Call in the cavalry -- need help solving this thread

[teylyn]

Hi all,

We have "The Bad Threads" and some other threads in the Water Cooler where people exchange info about problematic threads. The original intention was to highlight threads where things go wrong, be they communication breakdown, silly attitudes or funny twists in the life of a thread.

Sometimes, though, we may get stuck in a thread and need help from other members to solve a problem, and we hope that someone else will come along, have a look at the situation and provide some fresh insights that can lead to a solution.

The moderators frequently call on each other if they encounter a problem they cannot solve under their own steam.

But for the other members, there is no single port of call to ask for assistance from other members when a thread seems to be stuck.

Therefore, I'd like to start this thread for all members of Excelforum.

If an exchange between the Original Poster (OP) and a member does not lead to a solution, it will more often than not just be abandoned, since a lot of members won't check out threads that already have received a few replies.

How do you call in other members to have a look at a thread and provide a new/fresh/different approach, or just another pair of eyes? So far, we don't have a structured way of doing this. We just hope that someone else will come along and have a look. Most times that does not happen and the OP will be stuck with their problem. They may go elsewhere and not return to Excelforum again.

Enter the "Cavalry thread".

If you find yourself in a situation where you can't provide a working solution for the Original Poster (OP), but you think that a solution could be achieved with the help of some other members here, you can post a reply to this thread and ask other members of Excelforum to go have a look (remember to post a link to the thread ).

I'm sure that "calling in the Cavalry" for help will result in more solved questions, and we will have more happy Excelforum campers, who will return to Excelforum for good and sound advice from a variety of top-notch Excel specialists.

We all spend a lot of time trying to help people conquer their Excel challenges. We all feel good when a question has been answered and the OP acknowledges that. So, call the Cavalry if you're stuck, so as a group we can help the OP find a solution for their question.

How about it?

cheers,

[Marcol]

Great idea teylyn

It's a call I have used a few times in the past, see this thread Posts #24 and #30.
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...unction-2.html

[romperstomper]

A kind of "EF Regulars #1"?

[jwright650]

the "Cavalry thread".


How about it?

cheers,

I like it!....also some threads get bumped way down the "new posts" list if they haven't had much activity so maybe we can ask for help in there to get those threads solved or satisfied in some way.

[NBVC]

So should I transfer my last "Bad threads string of posts here"

[jwright650]

Here's one that could use some Word expertise...
http://www.excelforum.com/2458109-post1.html

[Domski]

I admit I sometimes get to the end of the day, go and have a couple of beers and then head home and forget all about a thread I may have left in limbo. Still think it might be handy to be able to call someone in to look at a thread I know I'm leaving or am struggling with.

Dom

[teylyn]

Someone who can live without commas, please have a look at this. I'm off to bed at almost 1 am.

(The OP put some punctuation marks in after my request, but it's still lacking, I feel)

http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...ml#post2460951

[jwright650]

OK, I'm stuck on this one.....anyone understand what the objective is with this workbook? I'd love to help, but have no idea what the end result is supposed to look like.

http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...formation.html

[jwright650]

Thanks to royUK for coming to the rescue for me.

[NBVC]

I don't feel too comfortable giving VBA advice so if anyone wants this one..go for it.

http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...ous-sheet.html

[Cutter]

Sound the bugle - this one requires more expertise than I can give.

OP is requesting a method to total values associated with an employee that may or may not be listed within a collection of sheets that may increase/decrease.

http://www.excelforum.com/excel-work...ml#post2465872

[Marcol]

Can anyone draw this one to a conclusion
http://www.excelforum.com/excel-gene...at-change.html

I just can't seem to get through to the OP, after a PDF to show steps, a link to basic sorting, 3 or 4workbooks, and the passing of a week, the penny still hasn't dropped.

[Mordred]

This is a great idea. That's all I have for the moment as I have been more or less offline for two weeks.

[MarvinP]

I try to end my unsolved message with.

"Maybe one of the Smart Forum Gurus can figure this out."

I think DO has this in his search engine and helps out frequently.
Maybe he know I leave people without answers???
Maybe he know I'm asleep when he's awake??