How to Highlight Met and Missed Deadlines with Conditional Formatting in WPS Spreadsheets
Question details
How to use formula-based conditional formatting in WPS Spreadsheets to automatically color completion dates green when a task is completed on or before its deadline and red when the deadline is missed.
- Product
- WPS Office Spreadsheets
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- The user is tracking task deadlines in a spreadsheet and wants completed dates to show green for on-time completion and red for late completion across an entire range.
- Observed behavior
- The user needs row-relative conditional formatting formulas so each row compares its own completion date with its own deadline without manually formatting every row.
Before creating rules, confirm your deadline dates are in one column, such as D2:D100, and completion dates will be entered in another column, such as E2:E100. Select the completion range with the first cell active so the formula references adjust correctly for each row.
Use formula-based conditional formatting for on-time and missed deadlines in WPS Spreadsheets
Best when deadline dates are in one column and completion dates are in the adjacent column; the green and red rules update automatically for every row in the selected range.
Formula-based rules compare each row individually because the references are relative. If E2 is the active cell, =E2<=D2 means WPS Spreadsheets will compare E3 to D3, E4 to D4, and so on.
Open the workbook in WPS Spreadsheets and select E2:E100 or your actual completion date column, keeping E2 as the active cell.
Click Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule, select 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format', enter =E2<=D2, and choose a green fill.
Create another rule from Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule, select 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format', enter =E2>D2, and choose a red fill.
Add a third rule with =E2="" and set no fill, then place it above the green and red rules in the Conditional Formatting manager so incomplete rows stay neutral.
Highlight Met and Missed Deadlines in WPS Spreadsheets
WPS Office Spreadsheets directly supports formula-based conditional formatting in Excel workbooks. Set row-relative rules once to color on-time completions green, missed deadlines red, and leave blank cells neutral.
- 1. Download and install WPS Office: Download WPS Office from the official WPS site, install it, and open your deadline workbook in WPS Spreadsheets.
- 2. Select the completion date column: Select E2:E100 or the range where completion dates will be entered, with the first row cell active.
- 3. Add green and red formula rules: Click Home > Conditional Formatting > New Rule, choose 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format', enter =E2<=D2 for green and =E2>D2 for red, then confirm each fill color.
- 4. Reorder the blank-cell rule: Add a blank-cell rule with =E2="" and no fill, then use the Conditional Formatting manager to place it above the other rules so unfinished rows stay unstyled.
Frequently Asked Questions
How do I stop empty completion date cells from turning red in WPS Spreadsheets?
Add a rule using =E2="" and choose no fill. In the Conditional Formatting manager, move this blank-cell rule above the green and red rules so WPS Spreadsheets stops processing the other rules for empty cells.
Can I apply this conditional formatting to an entire range instead of one row?
Yes. Select the whole completion range, such as E2:E100, with E2 as the active cell. The formulas use row-relative references, so WPS Spreadsheets automatically adjusts them for every selected row.
Does this deadline conditional formatting work in WPS Spreadsheets and Microsoft Excel?
Yes. WPS Spreadsheets opens and saves Excel .xlsx files and supports the same formula-based conditional formatting rules, so the green, red, and blank-cell rules work across both applications.
What should I do if my deadline and completion columns are not D and E?
Replace the column letters in the formulas with your actual columns. For example, if deadlines are in B2:B100 and completion dates are in C2:C100, select C2:C100 and use =C2<=B2 for green and =C2>B2 for red.
How can I edit or remove the deadline color rules later?
Go to Home > Conditional Formatting > Manage Rules in WPS Spreadsheets. You can edit a formula, change a fill color, reorder rules, or delete the deadline formatting rules from the selected range.
