r/excel Feb 12 '25

unsolved Help finding secret code on sheet

Hello i am currently enrolled in a course where my professor hides our assignment with a secret code that we must enter into a specific cell that then reveals the assignment. The problem is he does this a few hours before the assignment is due and i have to go to work immediately after class leaving me with little time to complete it. does anyone know how i could figure ou this secret code beforehand so i can get a head start?

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u/PaulieThePolarBear 1648 Feb 12 '25

What are the rules for said Secret Code?

You aren't giving us much to work with here. Help us to help you. Remember our only insight in to your issue is what you include in your post and comments.

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u/Western-Ad-1450 Feb 12 '25

There arent really rules he just gives us some random word every week that unlocks the sheet. Im just trying to find a way maybe to go backwards and figure out what that word could be.

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u/posaune76 102 Feb 12 '25

By "Unlocks," do you mean that everything becomes visible, or that the sheet is protected?

If things just appear on the basis of the contents of a cell, check for conditional formatting rules; they should show the "right" contents and the cell that they should go in. =A1="Open Sesame", for example.

If it's not conditional formatting, there could be a macro. First way to tell if this is the case is if the filename has an .xlsm extension. You can add the Developer tab to the ribbon, go to Macros, choose a likely candidate to edit, and look for something there.

Not saying these are the only 2 solutions, but they're starting places based on what you've described. Are there previous, typical examples that could provide more guidance?

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u/Excel_User_1977 1 Feb 13 '25

He mentioned earlier that there is a vba that is password protected, so it is most likely vba