Windows: Fit Filenames in Windows Explorer

If you want to resize the columns in the Windows Explorer to be able to see complete filenames, you can use this keyboard shortcut:

Press and hold the Control key and then press the Plus key (Cntl + +)

I tested this under Windows 7.

Windows: Change the OEM Background Image

If you want to change the background image for your logon screen, all you need to do is change the default image located in this directory:

C:\Windows\System32\oobe\info\backgrounds

More extensive instructions can be found at TechSpot.

[Source Techspot]

Gmail: Multiple Email Addresses

Today I was learning how to become a Gmail Ninja and I came across a nice addition to Gmail. You can have multiple email address sent to the same address just by adding a plus sign (+). For example, if my email is GmailNinja@gmail.com, I can create:

GmailNinja+Spam@gmail.com
GmailNinja+Lists@gmail.com
GmailNinja+Recipes@gmail.com

All of the above will be delivered to GmailNinja@gmail.com.

Why is this important you say? You can then set up filters based on the incoming email address. When you get dozens or hundreds of emails a day this can be a big time saver.

[Source Gmail]

Excel: Nice Shades

If you are using conditional formatting to highlight cells, you can run into problems when you delete/add rows. Sometimes the conditional formatting rules apply to a strange set of cells instead of one contiguous range of cells.

To get around this issue, you can use a macro to do the highlighting. Open the VBA editor (with Alt-F10) and then add the following code to Microsoft Excel Objects –> ThisWorkbook:

Private Sub Workbook_SheetChange(ByVal Sh As Object, ByVal Target As Range)

‘shade cell with “yes”

If Target.Row > 1 And Target.Column = 2 Then
    If Target.Value = “yes” Then
        Cells(Target.Row, Target.Column).Interior.ColorIndex = 50
    Else
        Cells(Target.Row, Target.Column).Interior.ColorIndex = 2
    End If
End If

This code is run every time you edit a cell. The code makes sure the current cell is not the 1st row (which is usually for headings). It then checks if the cell is in column B (which is column number 2). If the contents of the cell are “yes” it gets green shading, otherwise is gets white shading.

The only downside to this method is that it runs only after editing a cell. Therefore, if you already have cells with information, you have to re-edit each cell to get the macro to run. This can be done somewhat easily by hitting F2, then the Enter key. For large amounts of data, you need to write a wrapper macro that you can run once on the sheet.

Author-it: Quick Search ‘q’ Bug

I have encountered the ‘q’ bug several times, without any apparent cause. Normally, one needs to type Cntl-q to open the Quick Search dialog. The ‘q’ bug is when typing the letter q opens the dialog (without holding down the Cntl key). This makes it impossible to use any words with the letter ‘q’.

The solution to the problem (until they come out with a fix for the bug) is to follow this procedure:

Press and release the Cntl key one time.

That’s it! Operation should then work normally.

Word 2010: Remove Floating Paste Menu

In Word 2010, whenever you paste text you get an annoying little paste options menu next to the insertion point. This menu often covers up other text making it hard to continue reading the document.

If you actually like that menu but you have finished using it and you want it to go awya, then the easiest way to remove it after pasting is to highlight anything else and copy it (Cntl-c).

If you are like 99% of the population and dislike the menu, you can disable it with the following procedure:

Select File –> Options
Select Advanced
In the Cut, Copy and Paste section, uncheck Show Paste Options button when content is pasted

[Solution from GroovyPost]

Windows 7 Shortcut Keys

Windows 7 shortcut keys can save lots of time. For a great list of what is possible, use the following links:

Some of my favorites include:

WinKey + Left arrow = Fill left half screen w/current window
WinKey + Right arrow = Fill right half screen w/current window
WinKey + Up arrow = Maximize
WinKey + Down arrow = Minimize

MS Word: Paste as Text

To set up a shortcut key to paste as text, do the following:

From the View tab, create a new macro named PasteSpecialAsText.
Replace the contents of the code editor with the following text:

Sub PasteSpecialAsText() Selection.PasteSpecial DataType:=wdPasteText End Sub
From the File menu, choose Word Options, then Customize Ribbon, and then click the Customize button next to Keyboard shortcuts at the bottom to bring up the Customize Keyboard dialog.
Choose Macros from the categories list on the left, and then your macro in the Commands box on the right-hand side. Now you can enter in a shortcut key (Ctrl+Shift+V or your own), and click the Assign button.

This procedure was taken from LifeHacker and updated for Word 2010.

[Source LifeHacker]

Word VBA Macros Interrupted

When debugging Word VBA macros, the following message sometimes occurs:

Code execution has been interrupted

You then need to click on the Continue button repeatedly to run through the macro. When searching for a solution to this bug, I came across a comment in the MyMindLeaks blog that said to try and press Ctrl-Break when the macro is not running. This works perfectly!

[Source MyMindLeaks]

Reduce PDF Size

When saving a Word file as PDF there is a quick trick to reduce the resulting file size.

Use the following procedure.

In Word, use the normal Save as -> PDF
Open the PDF that was created (if it does not open automatically)
Select File -> Save as
Click “Save”.

This overwrites the current PDF file with a new version that removes the extra baggage that Word added.

As an example, I had a file that was originally 8,594 KB. After using the above procedure it was reduced to 6,353 KB.

Setup:

Word 2010
Adobe Acrobat 9
Windows 7