TIMELINE in GOOGLE SHEETS can help you stay on track with tasks and projects.
TECH TREATS TIP: It's so easy to insert a Timeline in Google Sheets. It doesn't require a formula and only takes a few steps to create the Timeline. It's not even a hidden feature that you have search for, since it's right in the Insert menu. The Timeline is also created on a new sheet in your Google Sheet so it doesn't interfere with your original data. When you update your original data, the Timeline will also update automatically. After the Timeline is inserted, you can open Settings and customize the way the Timeline looks by selecting different options. I like to format my list first with different colors but you don't have to do that. In the Timeline, you can click on any item and the Card Details panel opens. This is where you can edit the data and/or choose a color for the item in the Timeline. Finally, I like to click on the Card Group dropdown in the Optional Fields and select an item, such as "Tasks" to appear in a list on the left of the Timeline. You have lots of options to make your Timeline look the way you want.
See how easy it is to use the new PRE-BUILT TABLES in GOOGLE SHEETS!
TECH TREATS TIP: When you open Google Sheets now, you'll see the new side panel for Pre-Built Tables open automatically on the right. You don't even have to look for this new feature! If, for some reason, the Pre-Built Tables side panel doesn't open, you can access it by clicking the Insert tab and clicking on Tables. The panel will now appear on the right side of your Google Sheet. You can also type @ and when the menu appears click on Tables. The side panel for Pre-Built Tables will open. Pre-Built Tables include smart chips, placeholders, and custom color palettes. There are categories listed and under each category are options to choose. Click the arrow by a category name to see the options. When you scroll over any option, you'll see a preview of the table in Google Sheets. After you decide on a Pre-Built table that you want to use, click the Insert tab shown right beside it and the table will be inserted into your Google Sheet.
You'll be amazed at what COLUMN STATS in GOOGLE SHEETS can do!
TECH TREATS TIP: Column Stats is an amazing feature in Google Sheets! All you have to do is select a column and then click on Data and Column Stats. The rest of the work is done for you! You'll see a Column Stats graph appear on the right in a panel. The graph will give you a great visual representation of the information in the column. You can also scroll down below the graph and see a count breakdown of the items in the column. All of that work is done for you! In the Column Stats panel above the graph, you can select the number of rows that you want to ignore and you can change the column, if you want. When you change the column, the Column Stats in the panel will change to match the new column that you've selected. Column Stats really is amazing!
You have so many options when you use CONDITIONAL FORMATTING in GOOGLE SHEETS!
TECH TREATS TIP: Conditional Formatting is a great tool in Google Sheets and has so many uses. This example was to find specific text and format it with a color. In addition to other options for finding text, you can also find empty cells, dates, and numbers that are greater than, equal to, or less than a specific amount. You can even use a custom formula. There are lots of options for the formatting, too. You can choose to bold, italicize, underline, or strikethrough cell contents. In addition to choosing a cell color, you can also choose a font color. The example showed the single color option but there is also a color scale option, where you can choose 3 different colors. There are so many possibilities when using Conditional Formatting!
Check out the colorful new DROPDOWN OPTIONS in GOOGLE SHEETS!
TECH TREATS TIP: These new dropdown options make it so much easier to create a dropdown list in Google Sheets. Instead of having to go through Data Validation and type the list with commas, you can just click on Insert and Dropdown and type each list item separately. This makes it easier to move the items into a different order, add items, and delete items. You also have the added feature of being able to give each list item a color. This really distinguishes each list item and helps list items stand out easily. For instance, if you make a certain list item red, whenever it is selected, it will really stand out so that you can see the item was selected.
It's so easy to INSERT A DATE PICKER to enter dates on a Google Sheet.
TECH TREATS TIP: If a date has already been chosen in a cell that has the Date Picker, you can still double click on the cell and the Date Picker will appear so that you can select another date. Also, when you insert a Date Picker, the default format for dates is like this example - 2022-09-02 for September 2, 2022. If you want a different format, you can format the cells while you have the cell or range of cells selected. Just click on Format, hover over Number, and click on Date for 9/2/2022 format or click on Custom Date and Time to choose a different format.
