In Excel, conditional formats can be used to set rows to be colored alternately. For example, for the range B3:K13 to set rows to be colored alternately, you can do this by selecting this range and entering the following formula under conditional formatting:
=ISEVEN(ROW(B3))Where B3 is the cell from the top left corner of the selected range. A suitable background color can then be selected for the layout.
By adjusting the formula to:
=ISEVEN(COLUMN(B3))the columns are colored alternately instead of the rows.
It is also possible to make a checkerboard pattern. This can be done by using the following formula with conditional formatting:
=OR(AND(ISEVEN(COLUMN(B3)),ISEVEN(ROW(B3))),AND(ISODD(COLUMN(B3)),ISODD(ROW(B3))))This will look like this:
Although the latter formula looks quite complex, its operation is relatively simple. The background turns blue if one of the statements below is true:
- The row number AND column number are EVEN
- The row number AND column number are ODD
Otherwise, the background will remain white.
Questions / suggestions
Hopefully this article helped you to alternate color rows. If you have any questions about this topic or suggestions for improvement, please post a comment below.
