use keyboard to highlight?

[bigdan]

I'm doing a lot of highlighting in this huuuuge file I'm using right now. Is there anyway to access the highlight button by a keyboard shortcut? I've googled this and cant find it.

To be clear, I'm selecting certain cells, and then want to highlight them yellow. At the moment I keep pressing the yellow button on the toolbar via mouse. I just want to hit a keyboard button to do that instead.

 

[MrKowz]

This would be a prime use of a macro.

Try using the macro recorder, and be sure to set a "Shortcut Key". Then select a cell and highlight it yellow. Then "Stop" the macro recorder.

Go into the VBA editor, and you should see code that looks similar this if you use Excel 2007+:

Sub Macro1()
'
' Macro1 Macro
'
' Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+m
'
    Range("A1").Select
    With Selection.Interior
        .Pattern = xlSolid
        .PatternColorIndex = xlAutomatic
        .Color = 65535
        .TintAndShade = 0
        .PatternTintAndShade = 0
    End With
End Sub

Or this if you use Excel 2003 or older:

Sub Macro1()
'
' Macro1 Macro
'
' Keyboard Shortcut: Ctrl+m
'
    Range("A1").Select
    With Selection.Interior
        .Pattern = xlSolid
        .PatternColorIndex = xlAutomatic
        .ColorIndex = 6
    End With
End Sub

To allow it to apply to your current selection of cells, just remove the line Range("A1").Select.

Now, when you use your keyboard shortcut combination (which I made ctrl+m in the above example), it should highlight your selected cells with yellow.

Hope this helps!

 

[bigdan]

that did indeed help, thanks! i dont know any vbasic or how to use the editor, however hitting record and stop is easy enough. thanks a lot man

 

[Rick Rothstein]

I'm selecting certain cells, and then want to highlight them yellow. At the moment I keep pressing the yellow button on the toolbar via mouse.

Is the problem that you are having to select cells (or as contiguous ranges) individually? If so, then you apparently do not know that you can select non-contiguous cells or ranges of cells using the CTRL key while making your selection... then, once you have made your selections, you can click the "yellow button" just one time to color them all at once.

 

[bigdan]

Is the problem that you are having to select cells (or as contiguous ranges) individually? If so, then you apparently do not know that you can select non-contiguous cells or ranges of cells using the CTRL key while making your selection... then, once you have made your selections, you can click the "yellow button" just one time to color them all at once.

no that wasnt the issue. i didnt wnt to click the yellow button at all was the thing. i knew about the control thing. but thanks for verifying.

 

[AhoyNC]

See Mr Excel solution in this video;

http://www.youtube.com/user/bjele123?blend=7&ob=5#p/search/1/wWkuRhx1yNY

"F4" key will repeat last command.