Color Rects

Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group Graphics → Menu Shape Menu

Command ID: btnColorRectangles

What it does

This command reads the numeric RGB code stored in each cell of the range you pick and draws, on top of that cell, a rectangle of exactly the cell's size filled with that colour at 50% transparency. The number itself is then hidden (number format ;;;) so only the colour block shows.

It is a fast way to build a progress heat map or a grid-style site plan directly on the sheet: each cell is a zone or a day, a formula turns status into a colour code, and the command converts the whole block into real shapes — unlike cell shading, these can be moved, grouped and copied into Word or PowerPoint.

How to use

1. Prepare a range where each cell's value is a numeric RGB code (usually produced by a formula).
2. Go to tab DVD Addin → group Graphics → menu Shape Menu → click Color Rects.
3. Excel's range picker appears with the prompt "Select numeric range to create coloured rectangles". Drag over the range and click OK.
4. The add-in creates one rectangle per numeric cell, positioned and sized to that cell.
5. When it finishes, a toast reports "Created N rectangles (skipped X non-numeric cells)".

Example

A slab-pouring progress tracker laid out as zone × week in D5:M20. Each cell holds a formula turning status into a colour:

=IF(D$4>$C5,12632256,IF(D$4=$C5,65535,5296274))

Select D5:M20 in the picker and click OK: the 160-cell grid becomes 160 semi-transparent colour blocks packed edge to edge — green for poured, yellow for the current week, grey for not yet started. A screenshot of that grid drops straight into the weekly report.

Notes

• Cells must contain numbers; text, blanks and #RRGGBB hex strings are skipped and counted as non-numeric.
• After the run, the cells in the range have their number format set to ;;; to hide the value — set the format back to General if you need to see the codes again.
• The rectangles are always 50% transparent and sit on top of the cells; they are real shapes, so re-running the command over the same range stacks another layer.
• Hold ESC to stop midway; rectangles already created are kept.
• The command cannot be undone with Ctrl + Z; to remove them in bulk use Home → Find & Select → Selection Pane, or Go To Special → Objects, then delete.

Related

• Get Color Code — read existing cell fill colours to produce the numeric range this command needs.
• Color Shapes — recolour existing shapes instead of drawing new ones.
• List Shapes — list the shapes you just created for counting or further processing.