Excel Drawings:
How to use Excel as a Drawing Tool
Your Systems2win templates are written using Microsoft Excel.
Everything you
already know about Excel, you can use with your Systems2win templates,
and
everything you learn here, you can use with anything else you ever do with
Excel.
Table of Contents Also see: |
Search Use "Ctrl+F" to find keywords |
Color conventions: Instructions for Excel
97-2003 are in green
Instructions for Excel 2007+
follow in orange (only if different)
Bookmark = Training
Training & Demo VideosTraining Videos for
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Make sure your sound is on
The 7 Advantages
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Bookmark = Shapes
Working with Shapes
Bookmark = help
How to view help for any Systems2win shape
RIGHT-click edge of shape
> Format Object or Picture > Web
Excel 2007+: RIGHT-click edge of shape
> Size and Properties > Alt Text
There in the Alt Text, you will find an explanation of what each shape is used for.
Bookmark = DrawingToolbar
How to display the Drawing toolbar
View > Toolbars > Drawing
Tip: Play with Drawing Toolbar
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Excel 2007+: The Drawing Tools menu tab
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Where to find Excel's standard palette of AutoShapes
Drawing toolbar > AutoShapes
Excel 2007+: Insert > Shapes
Systems2win's standard palette of shapes Systems2win
menu > Copy AutoShape
Systems2win provides a standard palette of commonly used shapes, that can be quickly copied and pasted into any Excel document - to make it easy for your your people to give your company's documents a consistent and professional look and feel. |
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Bookmark = select
How to select an AutoShape
To select an AutoShape, hover your mouse pointer over
the edge of the AutoShape
until your mouse cursor turns into a four-sided
cross-arrows (like this
)
Then either:
- Click the left mouse button to select the shape
- Right-click to open a pop-up window to format the AutoShape
- Right-click and drag to copy or move the shape
Important to notice: If you click in the middle
of an AutoShape that contains text - it will assume that you want to edit the
text.
You need to click
the edge to select the entire shape.
Bookmark = SelectObjects
How to mass select a group of shapes
Option 1) Hold down the Ctrl key as you
left-mouse-click the edge
of multiple objects.
(Just like you select multiple objects in most other Windows applications.)
Option 2) Click the Select Objects arrow on the
Drawing toolbar to toggle it "on"
Excel 2007+: Home tab > Find and Select > Select Objects
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The Select Objects arrow changes the way your mouse functions - to make it easier to select objects.
With the Select Objects arrow toggled on: To restore normal mouse functions... |
Because it is so frequently used...
we HIGHLY
recommend adding the Select Objects arrow to your
Quick Access Toolbar in Excel 2007+.
Bookmark = copy
How to copy & paste shapes and connectors
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Bookmark = move
How to move shapes
Select the object, then drag.
Or use the arrow keys on your keyboard to "nudge" selected objects.
Tip: To prevent vertical or horizontal movement, hold down the Shift key while dragging.
Bookmark = resize
How to resize a picture or shape
Right-click the picture or shape > Format Picture > Size tab
or Excel 2007+: right-click > Size and
Properties > Size tab
To keep the proportional ratio of height and width - left-click the image to select it, then left-click and drag the lower right corner of the image - keep holding down the left mouse as you drag to resize the image.
To make the image thinner or taller - left-click to select the image, then left-click and drag one of the white circles that appears in the middle of each edge of the shape.
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Bookmark = resetPictureSize How to reset picture sizeMany shapes (including Link Icons) are set to move and size with cells. One big advantage is that these shapes are hidden when you hide a row or column, and reappear when the row or column is again unhidden.
Caution: Prior to version 5, it was especially easy for a shape's size to become distorted. (Yet another reason to keep your Annual Maintenance current) |
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To reset the original size of a picture or shape...
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Bookmark = reduce
How to reduce image sizes
To reduce the total megabytes size of your Excel file,
you will want to reduce the
size of large images that you paste into Excel.
This is especially useful for the Job Instructions template.
Option 1) Use image editing software
If you don't already own Photoshop or some other image editing software, you can always use the Paint program that comes free with Microsoft Windows. (Start > All Programs > Accessories > Paint)
Open your large image file in Paint, and select Image > Stretch Skew.
Enter the percent to which you want to shrink the image.If you want to keep both a large and small size of the image, use File > Save As – and give your smaller image another name.
