Conditional Format in Excel 2016

Question

I am trying to right rules for a spread sheet containing the NFL season. I have it set up so that I have a week in one column. At the bottom I have a cell for selecting the one team I am picking that week. When that cell is empty, I want nothing to happen to weeks 2-17. When I put a team name in that cell, I want that team name to change color with a line through it for weeks 2-17.

So far I can make the rule for the last part but when I leave the cell blank, week 2-17 all change color with a line through it. I can't figure out how to get the blank cell to trigger no action

Any time I tried formulas with =ISBLANK($B$50) in it I was unable to trigger the rule as nothing I added to it from what I seen from googling/youtubing it worked. The only conditional format I have that works is Format only cells that contain =$B$50 which applies to =$C$2:$R$48

Keep in mind I am slightly above beginner with excel formulas/rules

Answer 1

If the cells change their format to something with a line through it, this is either a conditional format or the regular format of the cells. In either case, remove that format.

Then select the cells that you want to format and create a new conditional format with a rule that uses a formula. In the animated screenshot I am formatting the cells from D3 to F7. Select D3 to F7 and make sure D3 is the active cell. Then use the formula

=D3=$B$7

and set a format. Note how the reference to the cell to format does not have $ signs, but the cell where the comparison value is entered DOES have $signs.

If the cell B7 is blank, no conditional format will be applied, just the regular cell format will show.

Here is a screenshot of the Conditional Formatting Rules Manager.