Part I: Getting Started with Excel
190
Creating Custom Views of Your Worksheet ......................................................................
If you need to create several different printed reports from the same Excel workbook, setting up
the specific settings for each report can be a tedious job. For example, you may need to print a full
report in landscape mode for your boss. Another department may require a simplified report using
the same data, but with some hidden columns in portrait mode. You can simplify the process by
creating custom named views of your worksheets that include the proper settings for each report.The Custom Views feature enables you to give names to various views of your worksheet, and you
can quickly switch among these named views. A view includes settings for the following:l (^) Print settings, as specified in the Page Layout ➪ Page Setup, Page Layout ➪ Scale to Fit,
and Page ➪ Page Setup ➪ Sheet Options groups
l (^) Hidden rows and columns
l The worksheet view (Normal, Page Layout, Page Break preview)
l (^) Selected cells and ranges
l The active cell
l (^) The zoom factor
l Window sizes and positions
l (^) Frozen panes
If you find that you’re constantly fiddling with these settings before printing and then changing
them back, using named views can save you lots of effort.
Caution
Unfortunately, the Custom Views feature does not work if the workbook (not just the worksheet) contains at
least one table. When a workbook that contains a table is active, the Custom View command is disabled. This
limitation severely limits the usefulness of the Custom Views feature. n
To create a named view
- Set up the view settings the way you want them. For example, hide some columns.
- Choose View ➪ Workbook Views ➪ Custom Views to display the Custom Views
dialog box. - Click the Add button and provide a descriptive name in the Add View dialog box
that appears (see Figure 9.8). You can also specify what to include in the view by using
the two check boxes. For example, if you don’t want the view to include print settings,
remove the check mark from Print Settings. - Click OK to save the named view.