If I’ve done my job, the information provided in this book will be very useful to you. The book, however, can’t cover every conceivable topic about Excel. Therefore, I’ve compiled a list of additional resources that you may find helpful.
I classify these resources into four categories: Excel’s Help System, Microsoft technical support, Internet newsgroups, and Internet Web sites.
Many users tend to forget about an excellent source of information: the Excel Help system. This Help information is available by clicking the question mark icon in the upper-right corner of Excel’s window. Or, just press F1. Either of these methods displays Excel Help in a new window. Then, type your search query and click Search.
Note
The Search button is a drop-down control that lets you specify what and where to search. See Figure C.1.
The Excel Help system isn’t perfect—it often provides only superficial help and ignores some topics altogether. But if you’re stuck, a quick search of the Help system may be worth a try.
Technical support is the common term for assistance provided by a software vendor. In this case, I’m talking about assistance that comes directly from Microsoft. Microsoft’s technical support is available in several different forms.
Microsoft’s support options are constantly changing. To find out what options are available (both free and fee-based), go to
http://support.microsoft.com
Perhaps your best bet for solving a problem may be the Microsoft Knowledge Base, which is the primary Microsoft product information source. It’s an extensive, searchable database that consists of tens of thousands of detailed articles containing technical information, bug lists, fix lists, and more.
You have free and unlimited access to the Knowledge Base via the Internet. To access the Knowledge Base, use the following URL and then click Search The Knowledge Base:
http://support.microsoft.com/search
The official home page of Excel is at
http://www.microsoft.com/office/excel
This site contains a variety of material, such as tips, templates, answers to questions, training materials, and links to companion products.
For information about Office 2007 (including Excel), try this site:
http://office.microsoft.com
You’ll find product updates, add-ins, examples, and lots of other useful information.
Usenet is an Internet service that provides access to several thousand special interest groups that enable you to communicate with people who share common interests. A newsgroup works like a public bulletin board. You can post a message or questions, and (usually) others reply to your message.
Thousands of newsgroups cover virtually every topic you can think of (and many that you haven’t thought of). Typically, questions posed on a newsgroup are answered within 24 hours—assuming, of course, that you ask the questions in a manner that makes others want to reply.
You can use newsreader software to access the Usenet newsgroups. Many such programs are available, but you probably already have one installed: Microsoft Outlook Express, which is installed with Internet Explorer.
Microsoft maintains an extensive list of newsgroups, including quite a few devoted to Excel. If your Internet Service Provider doesn’t carry the Microsoft newsgroups, you can access them directly from Microsoft’s news server. (In fact, that’s the preferred method.) You need to configure your newsreader software (not your Web browser) to access Microsoft’s news server at this address:
msnews.microsoft.com
As an alternative to using newsreader software, you can read and post to the Microsoft newsgroups directly from your Web browser. This option is often significantly slower than using standard newsgroup software and is best suited for situations in which newsgroup access is prohibited by network policies.
Access thousands of newsgroups at Google Groups. The URL is
http://groups.google.com
Access the Microsoft newsgroups (including Excel newsgroups) from this URL:
www.microsoft.com/communities/newsgroups/default.mspx
Table C.1 lists the most popular English-language Excel newsgroups found on Microsoft’s news server (and also available at Google Groups).
Table C.1. The Microsoft.com Excel-Related Newsgroups
Newsgroup | Topic |
|---|---|
| General Excel topics |
| Building charts with Excel |
| OLE, DDE, and other cross-application issues |
| Excel issues on the Macintosh operating system |
| General topics that don’t fit one of the other categories |
| Help for newcomers to Excel |
| Printing with Excel |
| Programming Excel with VBA macros |
| Spreadsheet Solutions templates and other XLT files |
| Worksheet functions |
The fastest way to find a quick answer to a question is to search the past newsgroup postings. Often, searching past newsgroup postings is an excellent alternative to posting a question to the newsgroup because you can get the answer immediately. Unless your question is very obscure, there’s an excellent chance that your question has already been asked and answered. The best source for searching newsgroup postings is Google Groups, at the following Web address:
http://groups.google.com
How does searching work? Suppose that you have a problem identifying unique values in a range of cells. You can perform a search using the following keywords: Excel, Range, and Unique. The Google search engine probably will find dozens of newsgroup postings that deal with these topics.
If the number of results is too large, refine your search by adding search terms. Sifting through the messages may take a while, but you have an excellent chance of finding an answer to your question. In fact, I estimate that at least 90 percent of the questions posted in the Excel newsgroups can be answered by searching Google.
The World Wide Web (WWW) has dozens of excellent sites devoted to Excel. I list a few of my favorites here.
This is my own Web site, which contains files to download, developer tips, instructions for accessing Excel Easter eggs, spreadsheet jokes, an extensive list of links to other Excel sites, and information about my books. The URL is
http://www.j-walk.com/ss
This is a frequently updated weblog created by Dick Kusleika, with about a dozen contributors (including me). It covers a variety of topics, and readers can leave comments. The URL is
http://dailydoseofexcel.com
Those who frequent the microsoft.public.excel.charting newsgroup are familiar with Jon Peltier. Jon has an uncanny ability to solve practically any chart-related problem. His Web site contains many Excel tips and an extensive collection of charting examples. The URL is
http://peltiertech.com/Excel
This site, maintained by Chip Pearson, contains dozens of useful examples of VBA and clever formula techniques. The URL is
www.cpearson.com/excel.htm
Stephen’s Web site contains some fascinating examples of Excel code, including a section titled “They Said It Couldn’t Be Done.” The URL is
www.bmsltd.co.uk/excel
David’s site is jam-packed with useful Excel information and is updated frequently. The URL is
www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm