TOGGLE THE WEB PAGE TOOLBAR OFF AND ON
This may seem like a minor problem, but it’s very irritating. When I’m examining a Web page, the special toolbars at the top of my screen (such as EarthLink’s and Google’s) not only take up a chunk of real estate, they are a visual distraction. On the other hand, I want those tools to be readily available when I need them. Is there some way to sort of have my cake and eat it?

By pressing F11 you can toggle those toolbars on and off. It’s that easy.

Now you see it…

…now you don’t.

GET ORGANIZED WITH A WINDOW THAT SUMMARIZES A FILE’S CONTENTS
My weak spot has always been organization—sorting and finding files. In those days when we used paper files and had secretaries, I left that chore to the staff. But now it’s my responsibility. I’ve been told there’s a way to get Windows Explorer to help by giving me a brief description of a file’s contents—more than just the name of the file—but I can’t seem to make it work. Can you help?

A file’s Properties function in Windows Explorer can perform that job. The screenshot below is an example of a customized message (on the left) that can be made to appear when you open Explorer to check out a file.

To create that format you first have to set Explorer to display more than the default data it usually shows. Begin by opening Explorer and clicking on the View icon in its toolbar and then on Details (see screenshot below).

That will display Explorer’s default property categories. In my case (see screenshot below) it’s Name, Type, Size, Date Modified.

To expand the display to show a file’s description, we’ll add Comments to this default list. To do that, click on View and then on Choose Details.

That opens a large menu of categories, with checks next to those that already are displayed. Place a check next to Comments and to any other category you may want to add to the display. Be aware, however, that if you add too many, your Explorer screen may get so clogged with information that searching will be impeded. Note also that you can customize the location of the options by moving them with the Move Up and Move Down buttons on the right. You can also adjust the width of each category column.

When done, click on OK. Since that will immediately display the category you selected on the screen, you can easily return to the list and make further adjustments.

Also, you can reorder the listing by left-clicking on any of the category titles. If the category is composed of words, the click will alphabetize the list by the first letter; if the category is a number, such as file size, it will sort them accordingly. Another click will sort them in reverse.

EXCEL HAS ITS OWN TRACK CHANGES
I recently noticed that Excel’s toolbar has a Track Changes function. Intrigued, I opened it, figuring it was like Track Changes in Word, but when I noticed that it involved a Shared workbook, I decided I may be creating a security problem, so I backed off. Was my worry justified? Can I use it without a Shared workbook?

You need not worry. While it is true that when you engage it, Excel automatically goes into the Shared workbook mode, you can sidestep the problem by not storing the file in a place where anyone else can access it. That way there is no security danger.

Excel’s Track Changes is a very handy tool. It works somewhat like the Word version in that it records a history of any changes made to a workbook—with the exception of format changes. And like Word’s Track Changes, much of its operation is quite intuitive, but I will mention some of the steps that might temporarily bog you down.

To launch it, open a worksheet, click on Tools, Track Changes and then on Highlight Changes. Notice in the screenshot below that the command directly under it, Accept or Reject Changes, is dimmed—and that’s because it’s not yet engaged.

To start it up, place a check next to Track changes while editing. This also shares your workbook (see screenshot below).

Next you have to set up your defaults by clicking on the down arrows next to When, Who and Where. Before you do anything, explore all the options they offer.

If you want the whole worksheet monitored by Track Changes, do not place a check next to Where. But if you want Track Changes to record only a section of the worksheet, click on Where and highlight that section. As the screenshot below shows, that portion will be set up automatically for monitoring.

After you’ve customized the options and clicked on OK, Excel will warn that doing so will Save the Workbook. It will allow you to Continue or Cancel. Click on Continue, and the workbook will become Shared. All changes will be tracked.

After you make a change in a cell, Track Changes records it and posts a black triangle in the upper left corner of the cell. When you pass your cursor over the cell, this screen will pop up.

At any point you can review and accept or reject changes. To do that, click on Tools, Track Changes, Accept and Reject Changes. Then make your When, Who and Where choices.

Then click on OK and decide which changes to accept or reject.

Now we get to the best part of Track Changes. At the bottom of the Highlight Changes screen you probably noticed a box labeled List changes on a new sheet. That line remains grayed out until after you save changes.

If you subsequently place a check in the box, a history worksheet is created that contains loads of information. Because there is so much data, Excel defaults it with AutoFilters formatting for easy viewing (see screenshot below).

Be aware that once you save the workbook, the history sheet will be deleted. But you can display it again by going to Tools, Track Changes, Highlight Changes. Check the List changes on a new sheet option and click OK.

A BETTER IDEA
In the March issue (page 77), in an item about how to format a screen to cope with dyslexia, I mentioned ways to adjust your screen size without affecting the text format. Reader Linda L. Willis, a CPA with LAC+USC Expenditure Management, Los Angeles, suggested a faster way: Hold down the Ctrl key as you roll the wheel on your mouse (away from you to increase the screen size and toward you to shrink it).

Stanley Zarowin is a contributing editor to the JofA. His e-mail address is stanley.joatech@gmail.com.