WPS Spreadsheet conditional formatting without lying

Conditional formatting in WPS Spreadsheet that stays honest

Color is a comment, not a number. Use it to see risk. Do not use it as the only place a rule lives — filters cannot see red.

One rule, bounded range

Select A2:A5000, not the whole column if you can avoid it. Home → Conditional formatting → greater than / less than / duplicate values. Name the rule in your head: “variance worse than −10% is red.” If you cannot say the sentence, you are decorating.

Manage rules

Copy-paste duplicates rules until the file stutters. Open the rules manager, delete ghosts, stop applying to entire sheets. A color scale on 50,000 rows on a 4 GB laptop is a fan-noise generator.

Prefer a Status column

OK / RISK / HOLD as text, then a rule that paints RISK. Now you can filter. Color-only systems die in print and in color-blind review.

Spreadsheet.

Duplicates

Conditional formatting “duplicate values” on an ID column is a data-quality tool. On a name column it flags every Smith. Use it on keys, not on prose. When you find dupes, fix Raw, do not paint over them and call the month closed.

Print

Some drivers drop background colors. Assume color is for the screen. Important RISK rows still need the Status text. If the boss prints in gray, your red means nothing.