# MS Excel exchange

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-exchange/570087>\
**Category:** In My Humble Opinion\
**Created:** [February 4, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-exchange/570087 "2011-02-04T00:01:23Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 2\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![Dave\_Hartwick](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/7feea3/32.png) [@Dave\_Hartwick](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dave_Hartwick)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 12:01am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-exchange/570087/1 "2011-02-04T00:01:23Z")

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I see threads about Excel in GQ pretty regularly. Heaps of people work with it; I use it every workday. Let’s see how a thread about trading Excel tips goes. Add your favorite tips and tricks and give me your favorite reference sites, too.

My first tip revolves around the fact that I dislike code that doesn’t have heaps of commentary. I inherit a lot of spreadsheets and comments make everything easier if the code is more than a few lines.

When I’m planning the procedure I type up everything I want it to do with a step by step list in a text file. That way it’s easier to remember everything I want it to do and get it in the right order. I paste that into the project and comment it out-- you can find the comment block command under View\> Toolbars\> Customize\> Commands\> Edit, incidentally. Then I write & paste the code between the steps.

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**Author:** ![Munch](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/munch/32/5281_2.png) [@Munch](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Munch)\
**Post date:** [February 4, 2011, 2:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/ms-excel-exchange/570087/2 "2011-02-04T02:58:15Z")

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Learn how to do a pivot chart. It will improve every spreadsheet you will ever make for the rest of your life.