For example, given the sheet below:I'd like the background colours of columns B-D to change automatically when I update the values in column AIs that possible? I'm looking for a solution that will work with any colour, without preprogramming the sheet in some way to be aware of a fixed set of colours.
Is it possible to use the contents of a cell in a custom conditional formatting rule in Google Sheets?
google spreadsheets;conditional formatting
Going to answer this one as the answer from the post: Google Spreadsheets conditional formatting based on another cell's content is outdated.To answer your question: Highlight the Range that you need conditional formatting, then go to Format > Conditional Formatting and for each Color you will add a unique conditional format.Apply to Range: the range you selected previouslyFormat Cells if: custom formula   Formula in plain English: Anything in the corresponding cell in column A on the same Row that contains the characters Red, the formula would be: =A:A=Red And then just choose red background from the color picker in the conditional formatting sidebar. Repeat this process for each color.Example file here: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1sJtSrvFpKxmxUgzvrtIQzhYmxqeoR0FWVHpzNV5bIgQ/edit?usp=sharing