automatically format cell based on another cell's format

Hopefully, someone can help me with this. I'm not even sure what to call it, so I'm having a hard time searching the questions already asked. I'm using Excel 2003.

I have a workbook with a large spreadsheet, and several smaller "summary" spreadsheets that do nothing that reference the larger one. In other words, all of the information to populate the cells goes in the first spreadsheet. The next 3 spreadsheets all refer back to it so that we can print out summary tables based only on certain topics.

Do do this, I essentially have the following formula in each cell of the summary spreadsheets: ='Master Table'!C6

Actually, since I don't want a "0" if the cell is blank, I used =IF(('Master Table'!C6=""),"",('Master Table'!C6))

Anyway, any changes to the data MUST be put in the master table. To help keep track of things, I often highlight cells (e.g. yellow = update this cell)

Is there a way to get the summary table to automatically highlight the cell I highlighted in the master table? Like some sort of conditional formatting that reads "format of this cell = format of that cell"?

Anything I do would need to be within the pointing and clicking or formula realm of Excel - I do not know how to do any Excel programming.

Thanks,
Laura

Thanks for the welcome, Dominic.

It sounds like I may be out of luck unless I learn VBA. Since I'm using company computer, I can't install your add-in. Also, the issue isn't really conditional formatting (I think, anyway). Basically, I'm just looking for a cell to report exactly what is in a different cell, including any formatting (which can change from time to time as the user updates the spreadsheet). I know I can get the content of the referenced cell by using the formula "= A6", but I'd like to get its format, too. Essentially, what I want is that if someone has highlighted A6, or made it bold, so that it stands out, this automatically is put into the new cell as well. In layman's terms, I want to write a formula that says "= A6 and = whatever formatting A6 has".

Not sure I'm making any sense here, or as I said, if this is even possible without using code.

Ah, yes, you are right. I meant to say "function" above, not formula.

I'd love to know how to have a function report on the color or boldness of a cell. That would be a start in the right direction, and it might make sense to use conditional formatting afterwards to make the target cell the same color.

Thanks for helping me with this,
Laura

OK, I think I get it. I'll let you know how it goes!

Thank you so much for showing me how to do this. Especially for showing it step by step. I really appreciate it.

Laura

Hello,

The formula listed on this thread seems to apply to the color manually assigned to the cell, and not the color applied by conditional formatting. I tried out your code and like what it does, however it still misses what I'm trying to achieve. I have a spreadsheet used to help someone else keep track of bills. I have conditional formatting setup to make cells highlight yellow when the due date is entered and change to green once the payment amount has been entered. That's step 1 of my formatting needs.

Step 2, if possible, would involve highlighting the cell with the name of the payee to a specific color if ANY cells in the following columns within the same row are highlighted yellow. So for example:

If ANY cell in the range of C1:H1 are yellow, then cell A1 will change to yellow with a conditional formatting formula similar to "=CellColour(C1:H1)=36".

Is such a task possible?

NOTE: The green format of the existing conditional format does not need to be factored into the second. I'm just looking on applying a conditional format if the referenced cell(s) is yellow as a result of the first conditional format. Also, I learned by using your CellColour function that the shade of yellow I prefer using =36.