What annoys you? What functionality would you like?

[Richard Buttrey]

Prompted by a thread involving sorting by colour it set me wondering what stuff people would really like to see in Excel. I must admit colour sorting wouldn't have been high on my list of priorities.

Is there in fact a forum/route to notify wish list items for MS to pick up on?

The functionality that always annoys me is when selecting a range for advance filtering and then finishing with the copy to location on another sheet, getting the unhelpful message 'you can only copy filtered data to the active sheet'. It seems so counter intuitive.

Not only that but when you do start out on the 'Active' sheet label, the one to which you want the filtered data to appear, you get the even more annoying message that says you must select at least two rows, and then to add insult to injury when you do select more than two rows Excel becomes yet more annoying and tells me that it can't determine which rows contain the label and you have to jump back to the origin sheet.

Is there anything more annoying than this? Or have I been doing it wrong all these years

I'd like to see this fixed.

What deficiencies annoy others and what additional functionality would you like?

Regards

[MarvinP]

Hi Richard,

Try http://excelsemipro.com/2011/03/copy...vanced-filter/ or
http://ddalgleish.hubpages.com/hub/F...ifferent-Sheet

I do not like the database functions (like DSum or DMax) to need a criteria range to work correctly. I'd like the database functions to be able to work without needing a range for the criteria. Somehow Excel should allow a non range parameteter to pick up the criteria. Or am I missing something?

[Richard Buttrey]

Thanks Marvin,
I never knew selecting a cell not adjacent to the label overcame that stuff about selecting more than one row etc. You do indeed learn something new every day. I am indebted. I still think the process is counter intuitive, having to start with the destination but there you go.

[fzz]

FWIW, Lotus 123 moved past criteria ranges in Release 3, which came out in 1989. For whatever reason, MSFT chose not to implement similar functionality in Excel. There used to be an add-in called Spinnaker Functions which provided something roughly similar to 123's approach, but it no longer exists.

That said, you could roll your own equivalent to SQL.REQUEST and use SQL queries against data ranges with column labels.

[Whizbang]

I'd like Page Layout view in Excel 2010 to go away. Users at my company foolishly use the "Insert" -> "Header & Footer" (the only option apparent on the ribbon). Then they sit in this view all day. Well, there is a glitch with this view where, at random times, Excel selects multiple cells when a single cell is clicked. The only way to stop it from doing this is to get out of Page Layout view. I get calls at least once a week by people saying "Excel keeps selecting a bunch of cells when I click! Help!". Ugh.

It'd be nice if Sharing a workbook didn't have so many glitches either.

Oh, and the Formula Evaluator box needs to be expandable, for when you work with array formulas.

[teylyn]

A concatenate formula that takes parameters, e.g.

=concatenate(Range, separator)

=concatenate(A1:A10,"-")

You get the drift...

[zbor]

A concatenate formula that takes parameters, e.g.

=concatenate(Range, separator)

=concatenate(A1:A10,"-")

You get the drift...

Agree. I've mentioned this few years ago. I think it would have usage more far than just concatenating words...

But I've got this UDF as answer so I'm transfering it further

Function ConcatRow(Rng As Range, Optional Separator As String)
    Dim r As Integer, c As Integer
    Dim StartCol As Integer, EndCol As Integer
    
    With Rng
        r = .Row
        StartCol = .Column
        EndCol = .End(xlToRight).Column
    End With
    
    For c = StartCol To EndCol
        ConcatRow = ConcatRow & Cells(r, c) & Separator
    Next
    ConcatRow = Left(ConcatRow, Len(ConcatRow) - 1)
End Function

Select result cell then - In the formula bar type

=ConcatRow(A1:D1,":")

[MrShorty]

The one my coworkers and I are always looking for is a true 3D scatter plot.

[Domski]

A concatenate formula that takes parameters, e.g.

=concatenate(Range, separator)

=concatenate(A1:A10,"-")

You get the drift...

Why they didn't do this is beyond me. The concatenate function as it stands is pretty useless.

