Excel default formats

[MechEng2005]

Is there a way to change the default settings for formatting of cells in a worksheet? The settings I would like to be able to change are:

Cell vertical text alignment to centered (default is bottom)
Column width of all columns to 10
Row height of 15

Is it possible to have these settings default when I create a new workbook? It's not hard to adjust them, but if a normal template could be changed, that'd be great.

FYI: I'm using Excel '97 at work, but have newer version at home, so help for any would be appreciated.

-- MechEng2005

 

[IRstuff]

Should be. You can save a template file (.xlt) from Excel. You just need to find where your Excel goes to grab the template for a new sheet.

For Excel2002, save the template as Book.xlt in the C:\Documents and Settings\Your user name\Application Data\Microsoft\Excel\XLSTART folder

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[rb1957]

you could always "dumb it down", and instead of launching excel, have a template s/sheet (in say "my docs") and open that ... being dumb, i like dumb ...

 

[Denial]

I'm with rb1957. I have a standard .xls file with all my usual settings and no data. I chose to call it "blank.xls", even though it is actually not "blank" at all. It lives in my usual spreadsheet directory.

To guard against my overzealous tendency to hit the "save" button every second breath, in this case before I have renamed the file from "blank" to whatever I want it call my new baby, I have the file set as read-only.

 

[IRstuff]

Ok, but for about the same amount of effort, you could make it the default workbook. You do a single "Save As" and you're good to go for the remainder of the life of your configuration.

TTFN

FAQ731-376

 

[MechEng2005]

Thank you. I'm embarassed I didn't think of looking in "Save as" for the template option.

I am constantly saving over things I didn't want to, so I prefer to have the template option. Thank you for the suggestion of a blank "standard" file though. It's always nice to have options.

 

[MechEng2005]

Interesting notes...
I tried to format things the way I want them, and save the template. When I did "Save as..." and selected template (.xlt) it automatically changed the directory. So I saved it in the directory that came up. Closed Excel, re-opened, and it wasn't the template I had just saved. So I went to "Tools>Options" and in the "General Tab" changed the "Alternate startup file location" to the full path of my new template. Closed Excel, re-opened, and still didn't have my saved formats. Now the trouble starts... I went to "Tools>Options" again, and Excel crashed. Just the lovely option to send an error report or not. I tried opening a previously saved spreadsheet and accessing it from there, Excel crashed. So I deleted the new template, and the problem still wasn't resolved. Tried searching the registry editor and getting rid of references to the new template, didn't work, still crashed.

So... I ended up resetting Excel defaults through the "Start>Run...>excel.exe/regserver"

This then worked. I was able to get my template to work then following the instructions from the link below. Just a word of caution for others trying to do this...

http://www.vlerick.com/helpdesk/our...ion/microsoft/excel/faq_default_template.html

It may just be an issue with Excel 97 that has been corrected.

-- MechEng2005