drop down menus

[Guest]

I am a new Excel user who has basically learned everyething I know by
practicing and making MANY mistakes, but my question is: I use ddata
validation to make drop down menus for particualar cells that I need the data
in and I seem to be limited as to the amount of data I can use in the drop
down menu. Is there any way I can make a drop down menu for cells that can
accomodate "unlimited data"? These are basic speadsheets I am making but I
need alot of selectons in a few of the drop down menus.

 

[Guest]

If I gave my users a dropdown with hundreds of listed items, they'd come at
me with torches and pitchforks.

I think a workable alternative when you have that many options is to use
Dependent Dropdowns. For instance, if you wanted users to select a name from
a list of 500 employees, the first dropdown might be a selection of letters
of the alphabet (A,B,C...Z), the second dropdown would list names that begin
with that letter.

For more information, see Debra Dalgleishs website:
http://www.contextures.com/xlDataVal02.html

Is that something you'd consider using?

***********
Regards,
Ron

 

[Biff]

Hi!

I seem to be limited as to the amount of data I can use in the drop
down menu

A data validation drop down list can contain 32,767 entries.

Biff

 

[Guest]

Not if the data has been entered into a list within the Data Validation
option from the toolbar which is probably what this guy has done. Then you
get approx 20 items to list before it blocks the rest.
( not sure of the exact amount so please don't tell me im incorrect. it's
only an estimate

 

[Gord Dibben]

Two different methods of entering the list.

1. Enter a cell range by pointing or naming and you get 32,767 entries as
Biff states.

2. Enter the list manually as a comma-delimited list and you are limited to
255 characters in the dialog box.


Gord Dibben Excel MVP