Expert: Bob Umlas - 11/16/2007

Question
QUESTION: I can open in Excel 2007 spreadsheets created in Excel 2003, showing the original colors for fonts, backgrounds and borders.  However, I cannot continue using those colors as I expand the spreadsheet with Excel 2007 because the color palette is completely changed.  I am forced to mix in new colors with the old.

1)  Did Microsoft abandon backward compatibility regarding colors, or am I missing something?

2)  Is there a work-around or an add-on that will do the job?

3)  If there is a work-around or add-on can it provide the old classic set of 40 colors as the default WHICH WILL OPEN FOR EVERY OLD AND NEW SPREADSHEET in Excel 2007 (and not require redoing for each old and new spreadsheet)?

ANSWER: You can always continue to use the colors by using the Format Painter tool.
1) yes, the new idea is Theme colors, They've left in 10 of the original set.
2) I don't know of a workaround, aside from the format painter (copy/paste special formats)
3) the old 40 colors are out.One either upgrades or doesn't.

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Thanks for the well informed reply.  Given the answer provided, here are further questions:

1) Most importantly, how do I proceed to continue using many extremely large and complex spreadsheets developed over many years when I switch to Excel 2007 since I can't develop them further with the original color palette.  It can't be that Microsoft intends users to trash years of work (or accept a polyglot of mixed colors).  I must be missing something.  I don't know how to proceed; please help me.  (I do not have the option of remaining with Excel 2003 because I am continually bumping up against the constraint of maximum number of formats.)

2)  Isn't there a way to create a color Theme that is identical with the old classic palette?

3)  I need a plan of action that allows me to continue with my old colors (and do so as the default).

How do I proceed?

Don

Answer
1 - If you MUST use the old colors, you should use the format painter to copy them wherever. For any new colors, use the themes.
2 - Themes can't contain 40 colors, so that's not an option.
3 - to use the old colors you'd need a file probably created in 2003 which contains cells with all the colors so that you can use the format painter. This file can be opened in Excel 2007, saved as a template with the sheet hidden, perhaps, named book.xltm (if it will contain macros) and stored in the xlstart directory, then any time you start excel you'll get a copy of this workbook, and it'd be "easy" to access the hidden sheet to get the colors you need.