This tutorial starts from the Poof! Genie™ for Microsoft Excel® window. The tutorial files were copied to your hard drive during installation. You can use the tutorial files, or you can use your own files for this walkthrough. Please note that the screen shots where taken on a computer using Windows Vista®. Your screen will look slightly different if your computer has Windows XP® installed.
The first step is to find the source file, original file, or answer key. This is the file that we want to compare the other spreadsheet against. See the identified browse button in the following image:
When you click the Browse button, you see a familiar Open File Dialog box like the following. The answer key was copied during installation to c:\Answer-Keys\Answer-Key.xlsx.
Select the file that you want and then click the Open button. The Poof! Genie for Microsoft Excel window will then look similar to the following. Poof! Genie for Microsoft Excel is set up to automatically determine the used range in the first worksheet of the selected workbook.
If you need to change the range that was found, or if you just want to see how the Change Range button works, click the Change Range button. If you don't need to change the range, you can skip this part and go on to browsing for the file to be compared.
To change the range, move the little window out of your way, if necessary, and select the range you need. You can select non-contiguous ranges by holding down the [Ctrl] key while selecting the ranges. Once you are finished selecting the range, click the OK button to return to the Poof! Genie for Microsoft Excel window.
Now you are ready to select the file to be compared. Click the Browse button indicated in the following image:
When you click the Browse button, you see a familiar Open File Dialog box like the following. The file to be compared was copied to c:\Student-Files\Student-Workbook.xls during installation.
Select the file that you want and then click the Open button. The Poof! Genie for Microsoft Excel window will then look similar to the following. Poof! Genie for Microsoft Excel is set up to automatically determine the used range in the first worksheet of the selected workbook.
You may have noticed that the range found in the Student-Workbook.xls is not the same size as the range we changed for the Answer-Key.xls file. Clicking the Compare Worksheets button will show a message stating that the ranges are not the same size. We'll need to change the range that was found in the student file. Click the Change Range button for the file to be compared. A window similar to the following will be visible.
Move the little window out of your way, if necessary, and select the range you need, in this case the range A3 through D11. Once you are finished selecting the range, click the OK button to return to the Poof! Genie for Microsoft Excel window. Now you are ready to select the options you need for comparison.
In the compare options area, you can select to compare values, formulas, or both. For purposes of this demonstration, we'll select both.
In the check format options area, you can specify just how detailed of a comparison you need. For purposes of this demonstration, we'll select the options indicated by the check marks.
In the additional options area, you can specify whether or not you would like the margins checked, the header and footer checked, and if you would like to stop the comparison at a certain number of differences found.
In the display results area, you get to specify whether you would like to see the results on the screen within the Microsoft Excel application, if you'd like comments added to the cells that are different, whether or not you'd like the cells that are different highlighted in the color of your choice, and whether or not you'd like the differences listed in a report. You can also print the compared worksheet with comments and highlighting added, if you desire. For purposes of this demonstration, we want to set the options as indicated.
Now we are ready for the moment of truth. Just how well does this application work? Click on the Compare Worksheets button, and let's take the app. for a spin...
While the process is running you may notice the status indicator at the bottom of the screen showing you the progression of the processing.
Within seconds, the compare is complete. During this comparison, 5 differences where found in 14 seconds. Performance will vary based on the comparison options selected and the capabilities of the computer on which the comparison is made.
The resulting display in Microsoft Excel looks similar to the following:
In this comparison, the column widths did not match for Column B, the formulas didn't match for cells B9, C9, and D9, and the value didn't match in cell C9. At this point, the user has the option of printing the compared file, saving the compared file, or closing the file without saving it. The report shown in Report_1 can be printed, saved, or discarded.
To prepare for the next comparison, it is recommended to close the workbooks that you are finished with, but to leave Microsoft Excel® open.