What about Excel's easter eggs?

**Hans Pottel** · 2001-03-30 18:28

I don't know if this is similar for other countries, but in Belgium, the Easter vacation started today, although there are still about 14 days to go before Easter. So, I was wondering, just for fun, if anybody know how to discover Excel's Easter egg?

**Andrew Cronnolly** · 2001-03-30 19:56

Hans,

there are plenty of links here : <A target="_blank" HREF=http://webguide.webmagic.com/EasterEggs.com/Guides_and_Archives/>Easter Eggs</A>
enough to keep you busy during your Easter vacation. No vacation here I'm aftraid. What version of Excel ?. I think the easter eggs may vary from country to country as well as version to version.

Andrew

**Brooke** · 2001-03-30 21:24

It might also be worth trying <A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.eeggs.com>http://www.eeggs.com</A>

Brooke

**Hans Pottel** · 2001-03-31 06:18

I did some research work myself to find Excel's easter eggs and discovered a whole webpage on John Walkenbach's website dealing with the egg problem. Here you have it:

<A target="_blank" HREF=http://www.j-walk.com/ss/excel/eastereg.htm>JWalk's Easter eggs</A>

**gwhitfield** · 2001-03-31 09:27

Hans,

egg "problem"?

**Hans Pottel** · 2001-03-31 11:18

Sorry Geoff, I didn't realize that this might have sound stupid in English. It's indeed not really a problem, but rather a hidden message in Excel known as an Easter egg. e.g. To view Excel 97's Easter egg, follow these steps:

1. Open a new workbook
2. Press F5
3. Enter X97:L97 and press Enter
4. Press Tab
5. Press Ctrl+Shift and click the Chart Wizard button on the toolbar

You'll be greeted with a full-screen animated image. Use the mouse to fly over the landscape. If you do this, you should see a grey stone pyramid. Fly to the black side of the pyramid and you'll see the credits scroll by. If this doesn't work, select the Tools >> Options command and then click the Transition tab. Remove the check mark form Transition navigation keys, anc click OK. Then try it again.

I haven't test this out myself. I still need to do that when I am back at the office (where I use Excel 97).
Excel is full of surprises!

**gwhitfield** · 2001-03-31 11:56

Hans,

My apologies.

I know about Easter eggs. I love them. They add so much to the boring stuff which we normally get from Excel, Word and the like. What you said did not sound stupid at all. My only question was about it being a "problem"- which implies that it's a nuisance, ot it gets in the way, or things like that. I don't think Easter eggs are any of those things (and the person who thought up the name "Easter Eggs" ought to be congratulated- a marvelously descriptive name).

I only actually realised when I clicked on your profile just now that your first language is not English. And I've been reading your messages for quite some time now.

In the (all too brief) time I spent in Belgium, the ONLY time I ever met anybody who did not speak PERFECT English was when we were running late to catch the ferry back to England. We were desperate to catch the boat. And, after 2 weeks in Belgium and Holland, the only person we saw did not speak any English was in the last 5 minutes in the country.

My wife is from Mexico. What surprised me EVEN MORE than the knowledge of English was the people who could even speak to her in Spanish (not quite as fluently as in English perhaps).

So thanks for your post.

But, Hans, I suspect that, if we were speaking to someone from the US or Canada (or many other "English speaking" countries), you would be much more easily understood than I.

So apologies are not needed.

Thanks for your post

Avril · 2001-03-31 12:17

What's an easter egg?

**Andrew Cronnolly** · 2001-03-31 12:31

Easter Eggs have nothing to with easter really, in the context that they atre mentioned here, but are hidden routines in various applications that can be invoked by the pressing of key combinations coupled with various other actions. Sometimes they can even be games, but are not part of the applications declared functionality. They are just novelty items really, and to find out more visit some of the sites referred to above.

Andrew C

**Hans Pottel** · 2001-03-31 12:32

Geoff,

I strongly advice you to take the train (use the Chunnel, the tunnel under the sea from Calais (France) to Dover (England)) next time you want to go from the Continent to England. It's much faster and at Calais you will not expect the people to speak your language. The only language the majority of the people know there is French (my apologies to all the exceptions).

For Avril, click the urls and you will find out all you always wanted to know about easter eggs and were afraid to ask....

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