Objects on the Drawing Layer

As I mention earlier in this chapter, each worksheet has an invisible drawing layer, which holds shapes, SmartArt, charts, pictures, and controls (such as buttons and list boxes). I discuss some of these items in the following sections.

Shapes

You can insert a wide variety of shapes from Insert Shapes. After you place a shape on your worksheet, you can modify the shape by selecting it and dragging its handles. In addition, you can apply built-in shape styles, fill effects, or 3-D effects to the shape. Also, you can group multiple shapes into a single drawing object, which you'll find easier to size or position.

Illustrations

Pictures, clip art, and SmartArt can be inserted from the Insert Illustrations group. SmartArt replaces Diagrams from previous versions and have been expanded to include dozens of choices. Figure 1-9 shows some objects on the drawing layer of a worksheet.

Figure 1-9: Objects on a worksheet drawing layer. Excel makes a great doodle pad.

Linked Picture Objects

A linked picture is a shape object that shows a range. When the range is changed, the shape object changes along with it. To use this object, copy a range and then choose Home Clipboard Paste Paste As Picture Paste Picture Link. This command is useful if you want to print a noncontiguous selection of ranges. You can "take pictures" of the ranges and then paste the pictures together in a single area, which you can then print.

Controls

You can insert a number of different controls on a worksheet. These controls come in two flavors-Form controls and ActiveX controls. Using controls on a worksheet and can greatly enhance the worksheet's usability-often, without using macros. To insert a control, choose Developer Controls Insert. Figure 1-10 shows a worksheet with various controls added to the drawing layer.

Figure 1-10: Excel enables you to add many controls directly to the drawing layer of a worksheet.

Note 

The Ribbon's Developer tab is not visible by default. To show the Developer tab, choose Office Excel Options, navigate to the Popular tab, and check Show Developer Tab in the Ribbon.

On the CD 

If you'd like to see how these controls work, the workbook shown in Figure 1-10 is available on the companion CD-ROM. The file is named  worksheet controls.xlsx.

Charts

Excel, of course, has excellent charting capabilities. As I mention earlier in this chapter, you can store charts on a chart sheet or you can float them on a worksheet.

Excel offers extensive chart customization options. Selecting a chart displays the Chart Tools contextual tab, which contain all the tools necessary to customize your chart. Right- clicking a chart element displays a shortcut menu.

You can easily create a free-floating chart by selecting the data to be charted and selecting one of the chart types from the Insert Charts group.

Cross Ref 

Chapter 17 contains additional information about charts.