Option 2) Crop picture
In MS Paint: Select, then Crop
Paint is better, even though Excel has its own Crop feature:
In Excel 2003-2003: Double-click an image > Picture tab
In Excel 2007+: Double-click an image
Choose what you want to crop, then select the Compress
Option 3) Compress pictures
In Excel 2002-2003: Double-click an image > Picture tab > Compress button
In Excel 2007+: Double-click an image > CompressTips:
Notice that you can choose to compress only selected pictures, or All pictures in document with one click of a button!
Training video -
How to quickly compress image file sizes (1 min)Images within grouped shapes will not be compressed.
And as great as Excel's Crop and Compress features sound -
the truth is that Excel is not ideal for image editing -
and your primary strategy for reducing image file sizes should be to use image editing software to get those images down to a reasonable file size before you ever paste them into Excel.
Bookmark = format
How to format an AutoShape or picture
If you right-click on the edge of an
AutoShape, (or anywhere on a picture that is not an AutoShape),
and select Format AutoShape or Excel 2007+ Format Shape,
then a pop-up window will
appear with many window tabs for different formatting options.
If you right-click within the text area of an AutoShape that contains
text,
and select Format AutoShape or Excel 2007+ Format Shape,
then a pop-up
window will appear with only one window tab - to format text.
Bookmark = editText
How to edit text within an AutoShape
To enter text in a blank AutoShape - right-click > Edit Text.
To edit text that already exists in an AutoShape - simply left-click and start typing.
If this doesn't work, then either:
a) It is a picture, not an AutoShape, (and pictures don't support text), or
b) You are using Excel 2000 or lower, and this is a grouped AutoShape. You need
to ungroup it, do your editing, then regroup it.
Bookmark = MatchFormat
How to format an AutoShape to match the formatting of another AutoShape
Format Painter, (
on the Standard Toolbar, or Office 2007+
Home tab),
can be used to apply the same formatting to match
another AutoShape.
Click the shape with the desired formatting, then click the Format Painter button, then click the shape to which you want to apply the formatting.
Or to format a new AutoShape...
Right-click an existing AutoShape that has your desired formatting,
and select Set AutoShape Defaults.
Office 2007+: Set As Default AutoShape
Then add any new AutoShapes from Excel's
standard palette, and your new AutoShapes will be formatted to match your
AutoShape Defaults.
Bookmark = ChangeToAnotherShape
How to change an AutoShape to another shape
On the Drawing Toolbar...
Draw > Change
AutoShape
Office 2007+: Drawing Tools
> Edit Shape > Change Shape
Bookmark = addShapes
How to add custom shapes
Simply Paste (Ctrl+V) any shape that has been copied to your clipboard.
| Key Point: The only custom shapes that will be automatically transferred when you upgrade are the custom shapes that you add to your shapes.xls file. (the file that appears when you select Systems2win menu > Copy Shapes) See training for how to personalize your Systems2win templates. |
Bookmark = rotate
To rotate a shape
Simply use the green rotate handle. Tip: You might need to zoom to a higher resolution for the rotate handle to appear. Tip: If using Excel 2000 or lower, you can rotate AutoShapes, but can't
rotate pictures. |
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Bookmark = bringFormward
How to bring an object forward or backward
Some objects sit on top of other objects. For instance, a shape might be on top of a line, or a line might be on top of a shape.
To bring an object forward or backward, select one or more AutoShapes, then right-click the edge of one of the selected AutoShapes, then select Order, and choose Bring to Front or Send to Back.
Bookmark = group
How to group shapes
so that they are treated as a single shape
Select all objects that you want to group together, then right-click and select Grouping > Group.
To ungroup shapes, right-click the grouped shape, then select Grouping > Ungroup.
Tip: Whenever you group, ungroup, or regroup, you need to reset Properties if
don’t want the shapes to move and size with cells.
(This is true not only for the grouped or regrouped item, but ungrouped shapes
also get reset to move and size with cells!)
Excel 2007+ tip: Unlike earlier versions of Excel, you can't just select anywhere within the grouped shape. If you select an interior shape within a grouped shape, it treats it as if it was not grouped at all. So you need to carefully select the outermost "box" surrounding the grouped shape.
Bookmark = name

How to Name a Shape
Select the shape.
