Part I: Getting Started with Excel
168
- When your workbook is set up to your liking, choose File ➪ Save As.
- In the Save As dialog box, select Template (*.xltx) from the Save As Type list.
- Enter sheet.xltx for the filename.
- Save the file in your \XLStart folder (not in your \Templates folder).
- Close the file.
- Close and restart Excel.
After performing these steps, all new worksheets that you insert by using any of these methods will
be formatted like your sheet.xltx template:l (^) Click the Insert Worksheet button (next to the last sheet tab).
l Choose Home ➪ Cells ➪ Insert ➪ Insert Sheet.
l (^) Press Shift+F11.
l Right-click a sheet tab, choose Insert from the shortcut menu, and choose the Worksheet
icon in the Insert dialog box.
Editing your templates
After you create your book.xltx or sheet.xltx templates, you may discover that you need to
change them. You can open the template files and edit them just like any other workbook. After
you make your changes, save the file to its original location, and close it.
Resetting the default workbook and worksheet settings .................................
If you create a book.xltx or sheet.xltx file and then decide that you would rather use the
standard default settings, simply delete the book.xltx or sheet.xltx template file — depend-
ing on whether you want to use the standard workbook or worksheet defaults — from the XLStart
folder. Excel then uses its built-in default settings for new workbooks or worksheets.Tip
You can also rename or move the template files if you’d like to keep them for future use. n
Creating custom templates ......................................................................................
The book.xltx and sheet.xltx templates discussed in the preceding section are two special
types of templates that determine default settings for new workbooks and new worksheets. This
section discusses other types of templates, referred to as workbook templates, which are simply
workbooks that you set up as the basis for new workbooks or worksheets.Creating a workbook template can eliminate repeating work. Assume that you create a monthly
sales report that consists of your company’s sales by region, plus several summary calculations and
charts. You can create a template file that consists of everything except the input values. Then,
when it’s time to create your report, you can open a workbook based on the template, fill in the
blanks, and be finished.