Google introduces Protected Ranges feature in Spreadsheets

We all have used Google Spreadsheets on busy days at work. It isn't rare that a cell gets needlessly modified when many people are working on the same spreadsheet. To help avoid such a scenario, Google introduced the Named Ranges feature in Google Spreadsheets today, making it possible to protect certain sections in a spreadsheet from inadvertent or unwanted modification.

In an official blog post, Joe Kaptur, Software Engineer explains how to begin with Protected Ranges in a spreadsheet a user has shared with others. The user can highlight the cells he or she wants to protect. A Windows user can right-click and choose the "Name and Protect Range" option from the menu. A presentation put forth by Google explains the entire process step-by-step. 

Google spreadsheets get Lock down option

Along with this, Google has also introduced a couple of more changes to Google Spreadsheets. As per the official statement, users can add colors and patterns when they add cell borders in Google Spreadsheets. Another update for the "Find and Replace" feature allows users to search using patterns. Called regular expressions, one way in which the feature works is that when a user types “^[A-Z]+”, he or she will find all the cells that begin with uppercase characters.

Many users prefer Google Docs as the service enables them to access their documents from anywhere and takes away the fear of data loss. However, a limitation that many users have complained about is that Google Docs can not be used offline. This issue seems to be a thing of the past now as Google recently announced that Google Docs will now feature offline capabilities allowing users to edit documents online using the Chrome browser. This offline feature can be used only with the latest version of Chrome, and not other Internet browsers such as Firefox and Internet Explorer. This indicates that Google is working on creating its own ecosystem.

One can use the offline feature to edit and add comments to documents, not to spreadsheets. When you are back online, all the changes made in offline mode will be saved in the document. However, users cannot make changes to spreadsheets or presentations but merely view them in offline mode. Google is working on enabling offline mode for spreasheets and presentations.

To learn the method to set up Protected Ranges, click here.