Details.
Ok,
- Give an image a name just like an array in manage names so it is stored there so you don’t have to paste and anchor it to a cell in some awkward spot like on another sheet in the background
- Use it like any other cell or name, e.g.
I have an image of an employee with the name “E456” saved in names.
Then in a reference cell I write some vlookup formula that dumps E456 in it, lets say in A1.
Then where I wanna stick the pic of employee 456 in cell F1 so I write something in it like:
=if(OR(A1=0,A1=""),"",indirect(A1)) or whatever like a normal formula. - Hey Presto a pic of employee pops up anchored to cell F1. It may be a bit oversized but with a resizing and save file it gets resized permanently until resized manually in some later edit. Just like text, if it is too big for the cell it will paste over adjacent cells or if in merged cells show the top left corner of the image only.
Excel has something to achieve this but with an excel image assistant box but why make it complicated? Treat it like a normal cell reference and the possibilities are endless. Hell, I could even draw wiring diagrams AUTOMATICALLY with formulas, e.g.
I give a pic a name like “Panel” for an image of a solar panel
Then in cell H10 I could write =if(A1>0,Panel,"")
Then in cell I19 I could write =if(A1>1,Panel,"")
Then in cell J8 I could write =if(A1>2,Panel,"") and so on until I get something like the drawing attached (need 3 points?). Ok then, with the e.g above you could imagine a cascade effect of solar panels appearing in varying numbers like a deck of cards appearing in Solitaire from bottom left to top right with a tight column and row grid.
It would be essential to have the ability to have the images overlap each other to achieve this so the arrange to front or back functions must be maintained but it would smash excel and not take too much code to do it.