Can you sort with check boxes?

[Guest]

Hi all,
I am inserting employee time into Excel, and I would like to be able to sort
the columns by "Recorded", "Date", "Customer", or by "Employee". For the
Recorded column I am using a "Forms check box". The problem is can't seem to
get the check boxes to sort with its corresponding rows.

Here is my layout

Recorded Date Customer Employee Description
(Check box) 10-1-05 John Doe Tom Comments
(Check box) 10-1-05 John Doe Harry Comments
(Check box) 10-2-05 Jane Doe Dave Comments
(Check box) 10-3-05 John Doe#2 Jim Comments
(Check box) 10-4-05 John Doe#2 Jim Comments
(Check box) 10-6-05 John Doe Tom Comments

Can someone help me out with this?

Thanks
Quinton

 

[Dave Peterson]

If you're very careful when you put the checkboxes in the cells (make them fit
totally within the row--no overlapping of multiple rows), they should sort ok.

And make sure you haven't changed this setting:
rightclick on each checkbox
format control|properties tab|make sure "move but don't size with cells" is
checked.

(It was the default in my tests.)

 

[Guest]

Hi Dave, Thanks for the help. I got it to work but I had to increase the
height of the cell in order to get it to work. I would like to have the
standard row height. Did you get it to work with standard row height?

Thanks
Quinton

 

[Dave Peterson]

If I made the checkbox small enough!

You may want to take a different approach.

If you delete all the checkboxes, maybe you could just format the cell nicely.

Select the range
Format|cells|number tab|custom category
In the "type:" box, put this:
alt-0252;alt-0252;alt-0252;alt-0252

But hit and hold the alt key while you're typing the 0252 from the numeric
keypad.

It should look something like this when you're done.
ü;ü;ü;ü
(umlaut over the lower case u separated by semicolons)

And format that range of cells as Wingdings.

Now, no matter what you type (spacebar, x, anyoldtextatall), you'll see a check
mark.

Hit the delete key on the keyboard to clear the cell.

If you have to use that "checkmark" in later formulas:

=if(a1="","no checkmark","Yes checkmark")

And since this is just data, it'll sort (well, if you include that column in the
range).