Add text
Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group Text and Number → Menu Text ops
Command ID: btnAddText
What it does
The command opens the Add text to cells window, which inserts a string before (prefix) or after (suffix) the content of every selected cell. Instead of editing hundreds of rows by hand, you type the string once and click Apply.
On construction paperwork this is typically used to stamp a work-package code onto a list of activities, to append a unit label, or to mark a batch of rows belonging to one acceptance round.
How to use
- Select the cells that need the extra text.
- Go to tab DVD Addin → group Text and Number → menu Text ops → Add text.
- The Add text to cells window appears with:
- Text to insert — the string to add.
- Position — choose Prefix (before existing text) or Suffix (after existing text).
- Skip empty cells — ticked by default, so blanks stay blank.
- Click Apply. The status bar reports how many cells were changed.
- The window does not lock Excel: you can select a different range on the sheet and click Apply again. Click Close when finished.
Example
The activity list for foundation F1 needs its package code so it can be merged into the project-wide summary. Select the description column, type F1 - , choose Prefix and click Apply.
| Before | After |
|---|---|
| Blinding concrete 4x6 aggregate | F1 - Blinding concrete 4x6 aggregate |
| Footing rebar D≤10 | F1 - Footing rebar D≤10 |
| Footing formwork | F1 - Footing formwork |
Without closing the window you can then select the F2 block, change the string to F2 - and click Apply again.
Notes
- Ctrl+Z cannot undo this.
- Cells containing formulas are skipped, so your formulas are safe.
- Cells on hidden rows are skipped too — convenient while a filter is active.
- The result is trimmed, so leading or trailing spaces in your string (for example
" (temp) ") are dropped at the outer edges. - Untick Skip empty cells if you also want the string written into blank cells.
Related
- Text Reverse — reorder the segments in the cell before prefixing.
- Bulk find / replace… — remove or change a prefix inserted by mistake across sheets.
- Remove extra spaces — clean whitespace before concatenating.
- Smart Data Cleaning… — normalise casing after the codes are joined.