When it comes to working with numerical data, in the software sector we have several powerful solutions. Some are more complete than others, where we can highlight the one presented by Microsoft. We refer to the popular Excel, while on the other hand we find Google, in which we are now going to learn to use alternate colors in Sheets .
When we refer specifically to programs that focus on working with spreadsheets, these are quickly recognized at a first glance. As a general rule, in these we find a user interface full of cells. In them is where we are going to introduce the numbers and formulas that will be part of our project. As we mentioned before, in these same lines we will talk about Google Sheets , the free alternative to the aforementioned and popular Excel.
Advantages and customization that Google Sheets
In fact, it could be said that this is precisely one of its main advantages, that we can use the program for free. This is something that, as many of you will already know first-hand, does not happen in the program that is part of Office . On the other hand, at this point we will tell you that as with the rest of Google office programs, we use this application online. In this way we can work with our Sheets directly from the web browser . For all this we only need a Google account and access this link .
At the same time, the program itself presents us with a good number of customizable options for the sheets that we create, as we will see later. On the other hand, the mime is not limited to the use of numerical data, but goes one step further. To do this in parallel, Sheets allows us to include many other components to the spreadsheet. Here we refer to elements such as drawings, photos, graphs , or forms , among other things.
All of this that we are commenting on will be very helpful as complementary elements for the spreadsheets. But with everything and with it, in these lines we are going to focus on the aesthetic section of the program, on its user interface. And it is sure that the fact of being able to change the design of our spreadsheets in a matter of seconds and in a simple way will be of great help.
How to use alternate colors in Sheets
One of the great advantages that being able to configure alternate colors for the Google Sheets rows will offer us is that it allows us to distinguish the data in a better way. This that we are commenting on is preferable, in most cases, to when all cells are the same color, mostly for display issues. Therefore we are going to show you two ways to use alternate colors in Sheets .
First of all, what we have to do is go to the Format / Alternate Colors menu. Here we will see that a new panel opens on the left side of the main interface of the program, from where we configure them. Thus, from that section we will have the possibility to choose the tones that we want to use to distinguish the colors of the rows.
While from the buttons called Color 1 and Color 2 we have the possibility to choose the tones for each alternate row, a little further up we will see some predefined designs. Thus, if we do not want to complicate our lives, we can always opt for this alternative that Sheets offers us.
On the other hand, just above these predefined designs , we see two markers that we can activate, or not. It should be noted that these also allow us to add new colors both to the header of the table and to the bottom of it. That, as you can imagine, will help us to better delimit the selection of cells that we make from Apply to interval.
Set alternate colors in Sheets using formulas
Speaking of the interface composed of cells in the Google program, here we are going to show you how to use alternate colors in Sheets . And it is that if we work with large sheets in this program, follow that you will find this trick useful for the interface. It is true that Excel has a style function to create colors in the alternate rows of the tables , but this is not so easy in the sheets of this free program. That is why below we will see the use of alternating colors in the rows in this web-based spreadsheet program.
For all this that we tell you, the first thing we will do is open a new Google Sheets spreadsheet from the link that we showed you previously. At that time we will have to take a look at the top of the main interface of the software, so we access the menu called Format.
Here a series of options will appear that will be very helpful when changing the appearance of the interface. Therefore, in the case that concerns us at the moment, we opted for the option of Conditional Formatting.
Once we click on the option that we are commenting on, the corresponding box will appear on the right side of the main window. Therefore, the first thing we do in this new section that has appeared, is to make sure that the marked tab is One color.
Apply the rules for using alternating colors in even rows
Therefore, here we have to look at the Apply to interval field, where we select the range of drops in which we are interested in applying the commented change. Therefore, here we only have to highlight the rows to which you want to apply the new format and click OK in the pop-up box that appears.
Once we have selected that interval , which may well be the entire sheet, we look at the Format cells yes field, where an extensive drop-down list will appear. Well, in it, in this case we will have to locate the entry called The custom formula is.
Therefore, when activating this input, we will already have the possibility of typing the following formula: = ISEVEN (ROW ()).
At the same time, below we will also have the possibility to change the color of the cell fills. To do this we just have to click on the Fill Color button that is located just below the formula entered. Here we will have the possibility to choose the tonality that we want to use. Say that all this that we have seen, will be effective in the even rows of the previously selected range.
Formula for using alternating colors in odd rows
But of course, something similar we can carry out in regard to the odd rows of that same rank. We always have the possibility of leaving it as it is now, blank, but we can also apply another color tone to all the odd rows. In the event that we make this decision, the steps to follow are just as simple.
To do this, all we have to do is click on the Add another rule section of the same panel in which we were working before. But in this case the formula we are going to use is the following: = ISODD (ROW ()). Now we will see that the odd rows of the spreadsheet are also colored, initially in the same hue chosen previously. Therefore now we only have to choose a new color for these odd rows with in the previous case.
As we can see, with these simple steps we will be able to work with our spreadsheets in a much more comfortable and visual way. In fact, using alternate colors in Sheets will be more than useful if we work with large amounts of data here.