select a range using keyboard only

[andy-andyo]

I want to select a range in my spreadsheet which is 450 columns wide and currently 56000 rows deep. When completed it will 100,000 rows deep. It is full of standard formatting to make it easier to read. It is also full of Conditional formatting to accent the changes of information as data is entered.

As I make changes as I build the information I want to change the formatting very often to accentuate groups of rows or groups of columns. EG. this means selecting say 10 columns wide by 56000 rows deep to change the formatting. This is a real chore scrolling down or up the spreadsheet with the mouse selecting the range which I intend to format.

I have to do this selection - otherwise the formatting of say boarder lines down columns formats the entire sheet down to the millionth and 400th thousandth row or what ever it is. Hence my need to be able to select these large ranges without using the mouse and scrolling. Redundant formatting, i.e the rows from 56000 down to the last row in the sheet, just slows the speed of processing the info

I was hoping there would be a keyboard solution?

[keme]

• Activate the name field (leftmost object on the toolbar where you have the formula input field).
• If you really don’t want to use the mouse for this, you can press function key F6 multiple times to alternate focus between the cell grid, menu line and toolbars.
• Type in the address range you want selected, e.g. B7:ACE98576, and press enter
• If this is a specific range you will also want to select later, you can make a name for it. Just remove the cell addresses from the name field, and type the name instead. Press Enter to assign name to selected range.

[mikekaganski]

Ctrl+Shift+F5 is used to get to the Name Box (strangely, Shortcut Keys for Spreadsheets call it “Sheet area box”, as well as Define Names help page - tdf#129097).

[kompilainenn]

That page in Wiki is very old. It needs just update. But who will it make?