Hey there, let's walk through how to build that exact Excel date pattern you need for your OneNote meal tracker—since OneNote lacks locked cells and you want a clean, easy-to-read layout, building this structure in Excel first is a smart call.

Here's how to set up the repeating date/text pattern in Excel: #

1. Lay down your base structure #

• Start by typing your first text row in a cell (say, A1—something like "Meal Log Section" or whatever label you need)
• Enter your starting date in the next cell (A2, e.g., 2024-05-20)

2. Repeat the same date for 6 rows #

• Select cells A2 through A7 (that's 6 rows total)
• Type =A2 into the formula bar, then press Ctrl+Enter—this will fill all 6 cells with the same date as A2 instantly
• Add your next text row in A8 (just copy A1 if you want the same label)

3. Auto-increment the date for the next set #

• In A9, use this formula to jump to the next day: =A2+1
• Again, select A9 through A14, type =A9 in the formula bar, hit Ctrl+Enter—now you've got 6 rows of the incremented date

4. Scale this pattern quickly #

If you need tons of these sections, no manual copying required:

• Select the entire 14-row block (A1 to A14: 1 text + 6 dates + 1 text + 6 dates)
• Hover your cursor over the bottom-right corner of the selection until it turns into a cross (the fill handle)
• Drag it down as far as you need—Excel will automatically recognize the loop and generate the text rows + incrementing, repeating dates for you

Tips for optimizing for OneNote display #

• Before copying over, tweak your Excel table's formatting: adjust column widths/row heights, set your preferred date format, and simplify borders if you want a cleaner look
• When pasting into OneNote, choose Paste as Table to keep the structure intact. To make it even easier to read, right-click the table > Table Properties, and adjust border styles (like hiding extra borders)

备注：内容来源于stack exchange，提问作者Marc