Jon’s Toolbox is a simple Excel VBA add-in that provides a handful of useful functions. I use it when I am preparing or teaching classes, writing blog posts, and working on projects.
Jon’s Toolbox is not a replacement for Peltier Tech Charts for Excel, nor does it require Peltier Tech Charts for Excel in order to operate properly. The two utilities run independently, and I have both installed on each of my computers.
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Jon’s Toolbox is available for $35. Click this button to make your purchase, or scroll down to read about its features.
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What Jon’s Toolbox Does
I’ll do a quick run-through of the menu controls to give you a sense of what Jon’s Toolbox is all about. Peltier Tech Charts for Excel is a large collection of advanced features, for creating custom chart types which are not native to Excel, for manipulating charts, and for controlling data that charts are linked to. Jon’s Toolbox is a self-contained set of functions that help with quickly inserting data and charts, and with quickly formatting charts and worksheets.
For more details, see Jon’s Toolbox Documentation.
Jon’s Toolbox Ribbon Commands
This is a quick look at the custom ribbon tab of Jon’s Toolbox. Click on the image to see it full size in a new browser tab.
The ribbon includes groups of controls, such as Insert Data – Chart – Pivot, Chart and Font Size, Chart Tools, Range Tools, Range and Chart, plus a teaser at the end, From the Blog.
Insert Data – Chart – Pivot
Insert Data – Chart – Pivot has controls to quickly insert data, charts, or a whole data-pivot table-pivot chart ensemble. This is nice when I’m running a demo of my other software, preparing for a class, and writing documentation or a blog post. It’s especially nice if I’m running a class and I want to demo a feature of Excel and I want some data for a chart quickly, and I don’t want to make everyone watch me mistype a bunch of numbers.
Data Range
Insert Data Range inserts a handy dummy data set, ready for me to demonstrate Excel’s features, or the features of some software I’ve written.
Column Chart, Bar Chart, etc.
These are chart buttons for all of the chart types I routinely use. Each of the buttons is a split button that includes the common subtypes of each chart type.
The way a chart is inserted varies, depending on what is selected.
- If no data is selected, the program inserts a new worksheet, it inserts the dummy data range (see Data Range above), and it inserts a chart one row below the data range using this data.
- If a data range is selected, or if a single cell in a block of data is selected, a new chart of the selected type is inserted, one row below the data range.
- If a chart is selected, the program inserts a new chart of the selected type, offset slightly from the original chart, using the same data as the previously active chart.
The charts created here are essentially the same as those from Excel’s own Insert tab, the same size and same series formatting, but they follow my own preferences for each chart type.
In a column chart, Jon’s Toolbox reduces the space between clusters and eliminates the unneeded space between columns within a cluster.
In a bar chart, Jon’s Toolbox draws the data in the order it is entered in the worksheet, while also changing to an aspect ratio that better accommodates the chart.
In a donut chart, Jon’s toolbox uses a thinned white line between segments, shrinks the huge default size hole, places the legend to the right of the donut (allowing a larger donut), and reduces white space on the sides of the donut, so the chart takes up less space.
Data, Table, and Chart
Data, Table, and Chart inserts a new worksheet. The worksheet contains a Table of data, a Pivot Table constructed using the data in this Table, and a Pivot Chart based on this Pivot Table. Click on the screenshot to view in a new window.
This is a great way to quickly show someone about Tables and Pivot Tables and Charts.
Chart and Font Size
Are the default charts in Excel the right size for your purposes? In the US, the defaults are 5 inches wide and 3 inches tall, and frankly, that’s way larger than most of my charts need to be. Also, that 14-point chart title is much too large.
The Chart and Font Size group of controls provides the following predefined set of alternative sizes for charts and their fonts. You can also customize the non-default chart and font sizes.
The different chart and font sizes look something like this.
Like many of the features of Jon’s Toolbox, if you select multiple charts before clicking the button, the formatting is applied to all selected charts.
Chart Tools
Jon’s Toolbox has a handful of useful chart tools.
Condense Legend shrinks the spaces between legend entries.
Reverse Series changes the order of all series in a chart.
Click Flip Bar Chart and fix the upside-down appearance of a bar chart.
Note that if you use Jon’s Toolbox to insert a bar chart, it is automatically plotted the right way.
If large areas of your chart are filled with a color, the chart may appear oversaturated. Excel’s color picker offers a shade that is 40% brighter, which may appear washed out. Apply 20% Brightness applies an intermediate shade, reducing the oversaturation you may sense when large regions are filled.
Copy Bitmap button copies the active chart or range to the clipboard in bitmap format in one click. Switch to PowerPoint or your image editing software and Paste.
Range Tools
Jon’s Toolbox contains a set of range formatting tools.
(Format as) Chart Data
When you select a chart or a series in a chart, Excel highlights the associated data in the worksheet.
Chart Data applies this formatting more permanently to the worksheet. Options in the dropdown give you total control over the formatting.
I have found this very useful when writing blog posts, class notes, or documentation for my software.
Borders
Excel has an extensive built-in Borders menu, but it can be burdensome to navigate, while the black borders it creates are too bold for general use. Jon’s Toolbox provides a set of light and medium gray colors to format inner and outer borders.
Clear Formats
Clear All Formats will clear all formats, except for number formatting, from a selected range. In the Clear All Formats dropdown, the options are to
- Clear border formatting,
- Clear border and fill formatting,
- Clear all formatting except for number formatting.
Page Breaks
Hide Page Breaks simply removes those unsightly page break dashed lines that make me crazy.
Range and Chart
The Range and Chart group has some controls that help you control how the chart interacts with the worksheet.
Select Data allows you to quickly select a new source data range for the active chart or for all selected charts.
Cover with Chart lets you select a range for the active chart to cover. The chart is repositioned and resized to cover the selected range.
Stretch Chart resizes the active chart (or all selected charts) to fill the cells it partially covers.
Center Chart moves the active chart (or all selected charts) so it is centered within the range of cells it covers.
From the Blog
Finally, Jon’s Toolbox includes some nice little programs that were previously presented in the Peltier Tech Blog.
Click Below to Get Jon’s Toolbox
Jon’s Toolbox is available for $35. Click this button to make your purchase.
Check your shopping cart with this button.
Bulk Discount
If you purchase multiple licenses, you qualify for a volume discount, shown in the table below. The discount is automatically applied in the shopping cart when you enter your quantity.
Guarantee
Like all of Peltier Tech’s software products, Jon’s Toolbox is guaranteed for 90 days from the date of purchase. If you are unsatisfied for any reason, contact Peltier Tech directly to request a refund. Any feedback is appreciated, but none is necessary.
License
Each user of Jon’s Toolbox requires a license. Each license allows the user to install Jon’s Toolbox on up to two computers of which they are the primary user. If a user gets a new computer, the software can be uninstalled from the old machine and reinstalled onto the new one.
Installation
Jon’s Toolbox is a simple Excel VBA add-in, which can be installed in Excel for Windows or Excel for Mac. Follow instructions at Install an Excel Add-In, and you’ll be working in no time.
Version History
See Jon’s Toolbox Version History to see enhancements and fixes by build number and date.
Questions?
Contact Peltier Tech with any questions about Jon’s Toolbox.