Google Sheets finally got SMART FILL, which is like Flash Fill in Excel and it's amazing!
TECH TREATS TIP: I waited a long time for Google Sheets to get Smart Fill and it was worth the wait. It's the equivalent of Flash Fill in Excel and they are both amazing! Smart Fill makes it so easy to separate full names into different columns for first and last name. You can also change a first and last name to "last name, first name" and vice versa. This comes in handy so many times when you download a report and the names are not listed in a way that you can sort them alphabetically. Now you can just use Smart Fill to change the way the names are listed!
It only takes a few steps to add ALTERNATING ROW COLORS! How easy is that?!
TECH TREATS TIP: The easiest way to add Alternating Row Colors to Google Sheets is to choose a color scheme. You select the color scheme and you're done! You have options, though, if you don't want to use one of the color schemes. You can select the color you want for the Header and for each of the Rows. Just click the arrow next to the Header button and choose a color for the Header. To choose alternating colors for the rows, click the arrow next to the Color 1 button or the Color 2 button and choose a color for each of the Rows.
QUICK SUM DISPLAY is like the Status Bar in Excel. So easy to get Sums, Averages, and Counts!
TECH TREATS TIP: You really can't get much easier than Quick Sum Display! All you have to do is select some cells. That's all it takes to get information that you might normally have to use a formula to get. The cells don't even have to be all together like they are in the example. You can select random cells that are not together by holding down the CTRL key while you select the cells. Trying to get a Sum? Select the cells! Want to find an Average? Select the cells! Need a Count? Select the cells! It's so easy with Quick Sum Display!
Let MACROS do the work for you - over and over again!
TECH TREATS TIP: A macro stays with the Google Sheets file where it was created. It can be used over and over again on any of the Sheets that are included with the Google Sheets file where it was created but it can't be used in another Google Sheets file. However, you can create the same macro in as many other Google Sheets files as you like. You can create up to 10 macros within a Google Sheets file. After you create a macro, you'll see the option to Manage macros and this is where you can delete a macro if you no longer need it.
Use a DROPDOWN LIST to control what can be entered in your sheet.
TECH TREATS TIP: If you create your list on another sheet within the Google Sheet, you can hide the sheet with the list after you have created the dropdown. To hide a sheet, all you have to do is click the down arrow on the sheet tab and select Hide sheet. To unhide the sheet, click on the View tab and under Hidden sheets, select the sheet you want to unhide.
It's so easy to create checklists using the new feature INSERT CHECKBOX.
TECH TREATS TIP: The Fill Handle, which was used in the example to fill down, can also be used to fill across in a Google Sheet. Also, you can calculate formulas based on whether or not a checkbox is blank or checked. When a checkbox is blank, it shows a FALSE value in the formula bar. When a checkbox is checked, it shows a TRUE value. Formulas, such as COUNTIF, will be calculated using the TRUE and FALSE values.
Select your data, click on EXPLORE, and see all the work it does for you!
TECH TREATS TIP: Be sure to select some data before you click on Explore. You can type a question or choose from the questions listed. In my example, Google Explore created a pivot table in response to my question. If a formula is used to create an answer, you can click on "See Formula" and it will show the formula that was used. This is a great way to learn the formulas. Explore is also available in Google Docs and Google Slides. Wait until you see what you can do with Explore in Docs and Slides!
TECH TREATS TIP: If a single cell (no pattern) is selected, Fill Down will only repeat the cell contents. When you select cells with a pattern and Fill Down, you will see the pattern repeated. The exception to this is the memorized days of the week and months of the year. You only have to type one day of the week or one month of the year in a cell and when you Fill Down, the pattern will be repeated. This also works with dates and time. If you type a date or time in a cell and Fill Down, it will list the consecutive dates or times. Fill Down will always follow the format (and abbreviation, if used) of the original selected cell(s). Finally, Fill Down can also be used to fill right, fill left, and fill up. P.S. - Fill Down works to copy formulas, too!
PAINT FORMAT makes it easy to copy formatting. No need to remember your settings!
SPLIT TEXT TO COLUMNS is a lifesaver when all the information is in one cell!