The one my coworkers and I are always looking for is a true 3D scatter plot.

Aren't all 3D charts evil?

Dom

[teylyn]

zbor, that's the thing. UDFs for that functionality have been around since the dinosaurs. I marvel at why Microsoft never made it a feature, since it's really not all that hard to do.

domski: yes, very evil

mrshorty: how would you determine where exactly a data point sits with a 3D scatter plot? Start with a 3D clustered column chart and place a dot at the tops of each column. Set the column format to no fill and no line. There's what a 3D scatter chart would look like. Nobody would be able to see what position a single plot point would have in relation to the three axes.

[OnErrorGoto0]

'Require variable declaration' should be the default option in the VBE
Split and Join functions for the worksheet (the latter basically being the range concatenate already mentioned)
A Vlookup function that allows you to specify lookup range, return range and result number.
A VisibleRows function
An Array function
Data Validation that allows you to use a function to create a list.
All functions to be able to take arrays as well as ranges.
A range_click event.
A BeforePrintPreview event separate from the BeforePrint
And probably a thousand other things.

[martindwilson]

non contiguous arrays would be handy
and a columns to column or columns to row function instead of just transpose
and an automatic coffee making function of course
and any of the functions in the more func add-in or those by asap utilities added as standard would be useful.
infact
get microsoft to buy out bastien mensink and Laurent Longre ,making them very rich and us all very happy

[Steffen Thomsen]

inArray function
auto-indentation in vba editor
More options in form-design
Better security on workbooks.

[Richard Buttrey]

If I draw all these together, does anyone know to where they could be submitted within the Microsoft Corp?

Regards

[OnErrorGoto0]

There was a website set up by a couple of MS employees for Office suggestions but it seems to have lapsed. Perhaps one of the MVPs here could pass the list on.

[davegugg]

Vertical center across selection.

[teylyn]

Richard, a compiled list here will certainly raise awareness with the odd MVP and will make its way to Microsoft.

[Bob Phillips]

Richard, a compiled list here will certainly raise awareness with the odd MVP and will make its way to Microsoft.

and will be duly ignored there. If they won't fix what is broken, and are only interested in moving data viewing (which is what they seem to envision Excel as) to new market areas, whatever makes you think they will listen about new functionality that the 98.89% of users will never use.

[Simon Lloyd]

... whatever makes you think they will listen about new functionality that the 98.89% of users will never use.

Maybe the fact that they polled all the real users before launching xl2007

Bob's right, their ignorance is as large a their coporate size, AFAIK there has never been a way of suggesting or being asked about improvements, wants and wishes (other than the beta testing version which gave you smiley faces to indicate whether you liked a feature or found a bug, you were also allowed to make comment but it wasn't for change), i guess until a similar product comes on the market that has harvested all the "good things" we'd want or have we have to giveway to their "corporate greatness".

Wouldn't the world be a better place if real users were actually considered?


Google Me
Find me located here Simon Lloyd and what i'm about Here
The above is NOT a link to a forum so is NOT against Rule 13

[fzz]

There was a web site a few years ago named Make Office Better which kept running votes on features users wanted to see in all the Office applications. The only 2 I can recall which made it into Office 2010 were customizing the ribbon without editing XML and fixing the MOD function. One of the higher ranking Excel suggestions was something as blindingly obvious as adding an on/off option for bringing up the same text import wizard as you get with .TXT and .PRN files for .CSV files.

[Mordred]

I've been trying to design some software that reads a person's thoughts and then makes the changes to worksheets according to their brainwaves, eyemovements, and their last meal eaten. Unfortunately, no one will let me setup a direct link to their brains nor will they continuously let me blast lasers into their eyes. Mwuahaha, all in a days work to take ove the world!

Sorry, my little mind is craving some good solid sleep right now and is starting to revolt against me. Darn 3rd person thinking!

[arlu1201]

Mordred - isnt it post-lunch time over there?

[Mordred]

It's still lunch for some for at least another 15 minutes. Technically, that gives me 15 or so minutes to troll the forum!