Excel 2003 Stock spreadsheet - adding pictures to data?

[Avis1434]

I have compiled a spreadsheet, using Excel 2003, of all my stock.

I would like to attach a photograph from my PC files of the stock item to the relative main description cell in order that when you click on it, it will show the photograph, in a reasonable size.

Can I do this? If so how? In simple language please!

Cheers

Murray

[austinbob]

Hi Murray

In my version of Excel (Excel 2010) you right click on the cell you want to put the picture in and then click on 'insert hyperlink'. It then takes you through a series of windows to locate the picture or file you want to link to and you select the one you want.

Once inserted you just click on the cell with the hyperlink to view the picture.

I'm sure Excel 2003 must be similar.

[Newportnobby]

Someone on the forum said it was possible to add a comment to a cell (which it is) and then add a pic to the comment.
Haven't tried it yet, though.

[MikeDunn]

I would like to attach a photograph from my PC files of the stock item to the relative main description cell in order that when you click on it, it will show the photograph, in a reasonable size.

Can I do this? If so how? In simple language please!

Select a cell
On the Insert menu item, select Pictures (may be under Illustrations)
Browse to the image & select it; then Insert
If too large, grab the handle at the bottom-right corner & resize towards top left

Simples.

Someone on the forum said it was possible to add a comment to a cell (which it is) and then add a pic to the comment.
Haven't tried it yet, though.

Select the cell.
Choose the Review menu item
select the New Comment option

Also simples.

[msr]

But beware that the size of the spreadsheet will increase in direct proportion to the size of the images you add. If you have a lot of stock, or use images with a high resolution, you are likely to get a spreadsheet which is many Mb in size and this will become slow to load and eventually may exceed the capacity of your RAM and hang.

Consider keeping the resolution of each image down, say below 300 kb each.

Mike

[Avis1434]

Thanks guys for all your speedy assistance - austinbob and others and thanks for the warning from msr

Already have some of the photo's inserted! What a great forum this is - got an answer in 14 minutes - and about a topic nothing really to do with N gauge!! Well done guys

[austinbob]

But beware that the size of the spreadsheet will increase in direct proportion to the size of the images you add. If you have a lot of stock, or use images with a high resolution, you are likely to get a spreadsheet which is many Mb in size and this will become slow to load and eventually may exceed the capacity of your RAM and hang.

Consider keeping the resolution of each image down, say below 300 kb each.

Mike

That's why I think its best to add a hyperlink to the spreadsheet rather than embed the picture. Keeps the spreadsheet neat, tidy and small. Especially good way of using pictures if you already have the pictures on you computer.

[Trainfish]

I agree with the hyperlinking. I've always had a spreadsheet of my stock and this week have been adding pictures via hyperlinks. I have over 500 pictures to add and doing this way I can keep them at a decent resolution and yet the spreadsheet stays relatively small. I do have some pictures on one tab but it's still only 3.7mb. With 8gb of RAM I think I'll be ok for a while yet 

[MikeDunn]

It depends what you want ... if a small photo (say a couple hundred pixels) is big enough - then why all the drama about "it will be a massive file" ?  Such an image would be in the tens (not hundreds or thousands) of KB - and that's a lot of photos per megabyte ... and there's nothing to stop you setting the small image as a hyperlink to the high-res one, is there ? 

Although why you'd want to open a stock spreadsheet & click such an image escapes me, when you could just open the image ...  Remember, this is just so you can see what it looks like, in the stock sheet !

[Trainfish]

I agree with you Mike. My spreadsheet is for insurance reasons and also so I can keep track of what I already have. If I see something on offer somewhere it's quick and easy to see if I already have it, I can't remember all of my stock. The pictures are again for insurance where I think a decent resolution picture should mean a bit more to an assessor. Finally, my pictures haven't been renamed, they're just "img0012" etc so it's quicker and easier to find the correct picture when you have over 500 to choose from.
As you say though, each to their own as we probably all have different reasons to keep the list either with or without pictures.