Search engine for Excel - do not display results initially

I'll help you out if you post an example workbook - it will have to be tomorrow for me, though, as it's getting quite late here.

Pete

Hi Pete, its the same (your latest) spreadsheet as the original thread.

Thank you kindly for your assistance.

You say you have trimmed the formulas a little and that you only need one sheet, so it can't be exactly the same. Please post YOUR version, or a sample from it.

Pete

Hi Pete, I have attached the spreadsheet which is partly modified. I have not quite finished understanding the way the formulas are set up as yet.

Okay, I've tidied up the file some more by getting rid of the INDIRECT functions, as these are not needed if you are getting the data just from one sheet and it will help to make it run faster when you have a lot of data in it.

Can you explain what you want to do with this file ?

What do you mean by "...at least one of the filters are filled out..." ?

What is the purpose of the columns N and O in your Search sheet ?

Pete

The idea of the file is to have the same function, ie. partial search of a cell and once Enter is pressed, automatic filter.

However, prior to filling in the filters (I'll explain the plural below), no data should be populated (partial confidentiality)

At the moment the modified spreadsheet uses one postcode filter, my data eventually will use multiple filters, ie. postcode, site name, site address. Such that the user can enter one filter - the data is trimmed with that filter, add more typing in another filter and the data further trims down again.

Columns N & O was my way trying to decipher how your formula works

I thought you might want something like that, so I went ahead to put something together along those lines while I was waiting for your answer. I thought you might want to be able to choose from the first 4 columns of your database, i.e. List, Description, Day and/or postcode, so I've given you 4 pink cells at the top of the search sheet to make your entries into. If they are all empty then you see nothing listed, but suppose you are interested in a postcode beginning BS - just type this into E1 and you will see those records which match. Then suppose you are interested in Tuesday - just type Tu in D1 and the list will be shortened (actually, you could just type T as there are no entries for Thursday). You can type the filter choices in any order, and delete them in any order, so I think this is what you were after, although you might want to choose different fields to filter on.

Note that in the Data sheet I've hidden 4 columns - these contain the formulae to make the selections, basically returning a Y in the appropriate column if there is a match. The formula in column A now allocates the sequential number only if the number of Y's is the same as the number of pink cells used in the Search sheet. I'm sure you will be able to extend the principle if you want to include other fields.

So this is getting closer to a "Search Engine", though there are still other facilities that could be built in before it could be regarded as universal.

Hope this helps.

Pete

Amazing..... Thank you so much for your kind assistance Pete!

This works perfectly

You're welcome - I thought it might be worth a click on the "star" from you.

Pete

Reputation Added =)