Sunday, August 25, 2019

Techie Post - Nested If in Excel for converting month to a number

This post is more of a reminder for me, but may help someone else in a similar situation.  Every year in August when I need to create the new user accounts for the students starting in September at school, I need the student date of births to be in the format DDMMYY so that my custom powershell script can create the accounts in Active Directory

Sounds simple, but alas our School Information Management System exports the data in a weird format, so I am always having to modify and fix the exported data in excel before I can import the completed csv file.

Most can be accomplished using the excellent left, mid and right formulas, but the date (more specifically, the month) always causes me issues.

So, where I a have a cell where the month is "Jan", or "Feb", I need it to be "01" for Jan, "02" for Feb and so on.

So.... assuming cell F2 is the cell with the month in it, the following nested If formula will do the job

=IF(F2="Jan","01",IF(F2="Feb","02",IF(F2="Mar","03",IF(F2="Apr","04",IF(F2="May","05",IF(F2="Jun","06",IF(F2="Jul","07",IF(F2="Aug","08",IF(F2="Sep","09",IF(F2="Oct","10",IF(F2="Nov","11",IF(F2="Dec","12",))))))))))))

Once I have the month as a number, I can easily combine the 3 numbers making up the day, month and year (ddmmyy) in to a cell for my script to accept.

I'm sure there's a better way of doing it, but hey ho...  This does the job for now.


Saturday, August 10, 2019

Game Covers - Crazy Comets (Commodore 64)

The Universe is out of control, contracting into chaos.  Matter becomes energy in a cataclysmic chain reaction of the disorder.  Comets of fire cascade through the heavens - messengers of imminent doom.

Your mission: to restore order to the Universe by destroying chaos wherever it appears.

Your chances of survival: NIL.

...  and you thought the Apocalypse was gonna be bad!!!!

Crazy Comets - The Cover

Crazy Comets - The Inlay

Crazy Comets - The Tape


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Friday, August 09, 2019

Game Covers - Knightmare (Commodore 64)

Welcome to the game....

This is the Time to end Time
This is the Time out of Mind
This is the Game out of Time
And the game to blow your Mind!

Knightmare - The Cover

Knightmare - The Inlay

Knightmare - The Tape


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Game Covers - Dan Dare Pilot of the Future (Commodore 64)

One of the most famous comic strip heroes ever comes vividly to life in this superb arcade adventure.

With your faithful companions, you must defeat the Mekon and save the Earth.

"Dan Dare is a super cool game which deserves all the credit it gets!"  COMPUTER & VIDEO GAMES

"Dan Dare deserves an immediate Number One Spot".  PCW

Dan Dare - The Cover

Dan Dare - The Inlay
Dan Dare - The Tape


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Game Covers - Sailing (Commodore 64)

Design your own yacht, brave the elements and beat your opponents in the most accurate ocean-going simulation yet!

Sailing - The Cover

Sailing - The Inlay

Sailing - The Tape


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Thursday, August 08, 2019

Game Covers - Werewolves of London (Commodore 64)

Run rampage across the rooftops!  Get savage in the sewers!  Have a hairy fit in Hyde Park!  Spread terror in the tube stations!

Werewolves of London - The Cover

Werewolves of London - The Inlay

Werewolves of London - The Tape


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Game Covers - Night Racer (Commodore 64)

A fast and furious rally through the forests of central Europe.  Foot to the floor, skidding round the bends, you must reach the checkpoint in time.  Through the gears power past the stragglers, the timer is flashing, just seconds left.  The checkpoint is only a bend away, will you make it or will it be curtains!

Joystick only
One player only

PROGRAM BY KEVIN GREEN

Night Racer - The Cover

Night Racer - The Inlay

Night Racer - The Tape


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Wednesday, August 07, 2019

Game Covers - Trailblazer (Commodore 64)

Thunder into the unknown at breakneck speed, pushing your reflexes to the limit in this exhilarating journey that is not for the faint-hearted.

Roll left, roll right avoiding the endless chasms that lay in and around the squares of mystery.  Go as fast as you dare, but beware the hazards as squares can speed you up and move you around seemingly at random, the quicker you can complete the course, the higher your bonus but the greater the risk.

Trailblazer - The Cover

Trailblazer - The Inlay

Trailblazer - The Tape


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Game Covers - Die Alien Slime (Commodore 64)

You are the last human survivor aboard the search ship Taccia, in which a military experiment to breed self-reproducing alien killing machines has gone horribly wrong.  Your only path to freedom, an emergency shuttle, is only activated when the ship has been set to self-destruct

Die Alien Slime - The Cover

Die Alien Slime - The Inlay

Die Alien Slime - The Tape


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