How do I change the tabbing order in an excel form?

[Guest]

I created a form for receptionists at a university to use in entering
registration information for students when they telephone.

I designed the form and protected it so that they could only access the
necessary cells. My question now is how do I change the tabbing order of the
cells? It goes from right to left, but I want it to very from top to bottom,
left to right.

Does that make sense? I want to be able to control the order of the fields
the form goes to when a user presses their "tab" key.

Please help!

Thanks,

Lynetta

 

[Gord Dibben]

Lynetta

Assuming your range of cells to be A1, B2, C3, F4, A2, F1 for example.

Select the Second cell(B2) you want in the range then CRTL + click your way
through the range in the order you wish, ending with the First cell(A1). Name
this range under Insert>Name>Define>OK.

Now click on NameBox(top left corner above row 1 and col A), select the range
name to highlight the range. With these cells selected, you can input data
and Tab or Enter your way through the range in the order you selected.

Note: there is a limit of about 25 - 30 cells to a range using this method due
to a 255 character limit in a named range. Longer sheet names will reduce the
number of cells considerably.

If more needed, you can enter them manually in the "refers to" box.

From Debra Dalgleish.....

The limit is 255 characters in the Name definition. For example, I can
define a range of 46 non-contiguous cells, with the following string:

=$B$2,$D$2,$F$2,$H$2,$J$2,$B$4,$D$4,$F$4,$H$4,$J$4,$B$6,$D$6,$F$6,$H$6,
$J$6,$B$8,$D$8,$F$8,$H$8,$J$8,$B$10,$D$10,$F$10,$H$10,$J$10,$B$12,$D$12,
$F$12,$H$12,$J$12,$B$14,$D$14,$F$14,$H$14,$J$14,$B$16,$D$16,$F$16,$H$16,
$J$16,$B$18,$D$18,$F$18,$H$18,$J$18,$L$3

There is a third method which requires VBA and a Worksheet_Change event.

''moves from C2 through E5 at entry
Private Sub Worksheet_Change(ByVal Target As Range)
Select Case Target.Address
Case "$C$2"
Range("C5").Select
Case "$C$5"
Range("E2").Select
Case "$E$2"
Range("E5").Select
'add more cells and Cases here as the above pattern shows.
End Select
End Sub


Gord Dibben Excel MVP

 

[Jim May]

If your into Data forms
each control (on the form) has a property
"TabIndex". It is your way of dictating the
movement of the cursor on your form.
HTH