Highlighted description whilst hovering over lists

**Fairport** · 05-21-2009, 12:43 PM

As part of a working spreadsheet there is a section which records faults by way of a numerical list in a dropdown menu. When a number is chosen the fault description appears in the adjacent cell. Is it possible when the mouse hovers over a number in the list the first 20 characters of the fault description could be shown before the fault number is chosen? The attached file is a simple example of the fault numbers and descriptions, in reality some of the faults have longer descriptions with more technical detail.
Many thanks.

**shg** · 05-21-2009, 01:20 PM

Why not instead select fault reasons using a drop-down, and get the code from the LOOKUP?

**Fairport** · 05-22-2009, 06:45 AM

Thanks, I have already looked at doing this, but as the original question was at the request of my boss I will persist for a little while longer. I'm always looking for alternative ways of doing things anyway, (including alternative employment!!)

**Fairport** · 05-22-2009, 04:54 PM

I have, I think, found an alternative solution to the problem of having a description ‘hover’ over a list before choosing from the drop down list. This a novices compromise so a little untidy and someone with a lot more knowledge than I could make a better job.
I concatenated the two lists (see the new attached file)and used the result using the code found in the following forum threads.
To copy comments
http://www.excelforum.com/1782309-post2.html
Plus inserting modified code from this thread to copy the comment to other cells
Copying comments into comments
http://www.excelforum.com/1862855-post2.html
And so you don’t have a column full of red triangles if required use the code from this link to colour over the indicators. Also on this site is code to remove the coloured indicators.
changing and removing the indicator colour
http://www.contextures.com/xlcomments03.html#Indicator

If anyone can find a better, cleaner and more effiecient way I would still be interested.