see the options available

 Move the mouse pointer

across the colours and
notice how coloured bars
appear across the range

 Click on Orange Data Bar

in Gradient Fill, then click
on A1 to deselect the
range

 The bars indicate the size

of each value relative to
the total
4

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

Using data bars to highlight values:  To change to a different Data Bar colour, run
1. Select the range the Conditional Formatting command
again, however ensure that the range
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
selected is exactly as it was when originally
and select Data Bars > [colour created.
option]

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

WORKING WITH COLOUR SCALES

Colour scales are a part of conditional formatting. adopt a different hue and intensity dependent upon
Instead of only part of a cell being coloured, with the value in the cell relative to the overall selection
Colour Scales the entire cell is shaded a colour. total. When applied, graduated colouring appears
The colours throughout the selection however across the range.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the previous
Same

file with this exercise, or open

File

the file E821 Conditional

Formatting_7.xlsx...

 Select the range C4:H4 – the

vehicle monthly sales for the 3
1
Series BMW vehicles

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool , then 2
move the mouse pointer over
Colour Scales to see the
options available

 Move the mouse pointer

across the colours and notice
how coloured shading
appears across the selected
range

 Click on Green-Yellow-Red
Colour Scale

 Select the range C7:H8 – the

vehicle monthly sales for the
X Series BMW

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool , click on
Colour Scales, then click on
Green-Yellow-Red Colour
Scale to apply the shading

 Click on A1 to deselect the

range and get a better view of
the colouring

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

Using colour scales to highlight values:  With a 3 colour option Excel divides the
1. Select the range values according to the number of cells in the
range and then applies a scale of hues. The
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
first colour (Green above) is applied to the
and select Colour Scales > [colour highest value, while the last colour (Red
option] above) is applied to the lowest.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

WORKING WITH ICON SETS

Using colours to conditionally format ranges in a formatted range you can apply icons to the range.
worksheet is fine providing that your readers are With Icons a symbol is placed next to a cell to
capable of interpreting and indeed even seeing indicate the position of that value relative to the
colours. In lieu of colouring a conditionally range total.

Try This Yourself:

Continue using the
Same File

previous file with this

exercise, or open the file
E821 Conditional
Formatting_8.xlsx...

 Select the range I4:I10 –

the total vehicle monthly
1
sales for BMW vehicles

 Click on the Conditional

Formatting tool , 2
then click on Icon Sets
to see the sets available

 Move the mouse pointer

across the icons and
notice how the icons
appear in the selected
range

 Click on the 3 Symbols

(Uncircled) option, in
Indicators

 Click on A1 to see the

effect more clearly

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

Using icon sets to highlight values:  Using the 3 Symbols (Uncircled) conditional
1. Select the range formatting option, there are 3 icons which are
applied according to the rule of thirds in the
2. Click on the Conditional Formatting tool
range. Values that fall within the top third
and select Icon Sets > [icon set] receive the tick icon, values in the second
third receive the exclamation mark, and the
values in the last third receive the cross.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

UNDERSTANDING SPARKLINES
What do you get when you cross charts with cell be used to represent trends and patterns in the
formatting? Sparklines! Sparklines are a new data in a worksheet. They are accessed from the
feature in Excel 2010. They are like mini-charts Insert tab of the Ribbon.
that are actually placed into a single cell and can

What Are Sparklines?

Sparklines are simply mini-charts embedded into a single cell.

Line Sparkline

Column Sparkline

Win/Loss Sparkline

Each of the Sparklines above charts the figures for the Jan, Feb, and Mar columns to their left. For
example, the Sparkline in cell G4 charts the figures in the range C4:E4.
There are three different types of Sparklines available in Excel 2010, Line, Column, and Win/Loss.
Each of these are shown above. The Line Sparkline displays as a line. The dots in the example
above appear because the Sparklines have been asked to display the highest and lowest values. A
Column Sparkline displays as vertical bars. The Win/Loss Sparkline displays positive values in
one colour above an imaginary line and negative values in another colour below that imaginary line.
While Sparklines are never going to be as versatile as charts there are still a lot of formatting
options that you have at your disposal when working with them. When a cell containing a Sparkline
is selected a Design tab for Sparklines will appear in the Ribbon as shown.

The Design tab for Sparklines allows you to change the type of Sparkline in a cell, to change
formatting options for it such as style and colouring, and to show various high point, low points and
the like. There is also a command here to clear Sparklines from the cell.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

CREATING SPARKLINES
Sparklines are created from the Insert tab on stage you do have the option of changing the type
the Ribbon. You have the choice of creating a of Sparkline after it is created. Like other forms of
Line, Column or Win/Loss Sparkline from the charting you will need to select the data series
Insert tab. While it is good to get it right at this before creating the Sparkline.

1
Try This Yourself:
Before starting this exercise
Open
File

you MUST open the file

E821 Sparklines_1.xlsx...

 Select the range C4 to E4

 Click on the Insert tab of

the Ribbon and click on 2
Column in the Sparklines
group to display the Create
Sparklines dialog box
The box shows the data
range but requires a
location for the Sparkline…

 Click in cell G4 in the

worksheet, then click on 3
[OK] to create the
Sparkline

 Select the range C5 to E5

 Click on Line in the

Sparklines group to
display the Create
Sparklines dialog box
7
 Click in cell G4 in the
worksheet, then click on
[OK]

 Repeat the above steps

and create a Win/Loss
Sparkline in G6 for the
range C6 to E6.

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To create a Sparkline:  In our worksheet example we have increased
1. Select the range for the data series the row height for rows where Sparklines
will be inserted. This helps us to better spot
2. Click on the Insert tab and click on a
the up and down trends in Sparklines.
Sparkline type in the Sparklines group
Unfortunately it makes the worksheet data
3. Click in the location cell and click on [OK] look a bit odd.

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

EDITING SPARKLINES
Sparklines in Excel 2010 are both easy to Design tab allows you to change the type of
create and easy to edit. When a cell containing a Sparkline in the cell, its formatting and colouring,
Sparkline is selected a Design tab for and to specify things such as high and low points.
Sparklines will appear on the Ribbon. The You can also fill Sparklines to adjacent cells.

4
Try This Yourself:
Continue using the previous
Same

file with this exercise, or

File

open the file E821

Sparklines_2.xlsx...

 Click in cell G4 and click on

the Design tab that has
appeared on the Ribbon

 Click on Sparkline Colour to

see a palette of colours and
6

click on Olive Green to

change the Sparkline
colours

 Click on High Point to tick it

and display the highest value
in the Sparkline in a different
colour

 Click on Low Point to colour

the lowest point differently
7

 Click on Line to change the

Sparkline type from a
column to a line

 Click on cell G5 which has

the second Sparkline and
click on Clear on the Design
tab to remove it

 Click on cell G6 which

contains a Win/Loss
Sparkline and drag the fill
handle down to G10 to
create more Sparklines

For Your Reference… Handy to Know…

To edit a Sparkline:  You can actually edit multiple Sparklines by
1. Click on the cell or range containing the selecting the cells in which they are located
Sparkline(s) as a range.
2. Use the commands on the Design tab to  You can place a Sparkline in a cell
make the appropriate changes containing data – the data and the Sparkline
will appear together (but it will look a bit
crowded)

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 Microsoft Excel 2010 - Level 2

NOTES:

© Watsonia Publishing Page 56 Conditional Formatting