Inserting rows, sizing columns and AutoFit in Grid

Sheets change shape as you work. A new product needs a row, an extra month needs a column, a heading needs more room. Grid by Zaweba handles all of this with a small set of commands for inserting, deleting and sizing, and it keeps your formulas pointing at the right cells while you do it.

Inserting and deleting

Insert a whole row or column and everything below or to the right moves along to make space. You can also insert or delete just a block of cells, and the neighbouring cells shift to make room or close the gap. That's useful when two lists sit side by side and you want to add to one without disturbing the other.

Formulas adjust as the sheet changes. If a total adds up rows 2 to 20 and you insert a row in the middle, the total now covers rows 2 to 21. Insert at the very bottom, just below the last row, and the range may not stretch to include it, which is the classic reason a total stops counting new entries. Inserting inside the range, or turning the list into a table that grows on its own, avoids that.

Deleting removes cells and closes the gap. Any formula that referred to a deleted cell can't find it any more and shows a reference error. Check for dependents before deleting anything important; trace dependents draws arrows to the cells that rely on it.

Row height and column width

Drag the border between row numbers or column letters to resize by eye, or set an exact row height or column width when several need to match. Select many columns first and set the width once to make them all the same, which gives a report a regular, tidy look.

AutoFit sizes a column to its widest entry, or a row to its tallest. Select several columns and AutoFit them together for a quick tidy. It's the quickest cure for #### in a cell, which means a number is too wide to show, and for text that overflows into empty neighbours and then gets cut off when the neighbour is filled.

When a column holds long text, wrapping it in Format Cells and letting the row grow is often better than a very wide column. The sheet stays a sensible width for printing.

Hiding and unhiding

Hide rows or columns you don't need on screen: workings, old months, helper calculations. They stay in the sheet and formulas still use them. To bring them back, select the rows or columns either side and unhide. A small gap in the row numbers or column letters is the clue that something is hidden.

Keep in mind that a hidden row is still counted by SUM. For a total that should only include visible rows, use SUBTOTAL, which can ignore hidden rows.

Small habits

Leave a blank row and column around the edge of a data block, so tools like the double-click fill can see where it ends. Insert rows inside ranges rather than just after them. AutoFit after importing data, so nothing is hiding behind a narrow column. And if a change doesn't look right, Undo takes it back.

These are basic moves, but in Grid by Zaweba they're dependable: formulas follow the cells, and every insert, delete and resize can be undone.