auto fill or auto search from a list or drop-down list???????

[Joe H.]

I am creating a quote sheet in excel that will need to be filled out quickly
while on the phone with my customers. There is basic info that will be needed
for each quote. The first thing will be the customer name. What would be the
best way to set up a cell to auto select from a list? Let’s say John Doe’s
Lumber Yard calls, is there a way I can start tying “J†and be able to select
John Doe’s Lumber Yard from a list and have it auto fill the cell? I have it
set up right now with a drop down list but it takes just as long to search
threw all my customers in the drop down list than it would to just type it
in. I was thinking if I had a drop down list I could click on the carrot and
type “J†and the list would automatically scroll to the customers beginning
with “J†but this is not the case. I have to manually scroll down and find
the customer. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

 

[Pete_UK]

You could use dependent data validation lists, whereby in one cell you
would type J (or choose J from a list) and then in the next cell your
drop-down would contain only those names which began with J. Debra
Dalgleish shows how to do this here:

http://www.contextures.com/xlDataVal02.html

Hope this helps.

Pete

 

[Gord Dibben]

Joe

DV dropdowns do not have the autocomplete feature.

You would have to use a combobox for that.

See Debra Dalgeish's site for help

For the combobox solution see

http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal10.html


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

 

[Joe H.]

Well i know if the column has the same info in it it will try to auto fill
that cell you are typing in. Can you set a cell to auto fill from a different
range of cells on a different worksheet?

 

[Gord Dibben]

Not without using a combo-box.


Gord

 

[Gord Dibben]

BTW.......what is a "carrot" in the context of dropdown lists?

Did you mean "arrow"?


Gord

 

[Pete_UK]

Gord,

I think he meant caret, the name for the ^ symbol, as detailed here:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Caret

Pete

 

[Gord Dibben]

Pete

I know what a caret is.

What I would like to know is what "when I click on the carrot" means.

There is no caret associated with a DV dropdown that I am aware of.

I am pretty sure OP meant click on the arrow to see the DV list.


Gord

 

[confused deejay]

probably really late now joe but would it not be easier to write the
companies names in a1:a99 then hide them then when you type in (say a100).
after typing the first letter or two you could press enter, the company you
wanted should fill in the space

 

[Roger Govier]

Hi

I can't see your original post, but I have written some code which will
allow you to enter a single letter in a Data validation cell, and when you
click the dropdown you will be taken to that part of the list that starts
with the letter.

An example file can be found at
http://www.contextures.com/DataValHeadings.zip