The Ultimate Date Picker feature of the Hero Tools Add-in makes selecting and inserting dates easy. The date picker window opens in Excel and displays an interactive calendar that is packed with features.
Video Tutorial
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Features List
Here is a list of the major features of The Ultimate Date Picker.
- Use a calendar view to select a date and insert it into the active cell.
- View the monthly calendar for the date in the active cell.
- Quickly jump to and select specific dates (today, tomorrow, end of month, end of year, one week forward/back, one month forward/back).
- Display a fiscal calendar based on the start month you choose. Makes it easy to calculate the month number and quarter number based on the selected date.
- Copy the selected date to the clipboard for use in formula text and outside Excel.
- Date metrics show quick calculations for: day of month/quarter/year, days between dates, leap year, etc.
- Custom keyboard shortcut to launch date picker window.
- Date exclusions allow you to prevent the user from picking specific days of the week or holidays.
How to Open the Date Picker Window
There are several ways to open the date picker window.
1. Automatic Pop-up
The date picker will automatically open when you select a cell that contains a date.
The date in the cell will be selected in the date picker window. This makes it easy to see the month view calendar and day of the week for the date.
Note: The value in the cell must be recognized as a date by Excel.
The automatic pop-up feature can be turned on/off from the Settings menu. It is set to off by default.
2. Right-click Menu
When you right-click a cell you will see the Launch Date Picker item at the top of the menu. Select the item to open the date picker window.
3. Keyboard Shortcut
You can setup a custom keyboard shortcut to open the date picker window in the Settings menu for Date Picker.
Once the shortcut is setup, simple press the Ctrl+Shift+Letter sequence to open the date picker window.
4. Hero Tools Ribbon Button & QAT
There is a Date Picker button on the Hero Tools tab of the ribbon that will open the date picker window.
You can right-click this button and add it to the Quick Access Toolbar (QAT). The button will be available regardless of what ribbon tab you are on.
You can also use the Alt+Number Key shortcut to press the QAT button. Here is an article that explains more about the QAT shortcuts.
Selecting Dates
The date picker window will open with today's date selected if there is no date in the active cell.
You can navigate to different months and years by using the controls above the calendar view.
Click the Month or Year name to open a drop-down list to select a different month or year.
The Jump To box allows you to quickly jump to specific dates (today, tomorrow, end of month, end of year, one week forward/back, one month forward/back).
Inputting Dates
Simply double-click a date (day number) in the date picker window to input it in the active cell. The date picker will automatically close as well.
The date picker copies and pastes the date to the active cell. This allows you to undo the change.
By default, the active cell will remain selected after you input the date. However, you can change this behavior to select the next cell below/above/left/right. This helps make data entry faster if you are inputting/updating a list of dates with the date picker.
You can also press the copy button at the top of the date picker window to copy the selected date to the clipboard. You can then paste the text in a formula, code, text box, shape, or anywhere outside of Excel.
Fiscal Calendar
Ultimate Date Picker is compatible with fiscal calendars, which makes it easy to determine the fiscal month and quarter numbers for a given date.
Click the Enable Fiscal Calendar in the Setting window for Date Picker. Then select the start month of your fiscal year from the drop-down menu.
You can see the fiscal year and fiscal quarter for the selected date in the metrics section of the date picker window.
The fiscal month numbers can also be seen in the month drop-down of the date picker window.
Exclusions
You can setup exclusions to prevent users from selecting specific dates or days of the week in the date picker window.
The exclusions can be applied in the Settings menu for date picker.
Currently, the exclusions are U.S. Holidays and days of the week. We will be adding more functionality around this in the future, and would love to hear your feedback.
Comments or Questions?
Please post any comments or questions in the Hero Tools Community Forum.