drop down menus

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.

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


"jagermeist1" wrote:

> 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.

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

"jagermeist1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>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.

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

"Biff" wrote:

> 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
>
> "jagermeist1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
> news:[email protected]...
> >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.
>
>
>

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

On Thu, 15 Dec 2005 23:43:03 -0800, "Nigel" <[email protected]>
wrote:

>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
>
>"Biff" wrote:
>
>> 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
>>
>> "jagermeist1" <[email protected]> wrote in message
>> news:[email protected]...
>> >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.
>>
>>
>>