Creating a Dynamic Google Sheets Calendar: A Step-by-Step Guide

Welcome to this step-by-step tutorial on how to craft a dynamic calendar using Google Sheets. What's remarkable about this calendar is its versatility: you can select any month from a dropdown list, and everything updates automatically. Plus, it's designed for any year, making it an excellent tool for your scheduling needs. In this guide, we'll walk you through creating this functional calendar from scratch.

Setting the Stage

Resizing Columns and Rows

First, let's make some adjustments to the size of your Google Sheet to set the stage. Begin by changing the width of Column A to 50 to ensure ample space.

Next, resize Rows 1 and 3 to 30. For Rows 2 and 6 through 11, increase their size to 80 for clarity. Additionally, resize Row 4 to 40 and Row 5 to 10.

Adding Months

In Cell B13, type "January" in all caps. Using the fill handle, create a list of all the months. We'll use this list to power our dropdown menu later.

Creating a Dropdown

1. Navigate back to the top of the spreadsheet and select Cells B2 through E2.
2. Click on the "Merge and Center" button.
3. Under the Insert menu, choose Drop-down.
4. In the data validation panel, select "Drop-down from a range."
5. Click to select the data range (B13 through B24).
6. Click "OK."
7. Under Advanced options, change the display style to an arrow.
8. Click "Done."

Now you have a functional dropdown menu that allows you to select the month. Try it out by selecting the month of your choice, such as June.

Formatting the Calendar

• Select all the cells in the worksheet and adjust the horizontal alignment to Center.
• For Cells F2 through H2, use the "Merge and Center" option.
• Enter the desired year (e.g., 2023) in Cells B2 through H2.
• Change the font size to 36 for Cells B2 through H2 and make the text bold.

Styling the Weekdays

• In Cell B4, type "SUN" in all caps.
• Use the fill handle to extend this list to H4 to create a list of weekdays.
• Adjust the font size to 14, make the text bold, and add a dark blue fill color.
• Change the font color to white and add white borders.

Styling the Calendar Body

Select B6 through H11 and change the fill color to a light gray (hex code: E9E9E9). Add inner borders to the range and change the font size to 24. Make the text bold, and set the font color to dark blue.

Adding Formulas

1. Select Cell H13 and enter the formula =DATEVALUE(B2&" 1 "&F2). This formula calculates the date value for the first day of the selected month and year.
2. Select Cell H14 and enter the formula =MONTH(H13). This formula extracts the month number from the generated date.

Conditional Formatting

To give the calendar its dynamic features, apply conditional formatting:

1. Select B6 through H11 and go to Format > Conditional formatting.
2. Set the format rule to "Custom formula is."
3. Enter the formula =MONTH(B6)=H$14.
4. Customize the appearance for dates not in the selected month (e.g., light gray with gray text).
5. Create another rule for the "Date is today," making it stand out (e.g., yellow background with black text).

With conditional formatting in place, you now have a dynamic calendar that adjusts according to your selected month and highlights the current date.

Final Touches

Hide rows 13 through 24 and turn off grid lines under View > Show. Your Google Sheets dynamic calendar is now complete. You can easily change the month and year to generate a calendar for your specific needs.

Building this dynamic calendar was not only fun but also educational. If you have any questions, feel free to leave a comment below. Don't forget to subscribe for more informative tutorials. Until next time, happy spreadsheet life!