Customizing Ediphi Excel Report Styles

In Ediphi, users have the ability to customize the visual appearance of Ediphi-generated reports in Excel to create professional, branded reports that meet their organization’s visual standards.

Ediphi includes 15 predefined styles to ensure consistent report formatting. Customization of these styles can be done using Excel’s built-in style system. Keep in mind that any changes will apply to all reports within that workbook; we recommend testing thoroughly and maintaining backups of your working configurations.

In this article

• When is it appropriate to customize Ediphi-generated Excel report styles?
• How does Ediphi apply Styles to Ediphi-generated Excel reports?
• How to Customize Styles
• Best Practices
• Advanced Customization Tips
• Common Issues, Problems, and Solutions
• Integration with Static Templates

When is it appropriate to customize Ediphi-generated Excel report styles?

• You need specific corporate branding in reports.
• You want different colors, fonts, or formatting.
• You’re comfortable with Excel’s style system.
• You accept responsibility for maintaining custom styles.

Users should keep Default Styles when:

• You want reliable, consistent formatting
• Multiple users need identical report appearance
• You prefer supported, maintained formatting
• You want automatic updates without style conflicts

How does Ediphi apply Styles to Ediphi-generated Excel reports?

1. Automatic Application: The add-in applies styles based on content type (headers, items, subtotals, etc.).
2. Hierarchical System: Headers and subtotals have multiple levels (1-4) for different grouping depths.
3. Consistent Formatting: All reports use the same style names for consistency.

How to Customize Styles

Method 1: Using Excel’s Style Gallery (Recommended)

1. Open Your Workbook in Excel: Ensure you have a workbook with Ediphi reports.
2. Access Styles: Go to Home tab → Styles group → Cell Styles.
3. Find Ediphi Styles: Look for the styles listed in the table above (Header1, Subtotal1, etc.).
4. Modify a Style:
   • Right-click on the style name.
   • Select Modify.
   • Change font, color, borders, or alignment as desired.
   • Click OK.

Method 2: Format Painter and Create New Style

1. Format a Cell: Select a cell and format it exactly how you want the style to look.
2. Create New Style:
   • With the formatted cell selected, go to Home → Cell Styles.
   • Click New Cell Style.
   • Name it exactly as one of the Ediphi styles (e.g., “Header1”).
   • Click OK.

Method 3: Manual Style Properties

For advanced users, you can modify specific properties:

1. Right-click the style in the Cell Styles gallery.
2. Select Modify.
3. Click Format to access detailed options:
   • Font: Type, size, color, effects.
   • Border: Line styles, colors, patterns.
   • Fill: Background colors, patterns.
   • Alignment: Horizontal, vertical, text control.
   • Number: Currency, percentage, decimal formatting.

Best Practices

Do’s

• Test Thoroughly: Always test style changes with actual report data.
• Maintain Hierarchy: Keep logical visual hierarchy in headers and subtotals.
• Document Changes: Keep notes on what you’ve modified.
• Use Consistent Colors: Stick to a coherent color scheme.
• Consider Accessibility: Ensure sufficient color contrast for all users.
• Back Up Working Styles: Save copies of successful customizations.
• Delete Required Styles: Allows your styles to reset if your formatting has issues.

Don’ts

• Don’t Use Extreme Formatting: Avoid colors or fonts that hurt readability.
• Don’t Ignore Print Output: Always check how styles look when printed.
• Don’t Mix Too Many Fonts: Stick to 1-2 font families maximum.
• Don’t Expect Support: Remember that custom styles are user responsibility.

Advanced Customization Tips

Maintaining Style Hierarchy

• Keep font sizes graduated (Header1 > Header2 > Header3 > Header4).
• Maintain consistent color families across related styles.
• Use boldness consistently across header and subtotal levels.

Color Schemes

Choose colors that work well together:

• Monochromatic: Different shades of the same color.
• Complementary: Colors opposite on the color wheel.
• Corporate: Use your company’s brand color palette.
• High Contrast: Ensure readability for all users.

Number Formats

Key formats used by Ediphi:

• Currency: #,##0_);(#,##0);-
• Cost Per Unit: #,##0.00_);(#,##0.00);-
• Percentages: 0.000%;(0.000)%;-
• Quantities: Same as currency format

Common Issues, Problems, and Solutions

• Text Overlap: Ensure font sizes don’t cause text to overflow cells.
• Color Contrast: Verify text is readable against background colors.
• Border Conflicts: Check that borders don’t create visual confusion.
• Printing: Confirm styles translate well to printed reports.

• Problem: Styles don’t appear in Cell Styles gallery.
  • Solution: Generate an Ediphi report first to create the styles.
• Problem: Changes don’t apply to existing reports.
  • Solution: Styles only affect new content; regenerate reports to see changes.
• Problem: Text appears cut off or overlapped.
  • Solution: Increase row height or decrease font size in the style.
• Problem: Reports look inconsistent across workbooks.
  • Solution: Copy styles between workbooks or use Excel templates.
• Problem: Print output looks different from screen.
  • Solution: Use Print Preview to test styles, adjust for printing.

Integration with Static Templates

If you’re also using static owner bid forms, style customizations can also help enhance those templates:

Applying Styles to Static Forms

1. Select Cells: Choose the cells in your static template.
2. Apply Style: Use Home → Cell Styles to apply Ediphi styles.
3. Maintain Consistency: Use the same styles as your reports for uniform appearance.

Style Coordination

• Headers: Use Header1-4 styles for static form section headers.
• Data Rows: Use Item style for data rows in static forms.
• Totals: Use Subtotal styles for summary rows.
• Special Formatting: Use CostPerColumn for currency columns.