Viewing and Using Smart Tags

As you type entries, little button icons might pop up on your screen and then automatically disappear, or a tiny purple triangle might appear in the lower-right corner of a cell . These signs are an indication that Excel's smart tags are at work. Smart tags link the entry to other programs (such as a Web browser or e-mail program) that can perform a specific task using the entry. For example, if you enter a stock symbol, such as MSFT, Excel displays a smart tag that enables you to click an option for downloading the stock price from the Internet. If you enter a person's name , you can click the smart tag and click an option for sending that person an e-mail message.

Whenever you type a data entry that Excel recognizes as a candidate for a smart tag, Excel displays a smart tag, which looks like an information icon ”a circle with an "i" in the middle of it. Click the smart tag to view a list of options, as shown in Figure 4.9, and then click the desired option.

Figure 4.9. Smart tags connect cells to other programs for performing specialized tasks .

Note

If smart tags do not appear, the feature is turned off. To turn on smart tags, open the Tools menu, choose AutoCorrect Options , click the Smart Tags tab, and make sure Label Data with Smart Tags has a check mark in its box. You can also use this tab to specify which entries you want flagged with smart tags. Click OK to accept the new settings.