Excel spreadsheets are extremely versatile and can be used for many different everyday tasks. For a forensic accountant proper use of spreadsheets in Excel is a must. I can create a hyperlink to:

· an existing file
· a new file
· a location within a workbook
· a specified location within a Web page
· an e-mail address

Maximizing Excel capabilities helps streamline processes and grants additional security to my information. Automating Excel through the use of hyperlinks allows me to link my information to the folder in which my information is currently saved.

You can create hyperlinks in workbooks, by using either text or graphics that link to charts, workbooks, Web pages, or other files.

Let us work together a simple exercise; through a hands-on our learning curve is highly productive so it is worth the effort. Open your Excel application and get ready for the exciting world of automated Excel.

Create a hyperlink to a new file

1. Right-click the text or graphic you want to represent the hyperlink, and then click Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.

2. Under Link to, click Create new document.

3. Type a name for the new file in the Name of new document box. I put BellaOnline Files

4. To specify a location other than the one shown under Full Path, click Change and then select the location you want. Click OK.

5. Under When to edit, click an option to specify whether to open the new file for editing now or later.

6. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click ScreenTip and then type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box. Click OK. I want to keep in this file information I have gathered for my BellaOnline articles so that’s is screen tip. This is a perfect place for setting a reminder about the content of the hyperlink or information you find relevant. From MicroSoft Excel, see the figures below:



Notes

· If you do not specify a ScreenTip, the path of the new file becomes the ScreenTip.
· If you want to change the text that represents the hyperlink in your original workbook, type the new text in the Text to display box.
· The path to the new destination file is by default relative to the location of the active workbook. You can specify a different default path by setting a hyperlink base address.

By default, unspecified paths to hyperlink destination files are relative to the location of the active workbook. Use this procedure when you want to set a different default path. Each time you create a hyperlink to a file in that location, you'll only have to specify the file name, not the path, in the

Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

1. On the File menu, click Properties.
2. Click the Summary tab.
3. In the Hyperlink base box, type the path you want to use.

You can override the hyperlink base address by using the full, or absolute, address for the hyperlink in the Insert Hyperlink dialog box.

Create a hyperlink to an existing file

1. Right-click the text or graphic you want to represent the hyperlink, and then click Hyperlink on the shortcut menu.
2. Under Link to, click Existing file or Web page.
3. Do one of the following:

To select the file from a list of files you have recently used, click Recent Files and then click the file you want to link to.

4. To select the file from a list of existing files, click the File button under Browse for, and then locate and double-click the file you want to link to.
5. To assign a tip to be displayed when you rest the pointer on the hyperlink, click ScreenTip and then type the text you want in the ScreenTip text box. Click OK.

Notes

o If you do not specify a ScreenTip, the path of the linked-to file becomes the ScreenTip.
o If you want to change the text that represents the hyperlink in your original workbook, type the new text in the Text to display box.
o The path to the new destination file is by default relative to the location of the active workbook. You can specify a different default path by setting a hyperlink base address.

It is harder to read these instructions than personalize your spreadsheet. Impress your peers with a nice and well-designed report that links your information, for example, to the latest statistics in the market.