Hi Guys - I am looking for a way to set my background as a chart from excel that will update when I update the excel file. Is there a way to do this?
'Wallpapers' live on Windows machines. Macs have 'Desktop Pictures'.
I don't use Excel with charts, but if an Excel chart is a separate file I would simply open System Preferences/Desktop & Screensaver/Desktop and select that chart file, and see if that works.
I would simply open System Preferences/Desktop & Screensaver/Desktop and select that chart file, and see if that works.
It may be grayed while the user is selecting desktop picture, as it's not in the image format. I have to look in that more thoroughly, though, to give working advice. The main idea may be to make Excel update repeatedly externally stored picture.
It may be grayed while the user is selecting desktop picture, as it's not in the image format. I have to look in that more thoroughly, though, to give working advice. The main idea may be to make Excel update repeatedly externally stored picture.
Again, needs to be investigated...
I would imagine OS X captures the image after you select it so if you edited the image you would need to re-select the file in system preferences to see the edited image as your background. Am I correct? This will probably take some programming/automator
I would imagine OS X captures the image after you select it so if you edited the image you would need to re-select the file in system preferences to see the edited image as your background. Am I correct?
Yes. Absolutely.
I did some tests with Numbers application. The .numbers file can not be selected as desktop image, neither can be .xls, having been previously exported from Numbers.
However, .pdf export from Numbers can indeed do the job, but, as you wrote above, the image is fetched for ever and does not follow .pdf file modifications.
Quote:
Originally Posted by starrbri
This will probably take some programming/automator
I'm afraid, it's unavoidable. There should exist some Finder's action for that to start Automator's flow and then to add some scheduling... Again, needs to be investigated...
P.S.
Indeed.
Quote:
Set the Desktop Picture
This action replaces the current desktop with the specified image.
Thanks for the help. I have some programming experience but none in mac. Hopefully I will have a chance to figure this out this weekend. Thanks for the help.com
Comments
Hi Guys - I am looking for a way to set my background as a chart from excel that will update when I update the excel file. Is there a way to do this?
'Wallpapers' live on Windows machines. Macs have 'Desktop Pictures'.
I don't use Excel with charts, but if an Excel chart is a separate file I would simply open System Preferences/Desktop & Screensaver/Desktop and select that chart file, and see if that works.
I would simply open System Preferences/Desktop & Screensaver/Desktop and select that chart file, and see if that works.
It may be grayed while the user is selecting desktop picture, as it's not in the image format. I have to look in that more thoroughly, though, to give working advice. The main idea may be to make Excel update repeatedly externally stored picture.
Again, needs to be investigated...
It may be grayed while the user is selecting desktop picture, as it's not in the image format. I have to look in that more thoroughly, though, to give working advice. The main idea may be to make Excel update repeatedly externally stored picture.
Again, needs to be investigated...
I would imagine OS X captures the image after you select it so if you edited the image you would need to re-select the file in system preferences to see the edited image as your background. Am I correct? This will probably take some programming/automator
I would imagine OS X captures the image after you select it so if you edited the image you would need to re-select the file in system preferences to see the edited image as your background. Am I correct?
Yes. Absolutely.
I did some tests with Numbers application. The .numbers file can not be selected as desktop image, neither can be .xls, having been previously exported from Numbers.
However, .pdf export from Numbers can indeed do the job, but, as you wrote above, the image is fetched for ever and does not follow .pdf file modifications.
This will probably take some programming/automator
I'm afraid, it's unavoidable.
P.S.
Indeed.
Set the Desktop Picture
This action replaces the current desktop with the specified image.
Input
Result
Version
Copyright
So, theoretically there's a solution for your problem.
Thanks for the help. I have some programming experience but none in mac. Hopefully I will have a chance to figure this out this weekend. Thanks for the help.com
1. Create a Folder to store the PDF.
In Automator create an Application:
2. Get Specified Finder Items -> The folder in step 1.
3. Move Finder Items to Trash
4. Save Excel Workbooks -> Select Save workbook as:
Filename: <any filename>
Where: one folder ABOVE the folder from step 1. If the folder from step 1 is in Documents, then choose Documents here.
Format: PDF
(I believe this action comes with Office 2008)
5. Get Specified Finder Items -> The PDF created above
6. Set the Desktop Picture
You'll need to run this once without steps 5 and 6 in order to create the initial PDF. Then you can add steps 5 and 6 and choose the PDF in step 5.
I used Snow Leopard, your version of Automator may vary slightly.
When run, the frontmost workbook in Excel will be converted to a PDF and set to the Desktop Picture.
Converting Excel workbooks into PDF by Automator
Then add Loop action, specify the schedule and the only thing to do, which remains, is to save Excel workbook when modifications done