Hover text/No hover text !!!

Question

Hello, following a previous question on Excel Online on Sharepoint, I noticed some cells with a lot of text has their content displayed as a hover text when the mouse pointer was on a cell (not the selected cell but the one with the pointer on it). So I managed to add a special formatting to my Excel file (adding one ' character plus 1 bold space at the beginning of each cells) in order to see that hover text. Problem, the host doesn't have Information Rights Management attached with the Sharepoint Server 2016 Standalone service, so I decided to try it at Microsoft directly... I managed to have IRM working at MS but this time, no more hover text on the formatted Excel file... So I am back to the starting point, having half of the wanted features on the host (hover text showing the whole cell content), and the othe half at MS (IRM). 

This litteraly drives me crazy not to have the same behavior...

Is there anyone at MS able to answer me: is there any setting in Office 365 to have this hover text with Excel Online ???

I tried a lot of permissions/IRM combinations and cannto have this hover test to work, and I start being desperate to have this working...

Best Regards

Answer 1

Hello Jim, I figured out that the "Hyperlink" method had a screentip feature documented, so I did a VBA script to transform all my cells into hyperlinks and it now works fine both with Excel and Excel Online. I also had to disable the "styles" for "hyperlink" & "followed hyperlink" objects to keep my original cell formats, but at least, now, the full cell content can be viewed.

Best Regards,

Bertrand #happy

Answer 2

Hi Bertrand,

This is the way it works. When you view or print a workbook in a browser window, compared with Excel client, some features might work differently. For feature suggestions, please check Uservoice as Tina suggested.

As for your requirement, I understand you need to find an easy way to read a cell content with many texts, currently we are investigating the hover text feature, and get back to you once we have any update.

Thanks,

Jim

Answer 3

Hello Jim, Tina, I will add some comments about the hover text coming and going:

• First, I was using Sharepoint at a Host, and I saw that the hover text was working on some cell but not all, then I investigated what triggered the hover text and I found a specific sequence to insert in all my cell (using a VB script). In fact, my Excel file originating from a local installation of Office, I have cells with text and formats, like bold and colored character strings.
• Based on my tests on the remote host version of Sharepoint, the sequence I insert is the following:

         '[space][bold space]

• With inserting this at the beginning of all my cells, I had the hover text working at the remote host, and then, until recently, on my Microsoft Sharepoint site. I hope it will help you reproduce the hover text.

Best Regards,

Bertrand

Answer 4

Hi Bertrand,

Thanks for your sharing. I'd explaim some points based on your information above:

1. SharePoint Online and SharePoint Server are different. It is expected that some functions may only work in SharePoint Server.
2. Seems to make the feature work, some customization is required. 

However, there's no official article to explain this text hover feature or even the customization method you mentioned. That's to say, it's not an officially suggested way to use Excel Online.

Instead of adding string to cells, a better method is to go to Uservoice to request/vote similar features (In your case, find an easy way to read a cell content with many texts). Your providing feedback is the best way to perfect our products and services.

3. Even in this situation, we would like to try our best to help you, and consult the related team if possible. 

Firstly we need to analyze the file. Currently we cannot make the text hover function work after adding the string as you instructed. 

To better check it, you can share the example Excel worksheet (which has the string in cells already) with us via PM.

Thanks,

Jim

Answer 5

Hi again, for point number 1, this is why checked on both versions (Server at the host, Full Office 365+IRM at MS Cloud).

For point 2, I know you want to make users to enter UserVoice tickets in the system, but as I already mentionned, I don't see this system working at all. I did a UserVoice for this matter but then what? Lost in the hundreds of UserVoice tickets and nothing. This system has low traction among the community, that's pretty clear to me.

For point 3, sure I am gonna share a file with you, I also shared with Tina my Sharepoint address where I share my files with my clients.

Best Regards,

Bertrand