Conditional formatting based on the 1st column

**alice2011** · 03-08-2015, 04:25 PM

Dear all, I'm not sure if it is possible to implement the following conditional formatting using some formula-based.

There are 10 columns: column A1:J100, and each row represents a case. If column A is not blank, then all columns A - J will have a bold font. For example, if cell A5 is not blank, then the row A5:J5 will have a bold font. When doing the conditional formatting based on formula, I can simply fix column A (e.g. =IF($A1<>"",1) for the whole area.

But there is a problem: if I fix column A, then when I copy columns A:J to the next 10 columns (K:T), then the conditional formatting is still related to column A, which is not right.

So my question is: how to work out the formula for conditional formatting so that the 10 columns is always formatted based on the first column, even the 10 columns are copied across? For example, columns A:J are based on the first column A, columns K:T are based on the first column K, and so on.

Thanks in advance

**FlameRetired** · 03-08-2015, 05:31 PM

Copied across / filled across in the conventional way? I couldn't find a way. However if I select A1:J10 and while holding down Ctrl click and drag a copy of that range over to K1:T10 the formatting follows and FM creates a copy of that rule using the new range. The two rules are unaffected by each other.

Is this close enough?

**alice2011** · 03-08-2015, 05:57 PM

Hi FR, do you mean that it is not possible to implement?

**FlameRetired** · 03-08-2015, 06:14 PM

Originally Posted by alice2011

Hi FR, do you mean that it is not possible to implement?

I'm not quite sure I know what you mean by that. I've edited my post a bazillion times. Our posts may have crossed in the "mail". Did you read about the click and drag?