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Learn 2 ways to apply conditional formatting to shapes in Excel.

This technique is great for dashboards and interactive reports where you don't want to be confined to the grid layout of the cells.

There is no way to actually apply conditional formatting to shapes in Excel, so both these methods are workaround solutions.

Here is the link to the article and page where you can download the sample Excel file:
http://www.excelcampus.com/tips/condi...

Method #1: A simple solution is to copy and past e the cell that contains conditional formatting as a Linked Picture. The paste special linked picture command will create a shape that displays the formatting and values of the cell. As the cell's value and formatting changes, the linked picture will also update to reflect the changes.

You can use this technique for a single cell or a range of cells. The picture is resizable so you can make the shape bigger for your dashboard.

You cannot change the shape type directly in the Excel menus or ribbon. However, you can use VBA to change the shape type.

The following line of code will change the shape type of the selected shape with VBA.

Selection.ShapeRange.AutoShapeType = msoShapeRightArrow

Method #2: The CF Shapes Addin allows you to create custom shapes with conditional formatting for the shapes fill color.

Click the following link to learn more about the CF Shapes Addin:
http://www.excelcampus.com/cfshapes

If you are new to conditional formatting or really want improve your skills then I highly recommend the Conditional Formatting Video Course by Dave Bruns at ExcelJet.net. Here is the link to learn more about the course:
http://www.excelcampus.com/exceljetc...
00:00 Introduction
00:21 Linked Picture
01:32 Other Examples
02:30 Pictures Styles
03:14 Range Styles
04:05 CF Shapes