Ampler automatically colours a whole sheet or selection by cell type — inputs, partial inputs, formulas, and links — in your company’s standard colours.
Quick answer: Select the cells (or the whole sheet) and click Auto-colour selected cells on the Ampler ribbon; Ampler colours each cell by whether it’s an input, a partial input, a formula, or a link.
How to use it
Auto-colour a selection by input, formula, and link.
- Select the cells you wish to format.
- Click Auto-colour selected cells to colour cells based on Input, Partial inputs, Formulas, and Links.
Colours for inputs, formulas, links, and hyperlinks are defined under Settings, so the auto-colouring matches your company standard.
Why use it
The colour convention — inputs one colour, formulas another, links a third — is a modelling standard, but applying it cell by cell is slow. Ampler reads each cell’s type and colours the whole selection to that standard automatically.
How consultants use it
Colour-coding a model by cell type is a recognised modelling convention, and auto-applying it makes a model instantly legible. Three habits apply:
- The colour convention, applied: inputs, formulas, and links get their standard colour automatically
- A legible model: a reader sees at a glance what every cell is
- Whole sheets at once: the convention is applied to a selection or a whole sheet in one click
Auto-colouring applies the modelling colour convention across a sheet automatically.
Tips & best practices
- Run it on a sheet to make its structure legible.
- Define input, formula, and link colours under Settings.
- Combine with Cycle font colour for one-off overrides.
Availability
Included in Ampler for Excel and the Ampler Suite, on Windows desktop Excel.
Frequently asked questions
How do you colour a model by inputs and formulas automatically in Excel?
Select the cells and click Auto-colour selected cells on the Ampler ribbon. It colours each cell by type — input, partial input, formula, or link — in your standard colours.
What is the input/formula colour convention?
A modelling standard where inputs, formulas, and links each have a set colour so a reader knows what a cell is. Ampler applies it automatically.
Where are the colours defined?
Under Settings, so the auto-colouring matches your company standard.