An Excel scroll bar can be used for practical (and sometimes boring) things, like testing the effect of price changes, or adjusting a chart’s date range.
But this is the festive season, so let’s use a scroll bar for something more, well, festive!
Trim the Tree
In this example, instead of accounting and finance, you’ll see how to use an Excel scroll bar to decorate a Christmas tree, without macros.
Unfortunately, this Excel file can’t make hot chocolate or eggnog, so you’ll need to provide your own.
Useful Excel Features
It’s not just for the holiday season though — the sample file has useful features that you can adapt to other workbooks too:
- Scroll bar lets users change a number quickly and easily
- A text box that displays a changing message based on VLOOKUP formula
- conditional formatting shows hidden cells when target number is reached
- named ranges make it easy to work with specific cells
Watch the Video
To see how the Excel Christmas tree trimming scroll bar works, you can watch this short Excel video.
Excel Scroll Bar Sample File and Instructions
For instructions on creating the Excel scroll bar file, and to download the sample file, go to my Contextures website: Excel Scroll Bar Christmas Tree Example.
DG,
Very nice – I like it!
It would be great to keep scrolling and see the tree dry up and become a fire hazard (I’m assuming it’s a real tree).
Thanks Mike, I’ll keep that in mind for next year’s version.
Just reminding your readers of the blinking Christmas Tree file I posted last year to your then Christmas Blog which is still available here…
Rick’s blinking Christmas Tree
After downloading it, you will need to Enable Macros when asked. To make the lights blink, just right-click anywhere on the sheet; right-click again to make it pause (right-click one more time to unpause it, etc.).