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Tuesday 14 August 2012

How to fix a #VALUE with a SUMIF formula on an external excel sheet

Array function such as SUMIF require that the source workbook be open as the function returns an array not a value. A VLOOKUP function does work on a closed external workbook but a SUMIF will not.

If you substitute the sumif for a vlookup then you can link a hidden sheet with all the linked cells and then do a local sumif onto the linked worksheet.

Tuesday 17 July 2012

When to use an ID or Class in CSS

A CSS class is re-usable, A CSS id must only exist once in any page.

If you want to use a style more than once on any given webpage then it must be put into a CSS class. 

  • Use an id to style a unique item on the page eg.page footer, main menu, search bar. 
  • Use a CSS Class as many times as necessary for formatting buttons, paragraphs, headings, textboxs, hyperlinks(anchors) etc.

Example of a CSS class:

.special { font-weight:bold; border:solid 1px black; }

Example of a CSS id:

#special { font-weight:bold; border:solid 1px black; }

Example use in HTML:

<span class='special'>some text</span>   OR
<span id='special'>some text</span>

Wednesday 11 July 2012

Hello Website. How are you Today?

So you have a website or are thinking about getting one. A website is a bit like having a plant, if you don't look after it, it will get ugly, dry up and no one will want to look at it. Like plants need watering, feeding, weeding and talking to, your website needs updating, it needs fresh content adding to it and it needs to provide the purpose for which it was created.

Does your website work?

It is vital to invest time into your website to ensure every function works as it should. Every functional element should be checked periodically to ensure that it works as expected by its users. Go through your site clicking everything, even try to break it if you can. If you get an errors then this need to be addressed as users will quickly find another website. Errors and glitches will scare people away, get these fixed now.

Does your website look old?

Your website needs to look like new all the time. You can check out other websites similar to you own and if you site does not look and perform like them then it is time for an update. Users have high expectations on website appearance and first impressions count. I can't tell you how it should look as all websites are different but think suit, tie and shoes not socks and sandals

Does your website perform?

Ok. so I click into your website and then wait... and wait.. and then I click the back button. It is really important to host your site on a server that is configured correctly and can respond to the demands expected of the user. Nobody likes to wait, and most Internet users will click away if your website does not appear before them after a couple of seconds.

Spelling errors on websites

I can't stand spelling errors. How can you be bothered to provide a customer with a great service if you can't even care to run a spelling checker over your website.

Missing images on your website

When an image is missing or the address in the <img> tag is incorrect you will see an empty space with a little red cross in the corner. This is easily fixed by uploading the image to the correct path on your server or correcting the address in your <img> tags.

Just doing the few things noted above will help the traffic return to your website. Thanks for reading and good luck.

Friday 1 June 2012

Does the web really need another blog?

When a family member needs some technical help they usually come to me, so when I need help I usually go online. Sometimes I manage to find what I am looking for relatively quickly thanks to the many clever and helpful people who figure things out or create a solution from thin air who then go the extra mile to post the answer for the rest of us. Sometimes though my problem is unique and I need to make up my own solution using bits of code from various sources. I would like to share my obscure technical problems and solutions here for whoever may find them. Repaying the community, you could say.