Highlight editable fields — Aspire Budgeting

The Highlight editable fields setting makes it easier to see which parts of your Aspire spreadsheet are meant for input. When it is turned on, Aspire shades the rows, cells, and tables where you can enter data or update dropdown selections.

This is especially helpful when you are setting up a new budget, adding categories and accounts, or learning which parts of each tab are safe to edit.

How to turn it on

Open the Configuration tab.
Find the Highlight editable fields checkbox near the top of the sheet.
Check the box to turn highlighting on.
Uncheck the box to return the sheet to its normal appearance.

The setting applies across the spreadsheet, so editable areas on tabs like Transactions, Category Transfers, and Dashboard can be highlighted from one checkbox.

What gets highlighted

Highlighted areas are places where you are expected to interact with the spreadsheet, such as:

Cells where you enter dates, amounts, notes, categories, or account names
Dropdown fields that can be changed
Setup tables on the Configuration tab
Budget workflow areas where you move or assign money

Cells that contain formulas, summaries, balances, or calculated results should generally be left alone. If a cell is not highlighted, treat it as read-only unless a Help article specifically says otherwise.

Why the color may appear on multiple tabs

The checkbox lives on the Configuration tab, but the highlight rules are used throughout the spreadsheet. Each tab can look back to that one checkbox to decide whether its editable fields should be shaded.

If you customize your own copy of Aspire and create additional conditional formatting rules, use a custom formula like this:

=INDIRECT("'⚙️ Configuration'!H2")

Replace H2 with the cell that contains your checkbox.

Google Sheets conditional formatting often rejects direct references to another sheet, such as:

='⚙️ Configuration'!$H$2=TRUE

Using INDIRECT is the reliable workaround because it lets the conditional formatting rule read the checkbox value from the Configuration tab.

Customizing the highlight color

You can change the highlight color from Google Sheets:

Select the range with the highlight rule.
Go to Format → Conditional formatting.
Select the rule that uses the checkbox formula.
Choose a new fill color.
Click Done.

Choose a color that is visible but not distracting. The highlight is meant to guide data entry, not compete with your balances and reports.

Tips

Turn highlighting on while setting up or reviewing your budget.
Turn it off when you want a cleaner view for day-to-day use.
If you add new editable areas to a custom sheet, copy an existing highlight rule so it follows the same checkbox setting.
Avoid applying the highlight to formula-heavy areas; those sections are usually calculated by Aspire.