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XLplus Add-On: Color Management

Note: This tool is no longer required when using MS Excel 2007 or higher as these versions contain build-in tools which offer superior functionality.

This XLplus Add-On helps you to manage the colors the active workbook can use. See Excel Color Management for details about how MS Excel works with colors.

Excel Color Management:

You can easily

brighten or darken all colors
edit single colors
save, load and assign color palettes independantly of open workbooks
import / export color palettes.

XLplus Add-On: Color Management - Dialog

Brighten or darken all colors

Use the slider to change the brigthness of the color palette. The color is changed within steps of 10%.

Use Reset to Start Colors to set the palette back to the colors you started the Dialog with.
Use Reset to Excel Default Colors to set the palette back to the Excel default colors.

Edit single colors

Alternatively, change some colors only. Use Edit Color to change the color selected.

Save, load and delete color palettes

Color Management - Save, Load and Delete Palettes

Once you have changed a Palette switch to Manage Colors and save your changes.

Here you can load palettes as well. A loaded palette will immediately change the colors the active workbook uses to the new palette. You can change the names of the saved palettes by use of option Edit.

Use Delete to remove a palette from the list of available color palettes.

Note: You cannot undo the deletion of a palette by use of Cancel.

Import / export color palettes

Use Export to save a palette in a new file. The file consists of

A description of the Palette (a name by which it can be imported later).
The single colors as shaded cells
The index number of the color
The single colors as Long, RGB (Red, Green, Blue) and HSL (Hue, Saturation, Luminance) value.

The exported data will only be accessible after you closed the Dialog.

You can save the exported data as a normal Excel spreadsheet. This could be imported by you or any other XLplus user later.

To customise data you can overwrite the default name. The default name is always the workbook name the palette was exported from. Since a user can change the name after having imported a palette, this is not recommended. Indead, you should not alter anything else (at least), since a successfull Import of data relies on a correct data-structure. For details see: Import Specifications.

Import Specifications:

Use Import to save a palette in the list of available palettes.

After a successfull import the program will show the imported palette as member of the available palettes on Tab Color Management. You can change the name of the palette by use of Edit. The imported palette can be assigned to the active workbook by use of Load like any other.

Note: You cannot undo Saving, Importing or Deleting a Palette by Cancel.

OK

Using OK you assign your changes to the palette to the active workbook. The next time you save the workbook, its palette will be saved permanently.

Cancel

Using Cancel, you will reset the active workbook to its initial colors.

Note: You cannot Cancel Saving, Importing or Deleting a Palette. Cancel will only skip changes to the active palette and reset it to the initial colours you started the dialog with. Saved or imported palettes are availabale for other workbooks as long as these palettes are not deleted. Palettes, deleted by accidance, have to be created or imported again.