Comments on: Microsoft Excel help needed

Question: Microsoft Excel help needed

teem — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:24:07 -0800

Microsoft Excel help needed.

I recently found that all of the values in a spreadsheet I'm using are out by a factor of ~0.8. I'd like to do something similar to a search and replace, where every cell that contains a number is replaced by 0.8 times that number. So, cell = 0.8*cell. I want the resulting cell to just be a raw value, not a formula (for easy copying and pasting). Can this be done?

[Running Microsoft Excel X for Mac, by the way]

By: randomstriker

randomstriker — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:26:53 -0800

Insert new column next to current column.
Enter a formula that multiplies adjacent cell by 0.8.
Copy and paste that formula over the whole column.
Recalc (if on manual recalc).
Copy the new column. Right Click. Paste Special. Values.

By: i love cheese

i love cheese — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:29:47 -0800

Create a column with the formula you want. Then highlight the column, copy it, then hit Edit>Paste Special... and choose "Values."

By: teem

teem — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:30:42 -0800

randomstriker: Thanks, but I was hoping for something that didn't require new columns. It's every single number in my spreadsheet (well, the old guy's spreadsheet...): there's lots of them, and they aren't all in orderly columns. I may end up using your method, but something more like a widespread search and replace would be ideal.

By: randomstriker

randomstriker — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:34:57 -0800

New sheet or tab.
Use a 3D formula (i.e. one with references to cells in a different sheet or tab), apply it across a range of same dimensions as your original table.
Copy, Paste Special.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:34:58 -0800

Hit alt-F11, select the sheet you're working in, then paste in this macro:

Sub ValuesByPointEight()
For Each cell In Range("A1:D25")
If cell.Value <> "" Then cell.Value = cell.Value * 0.8
Next
End Sub

....adjusting the "A1:D25" to whatever range you're using.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:38:43 -0800

actually scratch that... that gets broken by any text.

By: bCat

bCat — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:45:26 -0800

I believe you can use the multiplier function in Excel - Microsoft help shows the steps to "multiply a range of numbers by a number" (second item on the page).

It doesn't breaks if there is text in the selected range but blank cells will have a zero value.

By: pompomtom

pompomtom — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 17:46:16 -0800

This one works though...

Sub ValuesByPointEight()

For Each cell In Range("a1:d35")
If cell.Value <> cell.Text Then cell.Value = cell.Value * 0.8
Next

End Sub

By: blm

blm — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 18:03:23 -0800

You can do it with one extra cell:

1. Select the cells you want to change. With Edit > Go To... > Special... you can select a subset of all the cells, such as all those with numbers.
2. Create a new worksheet, put .8 in a cell, copy it.
3. Go back to original worksheet, choose Edit > Paste Special.... Under Operation, click Multiply. Click Ok.

By: teem

teem — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 18:36:22 -0800

Thanks pompomtom, exactly what I was after.

By: mullacc

mullacc — Wed, 11 Jan 2006 19:49:52 -0800

you could also put .8 in a cell off to the side, copy that cell, highlight your range of cells and then Edit -> Paste Special -> Multiply.

But it sounds like I'm too late :(