Drop down text box

**NickJW** · 01-10-2011, 05:58 AM

Morning to you all.

Is it possible, without the use of 'comment' to create a box that drops down from a cell on mouse hover into which you can write notes? A comment box is useful, but its creation involves menu selection. I am wondering whether or not a cell can be formatted in some way to receive text data in a more fluid way.

Look forward to your replies.

NJW

**DonkeyOte** · 01-10-2011, 06:28 AM

I'm confused... where do you intend to store the text once entered ?

(also, technically there's no "mouseover" in Excel)

**NickJW** · 01-10-2011, 07:42 AM

Hi, it would end up really as an autofill, so after I had entered data in the drop-down box, I could then move away from the cell and the info would be available, as if I had simply selected the cell and typed it.

The reason that the latter process wouldnt work in this instance is because there are hundreds of rows of data and I wanted to avoid the action of having to select the cell. In addition, the column width has to stay as it is and this means loss of visual on the data. If, when I had entered text it was display in drop-down form when I passed over it, it would be an altogether slicker process.

Does that help/

NJW

**DonkeyOte** · 01-10-2011, 07:54 AM

Originally Posted by NickJW

Does that help/

Not me personally but someone else may be able to better interpret your requirements...

**teylyn** · 01-10-2011, 07:56 AM

Does that help/

Not really.

I think you need to get some terminology straightened out. A "drop-down" is functionality where, upon clicking on an arrow symbol, the user can choose from one of several options in a list.

"Autofill" is functionality to copy the contents/formula of one cell down to the remaining rows of a column in a contiguous table (typically).

Therefore, I'm not quite sure what you mean by

Hi, it would end up really as an autofill, so after I had entered data in the drop-down box, I could then move away from the cell and the info would be available, as if I had simply selected the cell and typed it.

With comments, Excel offers some kind of "meta-data" to be added to a cell, but comments and cell values are quite different animals. "as if I had simply selected the cell and typed it" sounds like typing into the cell. But your question sounds as if you don't want to do that. You also don't want to use comments, apparently.

You can enter cell content or you can add a comment to a cell. Both actions involve selecting the cell. Mouse over is not recognised.

So, what do you want to do? Can you explain the bigger picture, so we get the context?

**ypg2011** · 05-10-2017, 08:13 AM

HI Everyone,

I'm trying to create a standardized template for all of our departments to use in our monthly and quarterly reporting. I right now I have a basic table for all of the quantitative data but I would like to have a drop down text box embedded in each of the title cells of the first column. Ideally each row of the first column would have the title and a drop down option where information/description regarding the title (activity/event) would be available. Is this possible? Apologies in advance if I misused any Excel terminology, or if this is unclear. Thanks so much!