Excel Training: Tips for using Systems2win Excel Drawings

Your Systems2win templates for continuous improvement 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.

Color conventions: Instructions for Excel 97-2003 are in green. Instructions for Excel 2007 follow in orange (only if different).

Working with Shapes

How to use Excel to create drawings every bit as powerful as Visio   (13 min training video - turn on sound)

How to display the Drawing toolbar

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:

1. Click the left mouse button to select the shape
2. Right-click to open a pop-up window to format the AutoShape
3. Right-click and drag to copy or move the shape

Macintosh Tip: Holding the Control button while clicking the mouse is usually the same as right-clicking the mouse in Windows.

How to mass select a group of shapes

Option 1) Hold down the Control key as you left-mouse-click the edge of multiple objects. (Just like you select multiple objects in most other Windows applications.)

Option 2) Toggle on the Select Objects Arrow on the Drawing toolbar
Excel 2007: Home tab > Find and Select > Select Objects

The Select Objects Arrow changes the way your mouse functions - to make it easier to select objects.
With the Select Objects Arrow toggled on:
a) you can click anywhere on the object to select it. (you don't need to select just the edge of the shape).
b) you can draw a box around a group of shapes, and select everything in the box

To restore normal mouse functions, either toggle the Select Objects Arrow OFF, or double-click any open space on your worksheet.

How to copy & paste shapes and connectors

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.

How to reduce image sizes

To reduce file sizes, (and speed processing), you will want to reduce the size of images that you paste into Excel.

Option 1) Compress pictures

In Excel 2002-2003: Double-click an image > Picture tab > Compress button
In Excel 2007: Double-click an image > Compress button

Notice that you can choose to compress only selected pictures, or every picture in the document.

Training video - How to quickly compress image file sizes (1 min)

Option 2) Crop picture

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 button

Option 3) 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.

How to format an AutoShape or picture

If you right-click anywhere on a picture or on the edge of the AutoShape (as instructed above), a pop-up window will appear with many tab-windows full of formatting options.

If you right-click within the text area of an AutoShape, a pop-up window will appear with only one tab-window - allowing you to format the text.
Tip: The AutoShape has to already have text in it before you can format the text. To enter text in a blank AutoShape, right-click > Edit Text.

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.

How to edit text within 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.

How to change an AutoShape to another shape

On the Drawing Toolbar... Draw > Change AutoShape
Office 2007: Drawing Tools > Edit Shape > Change Shape

How to add custom shapes

If you can't find a pre-formatted AutoShape that fits your needs,
(in either the standard Drawing Toolbar or Systems2win menu > Copy AutoShape),
then you can simply paste any shape that has been copied to your clipboard.

Note: Some worksheets are locked in way that does not allow custom shapes to be added.

Tip: If you are adding a shape to a master template, (not just a working document), use your Customization Log to make upgrades easy.

To rotate a shape

How to bring an object forward or backward in relation to other objects

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, right click the object, (being careful to select an AutoShape as defined above), then select Order, and choose Bring to Front or Send to Back.

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!)

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.

How to use 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.)

Tip: Many shapes have been specially designed by Systems2win to fit perfectly within the grid - so that you can instantly resize all shapes in an entire column just by dragging the column width.
Tip: When using specially-sized snap-to shapes - always nudge the shape just a little to the RIGHT - rather than to the left.

Tip: It is wise to lay out most of your snap to grid shapes first - before adding connector arrows.

Working with Arrows and Connectors

How do I attach connectors to shapes? (so that the connectors move with the shape)

Option 1)

1. 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.
2. Drag a green end of a Connector to the place where you want it to connect to the AutoShape.
   (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.)
3. When the green end of the Connector turns red and the AutoShape lights up for a moment - the Connector is now "connected" to the shape.

Option 2) (especially helpful for using connectors not included in the standard palette of shapes)

1. Right-click your desired connector in the Systems2win palette of shapes, and select Set AutoShape Defaults.
   Office 2007: Set As Default Line
2. Select your desired connector from Drawing Toolbar > AutoShapes > Connectors.
   Office 2007: Drawing Tools > Elbow Connector. 
3. Left-click the two objects you want to connect.
   Office 2007: Unfortunately, this method no longer works in Office 2007. You need to manually connect the arrows.

Connector Diamond

Systems2win menu > Copy AutoShape (and the stencil of shapes for some templates prior to version 5.1) 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.

How do I change a Connector between straight, elbowed, or curved?

Right-click the Connector, and select your choice.

How to bend shapes (to create curved arrows or freeform circles)

Right-click your desired shape in the palette of shapes
(perhaps optionally re-formatting the shape)
then select Set AutoShape Defaults.  Office 2007: Set As Default Line
then ...

a) to create a curved 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

Viewing and Printing

View in Page Break Preview

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.
     (And be especially careful to avoid deleting rows & columns containing your palette of pre-defined shapes.)

b) To insert rows or columns, use Shift Down/Right and Copy (You usually DON'T want to use Insert > Rows, which won't copy all formatting)

Excel 97 and Excel 2000 do not allow you to hide, unhide, delete, or insert rows or columns on a protected document. Refer to known issues.

To resize a drawing in Word, FrontPage, or PowerPoint

Format > Drawing Canvas > Size tab
Word 2007: Drawing Tools > Size

Tip: 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

To get help to learn more about any Systems2win shape

RIGHT-click the edge of the shape, then select Format Object or Picture
Read the help text in the Web tab

I have a question that's not answered here

Try these other resources:

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Tips for printing web pages (like this one)
Option 1) Print in landscape. Internet Explorer - File > Page Setup > Landscape.
Option 2) Print the web page as a PDF file, (which can then be easily printed).  Training: How to download and use free PDF writing software
Important: Any document created using a Systems2win template that is distributed outside of your licensed usersmust be in a non-editable format, such as printed paper or a PDF

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