Hello Ray,

I spent some time trying to figure out how to do this as it would come in 
handy.  After some playing around I finally got it to work.  It is 
definitely not intuitive!  Heres what you need to know / do.

Some background first:
-  When you format a cell by selecting it then hitting alt O / Cells, 
there is a protection tab.  There are 2 boxes on this tab, locked and 
hidden.  The default seems to be to have locked checked and hidden not 
checked.
-  I did nothing with the hidden box so do not know what it is for or how 
checking it would impact what you want to do.

How to lock a cell:
-  First, I would select the whole sheet, go to the format menu, cells, 
the protection tab and unselect locked.  If you do not do this then all 
the cells end up locked when you are finished.
-  Next, select just the cells you want locked, go back into format / 
cells / protection and select locked.
-  In order to make the lock effective, you now have to go to Tools / 
Protection / Protect sheet.  You will be asked to enter a password.  All 
you need to do on this screen is enter the password and hit enter or click 
ok.  You will then be asked to re-enter the password.
-  Now if someone (including you), goes to a protected cell and tries to 
change it, they will get an error saying the cell is protected.
-  When you go to a protected cell with a formula in it, you hear the 
results of the formula NOT the formula itself. 
-  If you go back to Tools / Protection / Unprotect sheet, you will be 
prompted for your password then the cell will be unprotected again.  You 
could do this to edit your formula if needed then reprotect the cells.

This seems very convaluded but works.  Good luck!

Regards,
Sherry Wells





Ray Campbell <[log in to unmask]> 
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02/04/2009 07:22 AM
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[VICUG-L] Excel Question






Hello Everyone:

Is there a way that I can protect certain cells in an Excel 2003
spreadsheet so that they cannot be modified?  I have a situation where I
have certain cells that have formulas which I do not want to have
deleted.  What is happening is that the individual who uses the
spreadsheet I'm talking about has been putting straight numbers into
these cells, knocking out the formulas.  So, how can I protect these
cells so that the formulas can't be deleted?  Also, are the values which
are generated by the formulas in these protected cells easily readable
using JAWS and Window-Eyes?

Thanks in advance,



Ray Campbell, Help Desk Technician
Adaptive Technology Center
Chicago Lighthouse for People Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
1850 W. Roosevelt Road
Chicago, IL  60608
312-997-3651 (Voice/Relay) or
888-825-0080 (voice/Relay)
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