From a simple textbox, a rectangle to a chart, you may have experience in moving/resizing/aligning or even selecting multiple objects in excel. It could be really time consuming and the result may not be good looking still. :O
Have you ever thought about how nice would it be if you could select objects in Excel like the way you do in PowerPoint???? Indeed that is possible.
What you need it to dig out where the “Select Objects” button is in Excel 2007 or above.
1) Go to the drop down menu of the QAT (quick access toolbar)
2) Choose “All Commands” –> “Select Objects” –> Add it to QAT (note: In Excel 2010 you may add it to any tab you like on the Ribbon)
3) Then you should see the “Select Objects” button on the QAT
4) Click on it before you select the objects you want
5) Now you can select objects like the way in PowerPoint
6) Press ESC when you are done. Otherwise, you cannot select cell.
Some other tips for working with objects
- Select multiple objects : Press SHIFT while selecting or Use the “Select Objects” button as mentioned above
- Duplicate object to a different position : Press CTRL while moving an object
- Move an object to snap to grip : Press ALT while moving an object
- Resize an object with aspect ratio locked : Press SHIFT while resizing (to resize, move your cursor to one of the corners of an object, then drag and drop). This is what you need to make a Perfect Circle.
- Make use of the Align functions under Drawing tools whenever needed. You have to select at least two objects in order to activate the “Align” functions. (my experience: this is great!)
- To select ALL objects in a worksheet : Go to Special -> Objects
OR
Select any one object, then CTRL A (this is extremely convenient and i just learned it from http://www.myonlinetraininghub.com/30-chants-for-better-excel-charts)
Note: CTRL A is the shortcut for Select ALL cells when you are not selecting any objects.
What is your experience in working with objects? Feel free to share by leaving comments.
wmfexcel 