Excel Question on PSG SpreadSheet Calculators

[Bob Kagy]

I have Excel 2002.

Using Stuart and Bo Legg's base referred to in this thread:

http://bb.steelguitarforum.com/viewtopic.php?t=190379

Referring to the term "drag and drop" used to describe how to use your pedal setup to raise and lower strings - Here's my question: I use drag and drop in Windows all the time, but in Excel I try to "grab" a row of cells after selecting it by left clicking on the first cell in the row. When I do that it deselects the rest of the row.

As an experiment I tried selecting one cell and trying to drag and drop; couldn't find a way. Used Help to see if there was anything under "drag and drop" or "shift" or "move". Struck out.

I could accomplish the shift by copying and pasting, but was hoping for a slicker way.

Anybody?

[Mitch Drumm]

Not sure I entirely understand, but here's my attempt:

If you want to copy everything in row 4 to another row, left click the row number, then right click and select copy. Then navigate to the row number that you want to put it, right click the row number and choose paste.

Or you can highlight only certain cells with the mouse, right click, select copy, and then paste elsewhere with a left click. But if you want the entire row, do as I said in paragraph above.

If you want to copy only a certain series of adjacent cells to the next row or rows down: highlight those cells and put the mouse exactly on the lower right corner of the farthest right selected cell. When in the right spot, the mouse pointer will become a cross. At that point, you can left click and drag all the selected cells down--one row or a thousand rows--the contents will be copied down.

As far as I know you can't "drag and drop" to non-adjacent rows or cells. You have to copy and paste.

But maybe I am not understanding your problem.

If so, give me the specific situation with exact cell addresses with sample entries in the cells and I will try to replicate it on my end.

[Jon Moen]

You can drag and drop in Excel providing you have drag and drop enabled in Tools/Options Edit Tab.

For a row: select an entire row by clicking on the row number. Then hover your mouse over any selected cell and slowly move up or down until the curser changes to a standard mouse pointer with small arrows in four directions. Left click and hold the left button down and drag where you want it to go. Release the button. The same is true for any other sized selection you make.

[Mitch Drumm]

Jon:

Thanks for that. I'm not sure I have ever noticed those 4 arrows since they appear only if the mouse is in exactly the right position--and I have long been in the habit of copy/paste.

The setting for that in Excel 2007 is in Excel options/advanced and is on by default.

[Bob Kagy]

Mitch, Jon

Those look like great suggestions. I'll try them out later today.

MItch your 4th paragraph seems to be spot on; that's what I'm trying to do.

And Jon I get the point you're making; not sure it'll work in Excel 2002; we'll see. And the National double 8 in your avatar is what I played on back in the day; brings back a lot of memories.

Thanks for your replies; I'll feed back later in the day.

[Bob Kagy]

Jon, your suggestion works like a charm.

Mitch, I tried your suggestion and for some reason (probably because I'm an Excel novice) couldn't get it to work. I can't understand why yet, but that's OK. I appreciate your help.

Thanks, Bob

[Bo Legg]

Bob the thing to remember here is that you are dealing with formula and you can't copy and paste unless you copy the whole entry bar and neck view.
Jon has the handle on the drag and drop thing.

[Bob Kagy]

Got it Bo, thanks. The official Microsoft book calls it the "fill handle". And yeah, copying the formulas doesn't work very well without what you said.