Tips & tricks

PlanMaker

Localized function names

Microsoft Excel uses localized function names, as does PlanMaker when you switch to a user interface language other than English. For example, the English SUM function is called SOMME in French, SUMA in Spanish and Сумм in Russian.

The English PlanMaker manual lists only the English function names, so you might have to look up localized function names. This PlanMaker .pmdx file contains a cross-reference list of all PlanMaker functions.

Inserting the current date and time

Question: How do I insert the current date or time into a worksheet? I don't want to use the functions TODAY() and NOW() because they are continuously updated.

Answer: Press Ctrl+. for the date and Ctrl+Shift+. for the time.

Changing the zoom level with the mouse

If you have a mouse with a scroll wheel, you can use it to quickly change the zoom level at which a worksheet is displayed. To do so, hold down the Ctrl key on your keyboard and move the scroll wheel on your mouse up or down.

Multiple currencies in a document

Unlike other spreadsheets, PlanMaker lets you use any number of different currencies in each document.

To display a number as a currency amount, select the cells which should be formatted, right-click on the selected area and choose the command Cell from the context menu. In the dialog box that now appears, select the number format Currency and pick the desired currency (such as euro, Swiss francs, US dollar etc.).

You can also simply enter a number with a currency symbol. If, for example, you type € 42 or 19.50 € in a cell, PlanMaker recognizes automatically that this is a euro amount and formats it in the currency format "€".

Combining two columns into one

Question: I have a worksheet with area codes (for example, 123) in column A and the associated phone numbers (for example, 456-7890) in column B. How do I combine them into a single column as "123-456-7890"?

Answer: Enter the formula =A1&"-"&B1 in cell C1, then copy this formula to the cells below as many times as you have phone numbers.

Column C now contains the combined phone numbers but only as formulas. If you still want to convert them into real values, select the new formulas and choose Home | Copy to copy them to the clipboard. Leave the formulas selected and choose the command Home | Paste | Paste values. The phone numbers will now be included as strings in the cells.