Miscellaneous conditional formatting techniques

1. How to change cell formatting using a Drop Down list

This article demonstrates how to apply different cell formatting to a cell range based on a Drop Down list, column B contains an Excel Table with numerical values.

The Drop down list in cell D3 lets you choose between five different types of cell formatting, they are:

• No formatting (General)
• % (percentage)
• Numbers formatted as time
• Highlight numbers below average
• Highlight numbers above average

You can, of course, pick whatever cell formatting you want and how many or few as you want. I chose those for demonstrational purposes.

The animated image above shows me selecting different formattings and column B instantly changes based on what I selected. This technique can be useful if you are building a Dashboard.

Here is how I did it.

Create an Excel Table

This step is optional, however, I highly recommend it if you know you will be adding more values later on.

An Excel Table applies Conditional Formatting to new values automatically, this makes it really useful because there is no need to extend CF formatting or change CF formulas when new values are added.

1. Select all cells in your data set.
2. Go to tab "Insert" on the ribbon.
3. Press with left mouse button on "Table" button, a dialog box appears.
   
4. Press with left mouse button on OK button.

You data set has now a different cell formatting applied, this is done every time data is converted to an Excel Table. You can change this if you like.

1. Press with left mouse button on any cell in your Excel Table.
2. Go to tab "Table Design" on the ribbon.
3. Here you have plenty of Table Styles to choose from.

Create a Drop Down list

A Drop Down list lets you control what the user enters in a worksheet, press with left mouse button on the black arrow next to the cell to expand the list.

The list shows valid values the user can select, simply press with left mouse button on a value with the mouse or use up/down arrow keys.

1. Select cell D3.
2. Go to tab "Data" on the ribbon.
3. Press with left mouse button on "Data Validation" button on the ribbon and a dialog box appears.
4. Go to tab "Settings" on the dialog box. See image below.
   
5. Select List
6. Type: No formatting, %, Time, Above Average, Below Average
7. Press with left mouse button on OK button to close the dialog box.

Apply Conditional formatting

Conditional Formatting allows you to format a cell or cell range based on a condition, in this case, the condition is given in cell D3 where we have a Drop Down list located.

We need to create five different CF formulas, each one applying different cell formatting to a column in the Excel Table.

For example, the image above shows that the selected value in the Drop Down list is "Above Average", the corresponding Conditional Formatting formula is activated and highlights values in Excel Table if a number is above the average of all numbers in the "Values" column.

Follow these steps to apply Conditional Formatting to column Values in the Excel Table.

1. Select all values in column "Values".
2. Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon.
3. Press with left mouse button on the "Conditional Formatting" button and a menu appears.
4. Press with left mouse button on "New Rule...".
   
5. Copy this formula:
   =($D$3="Above Average")*(INDIRECT("Table1[@Values]")>AVERAGE(INDIRECT("Table1[Values]")))
   and paste to "Format values where this is true:"
6. Press with left mouse button on "Format..." button and pick a color. Cells that meet the requirement (return TRUE) in the above formula will be highlighted with this color.
7. Press with left mouse button on OK button.
8. Press with left mouse button on OK button once again to close the Conditional Formatting dialog box.
9. Repeat step 1 to 8 with the remaining cell formattings.

Here are the formulas and formatting:

% formula

The formula checks if the value in cell D3 is %. If true the following formatting is applied:

Time formula

The formula checks if the value in cell D3 is Time. If true the following formatting is applied:

Above Average

In this formula, cell D3 is "Above Average" AND checks if each value is above the average of the table values. If TRUE the cell is highlighted.

Below Average

Get the Excel file

Use-a-drop-down-list-to-change-conditional-formatting.xlsx

2. Highlight cells based on coordinates

The picture above shows Conditional Formatting highlighting cells in cell range F3:Y22 based on row and column values in column B and C.

Conditional Formatting formula applied to cell range F3:Y22:

The first coordinate in cell range B3:C3 is column 1 and row 4, the conditional formatting formula highlights cell F6 because it is column 1 determined by the value in F2 and row 4 based on value in E6.

Explaining Conditional Formatting formula in cell F3

The COUNTIFS function counts the number of records in B3:C13 that match both the column (F$2) and row ($E3) value.

