TECHNOLOGY
EXCEL
By Bill Jelen
Building a Fill-In
Form in Excel
There are several different techniques
While in the Data Validation dialog,
you can use to turn a simple worksheet
tings tab, visit the Error Alert tab to cus-
form in Excel into something much
dropdown box to see other choices, such
tomize the warning that appears when
more user-friendly and effective. Using
as Whole Number, Decimal, Date, Time,
invalid data is entered. The Style drop-
validation, protection, and a cool tab-
Text Length, List, and Custom. Choosing
down is important on this tab. Choos-
order trick, you can build a form that
any of these will cause a number of oth-
ing “Stop” will prevent invalid data
will allow others in your company to
er settings to be available that allow you
from being entered. You might want to
submit specific information and prevent
to specify upper and lower limits. By far,
choose “Warning” or “Information,”
the users from changing anything that
the most interesting settings are List and
which provide a warning message but
isn’t an input cell.
Custom. With the List choice, you can
ultimately allow the user to decide if
type a list of valid values that will be
the value really should be allowed.
Using Data Validation
allowed in the selected cell. These values
If a variety of people will be using the
will then appear in a dropdown in the
form, it’s helpful to include tooltips to
cell. With the Custom choice, you can
provide context-sensitive help, checks to
write a logical formula that will test if
prevent invalid data, and warnings
the input value is valid. This formula can
Protecting the
Worksheet and
Enabling Tab
between Fields
when invalid data is entered. All of
do complex tests such as using the ISNA
The protection plan in Excel may seem
these elements can be added using the
and VLOOKUP functions to see if a value
a bit backwards. Every cell in Excel is
Data Validation dialog box.
for one cell is valid based on values
initially set to have the “Locked” prop-
entered in other cells.
erty set to true. This seems counterin-
It’s easy to provide a tooltip for any
cell. Choose an input cell. In Excel 2003,
go to Data, Validation. In Excel 2007, it’s
Data, Data Validation. Go to the Input
tuitive since anyone can change any
Figure 1
cell in Excel. But Excel doesn’t pay
attention to the Locked property until
Message tab and enter the text you
you explicitly enable protection for the
want to display. This will appear just
worksheet.
below the cell anytime the cell is select-
To unprotect the input cells, follow
ed (see Figure 1). The tooltip contains a
these steps:
short title and then a paragraph provid-
1. Select the first input cell.
ing guidance on how the person should
2. Hold down the Ctrl key while you
enter data in the cell.
62
If you change anything on the Set-
go to the Settings tab. Open the Allow
S T R AT E G I C F I N A N C E
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select the remaining input cells.
June 2009
3. Press Ctrl+1 to open the Format Cells
Figure 2
fields. Mentally number the fields
from 1 to N.
dialog.
4. On the Protection tab, uncheck
2. Ignore field #1 for a moment. Select
Locked to unlock the input cells.
field #2.
5. Click OK to close the Format Cells
3. Hold down the Ctrl key while you
dialog.
select fields 3, 4,…, N in the correct
6. In Excel 2007, select Review, Protect
order. Yes—it really matters that you
Sheet. In Excel 2003, select Tools, Pro-
use the correct order!
4. Hold down the Ctrl key and select
tection, Protect Sheet.
7. In the Protect Sheet dialog, uncheck
Field #1 as the last field.
5. Click on the Name box, which is the
the Select Locked Cells option and
dropdown to the left of the formula
click OK (Figure 2).
bar. Type a new name, such as
Step 7 is the key. By preventing
“Data,” and press Enter.
people from choosing locked cells,
6. Open the Name dropdown and
you ensure that they can use the Tab
choose the name you just entered.
key to quickly jump to the next input
ately motivated employee from getting a
cell.
look at the hidden data in the work-
One note of caution, however: The
7. Save the workbook with the named
Data range selected.
book. Password-protecting a worksheet
Protect Sheet dialog lets you use a pass-
is roughly like securing your home by
word to prevent others from unprotect-
using a strip of duct tape across the
fields selected in steps 2-4, and the tab
ing the worksheet, but this password is
front door.
key will now follow the new sequence.
particularly weak and often gives only a
Excel will remember the order of the
Using the techniques in this article,
false sense of security. Given a few min-
Changing the Tab Order
you can create a better fill-in form using
utes with Google and an older version of
By default, the tab key will move left to
Excel. SF
Excel, most passwords can be removed
right through a row and then from top
in less than a minute. While the pass-
to bottom through the worksheet. If you
Bill Jelen is the host of MrExcel.com and
word protection might be enough to
need to alter the tab order, follow these
the author of the new book, Excel
keep your average sales rep from caus-
steps:
Gurus Gone Wild. Send questions for
ing problems, it won’t keep the moder-
1. Map out the correct order for the
future articles to IMA@MrExcel.com.
June 2009
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