# MS Excel Assistance Needed **URL:** \ **Category:** Factual Questions\ **Created:** [December 8, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212 "1999-12-08T20:18:00Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stevie_Rave_On)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 8:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/1 "1999-12-08T20:18:00Z")
I have 2000 numbers sorted in Column A. That is all the data on the sheet. Is there a way that I can sort it so that it will be sorted top-\>bottom, left-\>right for each page? Don’t know if I’m being clear, but when I print it, I want it to be sorted in the following way: Page 1 001 005 009 013 002 006 010 014 003 007 011 015 004 008 012 016 Page 2 017 018 etc… Thanks in advance * * * Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. ---
**Author:** ![BurnMeUp](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/91b2a8/32.png) [@BurnMeUp](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BurnMeUp)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 9:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/2 "1999-12-08T21:15:00Z")
First off stevie have you tried checkin on [www.microsoft.com/support?](http://www.microsoft.com/support?) also if it’s a retail version you recieve free usability support for those types of questions. * * * Long separated by cruel fate, the star-crossed lovers raced across the grassy field toward each other like two freight trains, one having left Cleveland at 6:36 p.m. traveling at 55 mph, the other from Topeka at 4:19 p.m. at a speed of 35 mph. ---
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stevie_Rave_On)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 9:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/3 "1999-12-08T21:18:00Z")
Damn, I should have known my topic would not lure people in. I should have used one of those lame titles that insinuates sex, and then you click has some cute phrase like "Not that pervert 🙂 " [reverse psychology] Oh well, I knew none of you guys could figure it out [/rp] Sorry Nickrz for my tags * * * Great minds discuss ideas; Average minds discuss events; Small minds discuss people. ---
**Author:** ![mikan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/cc9497/32.png) [@mikan](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/mikan)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/4 "1999-12-08T21:40:00Z")
If it’s only printing you’re worried about, why not just copy your column of data and paste it into a Word document, where you can easily change the number of columns per page? That’s what I’d do, if it’s just a one-time thing. ---
**Author:** ![knappy](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/b3f665/32.png) [@knappy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/knappy)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 9:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/5 "1999-12-08T21:41:00Z")
SRO, first select the data in the column & name it something (say ‘data’)(write it in the name box at upper left.) Somewhere right of Column A enter the formula =VLOOKUP($a1, data, 1). Copy this right a few columns & change $a1 to $a5 in the next column(in your example), etc. Then copy these cells down. ---
**Author:** ![Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/c68b51/32.png) [@Stevie\_Rave\_On](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Stevie_Rave_On)\ **Post date:** [December 8, 1999, 9:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/6 "1999-12-08T21:55:00Z")
Thanks all. I used Mikan’s suggested and it worked fine. I also screwed around with that VLookup and learned something new. Thanks again. ---
**Author:** ![Markxxx](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/5daacb/32.png) [@Markxxx](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Markxxx)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 3:25am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/7 "1999-12-09T03:25:00Z")
Does anyone know how to work the @NOW function. I need to put the date in automatically. I tried to use @NOW and it came up syntax error. ---
**Author:** ![Atrael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/6a8cbe/32.png) [@Atrael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Atrael)\ **Post date:** [December 9, 1999, 2:27pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-assistance-needed/5212/8 "1999-12-09T14:27:00Z")
MarkXXX– Use the formula =now() instead…should work fine…