F$2 is 1 and $E3 is 1, no record in B3:C13 matches so cell F3 is not highlighted.

F$2 is locked to row 2 and $E3 is locked to column E so the cell references changes to F$2 and $E4 in next cell below. The dollar sign $ determines if a cell reference is absolute (locked) or relative.

How to apply conditional formatting formula to a cell range

1. Select cell range F3:Y22.
2. Go to tab "Home" on the ribbon.
3. Press with mouse on the "Conditional Formatting" button.
4. Press with mouse on "New Rule..."
   
5. Type the formula and then press with left mouse button on "Format..." button
6. Press with mouse on tab "Fill"
   
7. Pick a color
8. Press with left mouse button on OK
9. Press with left mouse button on OK button

Get Excel *.xlsx file

Highlight cells based on coordinates.xlsx

3. Highlight every other row

Here is how to highlight every other row using conditional formatting.

Conditional formatting formula:

Alternative CF formula:

This formula colors every second row if any cell in the row is populated. If you know you will add more records later to the list, select and conditional format a range larger than the list. Empty rows won´t be formatted.

How to apply the conditional formatting formula in excel 2007:

1. Select the range, example cell range A:C
2. Press with left mouse button on "Home" tab on the ribbon
3. Press with left mouse button on "Conditional formatting"
4. Press with left mouse button on "New rule..."
5. Press with left mouse button on "Use a formula to determine which cells to format"
6. Press with left mouse button on "Format values where this formula is true" window.
7. Type =ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($B3:$D3<>"")
8. Press with left mouse button on Format button
9. Press with left mouse button on "Fill" tab
10. Select a color
11. Press with left mouse button on OK!
12. Press with left mouse button on OK!

Explaining the contional formatting formula in cell A2

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

Step 1 - Check if row number is even

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

ISEVEN(ROW())

becomes

ISEVEN(2)

returns TRUE in cell A2.

Step 2 - Check if  any of the cells in row are not empty

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

OR($A2:$C2<>"")

becomes

OR({"Federer", " Roger ", 25}<>"")

becomes

OR({TRUE, TRUE, TRUE})

and returns TRUE

Step 3 - Multiply functions (AND logic)

Both functions need to return TRUE in order to return TRUE

=ISEVEN(ROW())*OR($A2:$C2<>"")

becomes

TRUE*TRUE

and returns TRUE. Row 2 is conditional formatted.

Get excel sample file for this tutorial

color-every-second-row-using-dynamic-conditional-formatting.xls
(Excel 97-2003 Workbook *.xls)

4. Highlight opposite numbers

Pamela asks:

Conditional formatting formula applied to cell range B3:B17:

Explaining CF formula in cell B3

COUNTIF($B$3:B3, B3)=1

The first COUNTIF function counts how many values there are in the first argument that match the second argument.

It returns TRUE if it is equal to 1, meaning this is the first instance of the value. In other words, this makes sure that duplicates are not highlighted.

The first argument is also a growing cell reference, the picture below shows what it returns in column D:

COUNTIF($B$3:B3, B3*-1)

The second COUNTIF function counts how many values there are in the first argument matching B3 but with a different sign, starting from the top.

This verifies that there is a number with a different sign above the current value.

The first argument has a growing cell reference meaning it expands as you copy the formula to cells below. In this case, I am using it as a Conditional Formatting formula, however, it behaves the same.

The picture below shows what it returns in column C:

MATCH(B3*-1,$B$3:$B$17,0)

The MATCH function looks for the number but with a different sign, this verifies it really exists a pair in the first place.

The MATCH function returns a #N/A error if a number is not found

COUNT(MATCH(B3*-1,$B$3:$B$17,0))

The COUNT function then converts error to a 0 (zero). The picture below shows what it returns in column E:

Then the formula adds the numbers in the two last arrays, like this COUNTIF($B$3:B3, B3*-1)+COUNT(MATCH(B3*-1, $B$3:$B$17, 0)

and lastly multiplies with COUNTIF($B$3:B3, B3)=1.

Get Excel *.xlsx file

Matching opposite numbers.xlsx

Recommended reading

Built-in conditional formatting

Highlight cells rule

Top bottom rules

Basic CF formulas

Search using CF

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Duplicates

Compare

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Dates

Misc

Excel categories

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