In the Name Box that you will find just to the left of the Formula Bar in all versions of Excel...
type your chosen name
then hit the Enter key on your keyboard.
Key Point: The name won't stick until you hit the Enter key.
Example of a common use of this feature:
To name a grouped shape consisting of a User Help Text Box and some Link Icons.
Bookmark = Properties
To change the Properties of a shape
to move or size with cells, or to lock or unlock the shape
Right-click > Format AutoShape > Properties tab
Excel 2007+: Right-click > Size and Properties > Properties
tab
Bookmark = SnapToGrid
Snap To Grid
On the Drawing Toolbar...
Draw > Snap > To
Grid. (Toggle it on or off.)
Excel 2007+: Drawing Tools > Align > Snap to Grid.
(Toggle it on or off.)
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Snap To Grid Tips
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Bookmark = Connectors
Working with Arrows and Connectors
How to attach connectors to shapes
so that the connectors move with the shape
Tip: Lines and arrows with green and red ends (when
selected) are "connectors". On Systems2win templates, the standard palette of shapes will often contain identical-looking connecting and non-connecting lines and arrows.. Excel 2007+: All lines and arrows are now connectors. The white ends turn red when
connected. |
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How to:
- Copy your chosen connector from the Systems2win palette of
shapes.
Tip: Straight connectors sometimes paste as a tiny dot if you use regular copy & paste. If this happens, use our 100% method to copy. - Drag an end of a Connector to the place where you want it to connect to
the AutoShape.
Tip: You can connect to any of the blue dots that appear when you hover a connector line near an object. Or use a Connector Diamond for special placement. - When the end of the Connector turns red and the AutoShape lights up for a moment - the Connector is now "connected" to the shape.
Option 2:
This method is not supported in Office 2007+, but works in Office 2003 or lower.
- Right-click your desired connector in the Systems2win palette of shapes,
and select Set AutoShape Defaults.
Office 2007+: Set As Default Line - Select your desired connector from Drawing Toolbar
> AutoShapes > Connectors.
Office 2007+: Drawing Tools > Elbow Connector. - Left-click the two objects you want to connect.
Bookmark = ConnectorDiamond
Connector Diamond
Systems2win menu > Copy AutoShape
includes a tiny Connector Diamond -
which is a tiny object that can be used as an anchor point for connecting a
connector arrow to an unusual place. (Perhaps you want your connector arrow to
terminate in "open space", or to connect to a place on an object other than the
blue connectors that are part of every shape.)
Tip: Consider grouping your Connector Diamond with a shape.
Bookmark = elbow
Change a Connector
between straight, elbow, or curved
Right-click the Connector, and select your choice.
Right-click the Connector > Connector Type > select your choice.
Bookmark = bendShapes
How to bend shapes
to create curved arrows or freeform circles
Right-click a shape that is already formatted the way you want your
new shape to be,
then select
Set AutoShape Defaults. Office 2007+:
Set As Default Line
then ...
a) To create a bent arrow or line...
select Drawing Toolbar
> AutoShapes > Lines
> Curve. Office 2007+: Drawing Tools >
Curve
Left click to start your line, and for each corner
position.
Enter to finish.
b) To create a freeform circle...
select Drawing Toolbar
> AutoShapes > Lines > Freeform. Office 2007+: Drawing Tools >
Freeform
Draw your circle
Bookmark = ViewingAndPrinting
Viewing and Printing
View in Page Break Preview
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View > Page Break Preview
Tip: When viewing in Page Break Preview
mode,
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How can I change the size of my drawing space?
Systems2win has defined your drawing canvas to automatically print on a single page, and has defined your AutoShapes to scale appropriately... so you can simply hide, unhide, delete, or insert rows and columns.
a) Rather than deleting, it is usually better to hide and unhide rows and columns.
b) To insert rows or columns, use Insert Copied Cells or Shift Down/Right and Copy
(Get out of the novice bad habit of using Insert > Rows)c) Change row height or column width
(This is rarely your best option)
To resize a drawing in Word or PowerPoint
Format > Drawing Canvas > Size tab
Word 2007+: Drawing Tools > Size
Caution: Don't just "pull the corners" of your drawing canvas, or you might be in for some rude surprises.
To resize the drawing space of an Excel Organization Chart
Refer to Org Chart training
Printing
File > Print
More printing tips







