Spreadsheet for customer product form

[KatyLady]

Hi,

I am new and this is my first post. So please forgive me in advance fo
my ignorance but I only know the basics of Excel right now. I have bee
searching the web for days and finally came across your forum.

What I am trying to accomplish is I want customers to be able to selec
from a long list of products.

How do I make several drop down list where they can select a product o
more than one product in the list and then the product they select wit
the information they input on that row, like quantity etc. will b
added to another spreadsheet, and that spread sheet the rows will g
one after the other.

Here's an example of my product list...

Description in cell A11 Quanity B11 Sale Price C11
Next row, King solid fitted blue/grey in cell A12 10 in cell B1
$300.00 in cell C12

Description Quanity Sale Price

KING SOLID FITTED BLUE/GREY 10 $300.00

Please let me know if I need to give you more information, and thank
for any help, links or advice you can give!

K

 

[Ragdyer]

You can create your drop down lists using Data Validation, and the
subsequent columns along the row can be populated using Vlookup formulas
which would poll your existing data lists.

You can find the particulars for these functions and procedures at your
"One-Stop-Shopping-Store"<g>, at Debra Dalgleish's web site.

Start with the "D's" for Data Validation, and then go to the end for
Vlookup.

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

 

[PC]

Data Validation will provide the drop-dows and VLOOKUP will populate the
other fields. However it seems that the OP also wishes to have the "order"
transferred to another worksheet. That can be accomplished with a VB
Userform and some additional code to transfer the results to the list.

My 2 cents. It also looks like the OP really needs a something similar to a
sales database/shopping cart and there are applications that are far
superior to XL for this purpose. Given the development time required to
create this in XL, and the XL's somewhat limited capabilities as a database,
it is probably cheaper to obtain the appropriate software rather than
reinvent this particular wheel.

PC

You can create your drop down lists using Data Validation, and the
subsequent columns along the row can be populated using Vlookup formulas
which would poll your existing data lists.

You can find the particulars for these functions and procedures at your
"One-Stop-Shopping-Store"<g>, at Debra Dalgleish's web site.

Start with the "D's" for Data Validation, and then go to the end for
Vlookup.

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

--
HTH,

RD

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[Ragdyer]

You may be right - BUT:

I run an entire textile plant, two of them in fact, exclusively with XL,
except where the financials are exported to Mas90 for the final A/P, A/R,
and G/L reporting to the accountants.
That's including payroll and invoicing, and dye formulations with metric
conversions and inventory control, both for dye and chemicals, as well as
the greige goods and finished goods.

This is however, a entity that has been created, and has evolved over the
course of the past 10 years because we couldn't, at that particular time,
afford any fancy (read that expensive) "outside" software (or consultants
.... sorry guys<g>).

How many other start-up organizations are "making do" with whatever they can
get their hands on ... cheaply ... to make their dreams come to pass.

Any help that they can get at these forums is definitely affordable (cheap
at twice the price ... no?<g>).

 

[PC]

Yes, XL is a great tool and an experienced user can accomplish a great deal
with this single piece of software rather quickly and a novice can over time
develop some very solid applications.

However, when I see the words " I only know the basics of Excel right now"
in conjunction with a request for complete instructions for a rather robust
application I am confident that the best advice is that which I provided (as
an aside prefaced by "My 2 cents" BTW):

"Given the development time required to create this in XL, and the XL's
somewhat limited capabilities as a database, it is probably cheaper to
obtain the appropriate software rather than reinvent this particular wheel."

Keep in mind, this is an application that the OP's customers will use. For
that to be effective it will need among other things solid error handling
procedures, help screens, the ability to add/delete items.... It is
certainly more than a data validation list accompanied by a few Vlookups.

Good advice is not limited to instructions on how to do something, it also
includes the advice, when it makes sense financially and otherwise, to
pursue alternative solutions. This case seemed to warrant the latter.

PC

 

[KatyLady]

Thanks guys. I am taking every option and looking at it. Great site
Ragdyer! I wish I wasn't so tired today, it would be much easier for
me!

I just started with this company and I am amazed at all the ways they
do things. I just recently taught them how to use their transfer keys
on the phone instead getting up and walking into my office...YIKES! and
like this order list, right now, they have customer fax in orders, and a
lot do it by hand. Can you imagine the human errors made, the time
wasted calling people to deceifer hand writing,? It's amazing! But the
biggest problem is my lack of experience with Excel. I think you are
right though Rag, I think I can get it done through Excel, at least get
them started with something other than hand written orders, and then
possibly improving that as I learn.

Thanks, you guys are great!

KL

 

[KatyLady]

Ragdyer,

Just wanted to say THANK YOU THANK YOU THANK YOU!

I used your order form, modified it to fit my needs, and it's working
great! I really think this will work until we get on the net. I still
have about 300 products to copy and paste along with descriptions, but
at least I know it works! I am going to first send it to just a couple
of really good customers for trial and error though. The time saved and
less errors the order entry person is going to have will be amazing!

If you or PC wanna check it out when I'm through, let me know and I'll
email it to ya.

Thanks again!!!

KL

 

[Ragdyer]

<<"I used your order form">>
You mean Debra's order form.

Appreciate the feed-back, and I'm sure that Debra also appreciates your
enthusiasm over all her work, putting that example on her website.