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500 Tips
Spreadsheets
Lotus 1-2-3

Consolidate!

To compile summary reports from several worksheets or workbooks without retyping or cutting and pasting, move to the cell(s) in which you want the information to appear. Choose Data/Consolidate and a series of dialog boxes lets you specify the desired mathematical function. Select up to 255 separate source references (named areas or cell references on any worksheet or in a workbook accessible from your desktop or the network). Choose the Create Links to Source Data option. The cells will be automatically updated when the source data changes.

Customize Lists

Create a custom list to use with Fill by Example. Use Notepad or another text processor to edit the FILL.INI file in 1-2-3's PROGRAM directory. Follow the example of the series already included to create new sets. To create a new set, move to the end of the file and type the following:

[SET x]
ITEM1=Administrative
ITEM2=Marketing
ITEM3=Production
and so forth. Number the new set with the next highest number. Include as many items in the series as you need. The next time you begin a Fill-by-Example series with the word "Administrative," 1-2-3 will automatically complete the rest of the series.

Map Generator

To generate a custom map of your company's sales performance by state, you must use the standard two-letter U.S. Postal Service abbreviations. Select the states and the numerical information in the row or column beside them, and choose Tools/Map/New Map. When the cursor becomes a globe with crosshairs, click in the upper-left corner of the location where you want the map. The program generates a colored map with a legend coded to the numerical data you've selected.

Exercise Your Workgroup

To share your work with others in your workgroup, select the range you wish to mail, choose File/Send Mail and follow the prompts. If you're sending a previously created version, 1-2-3's Version Manager technology routes the range sequentially or concurrently, and you'll be able to see who made which comments. Use the program's Merge feature to combine the data received from different sources.

Fast Math

Use matrix math to multiply a range of cells quickly. For example, enter the value 0.9 in cell A1. Next, select Range/Analyze/Multiply Matrix. Designate a range to update (B1..B15) as the first matrix. Name (or point to) the cell containing the new factor (A1 in this example), and point to or name B1..B15 for the output range. Select OK, and all cells in the target range are multiplied by 0.9 and replaced with the calculated value.

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