Reading Layout

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group View and Sheets

Command ID: ToggleReadingLayout

What it does

Turns on a translucent overlay that highlights the row and column of the active cell, so your eye stays on the right line in wide, long tables. The highlight follows the selection as you move around, scroll, or switch sheets.

It pays off on hundred-row bills of quantities, multi-column programme sheets, and rebar schedules where the "Total" column sits far to the right of the item description.

How to use

1. Open the sheet you need to read.
2. Go to tab DVD Addin → group View and Sheets → click the Reading Layout toggle. The button stays pressed while the mode is on.
3. Select any cell — its row and column are highlighted immediately.
4. Move the selection with the mouse or arrow keys; the highlight tracks it.
5. Click Reading Layout again to turn it off; the overlay disappears and the sheet looks normal again.

Example

You are checking a superstructure bill of quantities: 480 work items, columns A to R covering Item code, Description, Unit, Length, Width, Height, Number of elements, Quantity, Rate, Amount.

Without the mode on, selecting the Amount cell on row 317 means tracing your eye all the way back to column B to see which activity it belongs to — and it is easy to land one row off. With Reading Layout on, row 317 and the Amount column are both tinted, so matching "which item — how much" is instant, with no manual selection tricks.

Notes

• The highlight is a screen overlay, not a cell fill: it never changes the workbook formatting and does not appear in printouts or PDF exports.
• The on/off state applies to the current Excel session; reopen Excel and switch it on again if you want it.
• Colour, transparency and highlight mode (row and column, row only, or column only) come from the add-in settings under Preferences.
• On multi-monitor setups with different display scaling (DPI), move the Excel window onto a single screen if the highlight looks offset.
• While a cell is in edit mode the overlay pauses updating until you press Enter or Esc.

Related

• Preferences — set the overlay colour, opacity and highlight mode.
• Navigation — workbook and sheet manager, a natural companion on large books.
• Hide Empty Rows — shrink a long table before reading it.