About Excel Lists
From the MS Excel Help File
An Excel list (list: A series of rows that contains related data or a series of rows that you
designate to function as a datasheet by using the Create List command.) provides
features designed to make it easier to manage and analyze groups of related data in a
worksheet (worksheet: The primary document that you use in Excel to store and work
with data. Also called a spreadsheet. A worksheet consists of cells that are organized into
columns and rows; a worksheet is always stored in a workbook.). When you designate a
range (range: Two or more cells on a sheet. The cells in a range can be adjacent or
nonadjacent.) as a list, you can manage and analyze the data in the list independently of
data outside the list. For example, using only the data contained within the list, you can
filter columns, add a row for totals, and even create a PivotTable report, using only the
data contained within the list.
You can have multiple lists on your worksheet, which allows you a great deal of
flexibility for separating your data into distinct, manageable sets according to your needs.
Note You cannot create a list in a shared workbook (shared workbook: A workbook set
up to allow multiple users on a network to view and make changes at the same time. Each
user who saves the workbook sees the changes made by other users.). You must remove
the workbook from shared use first if you want to create a list.
Excel lists make it easy to share data with other users through integration with Microsoft
Windows SharePoint Services. As long as you have the Web address and authoring rights
on a SharePoint site, you can share your list so other people can view, edit, and update
the list. If you choose to link the list in Excel to a list on a SharePoint site, you can
synchronize changes with the SharePoint site so that other users can see updated data.
When you create a list in Excel, the features of the list and the visual elements designed
to enhance these features make it easy to identify and modify the contents of the list.
Every column in the list has AutoFilter enabled by default in the header row. AutoFilter
allows you to filter or sort your data quickly.
The dark blue border around the list clearly distinguishes the range of cells that makes
up your list.
About Excel Lists
From the MS Excel Help File
The row that contains an asterisk is called the insert row. Typing information in this row
will automatically add data to the list and expand the border of the list.
A total row (total row: A special row in a list that provides a selection of aggregate
functions useful for working with numerical data.) can be added to your list. When you
click a cell within the total row, a drop-down list of aggregate functions becomes
available.
You can modify the size of your list by dragging the resize handle found on the bottom
corner of the list border.
The benefits of lists
When you specify a range of cells as a list in Microsoft Excel, the list user interface
integrates and makes readily available much of the standard functionality that you might
want to use on the data within that list.
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Sort and filter lists You can sort lists in ascending or descending order or
create custom sort orders. You can also filter lists to show only the data that meets
the criteria you specify.
One of the common things that you do with data in Excel is to filter the data based
on different field values. To make this functionality available to you when using
lists, AutoFilter drop-down lists (drop-down list box: A control on a menu,
toolbar, or dialog box that displays a list of options when you click the small
arrow next to the list box.) are automatically added in the header row of a list
when the list is created.
The AutoFilter drop-down list contains new functionality: Sort Ascending, Sort
Descending, and other sort options are located at the top of the drop-down list.
This functionality sorts the entire list on the field where it is chosen, in the
specified order. The remaining drop-down selections are unchanged from the
functionality in earlier versions of Excel.
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Ensure data integrity For lists that are not linked to SharePoint lists, you can
use the built-in data validation features in Excel. For example, you may choose to
allow only numbers or dates in a column of a list. For lists that are linked to
SharePoint lists, the list validation features of Windows SharePoint Services are
automatically applied to the list. For example, when you publish and link the list
to a server that is running Windows SharePoint Services, or when you edit an
existing SharePoint list in Excel, data type rules are applied to each column in the
list to ensure that only one type of data is allowed in each column.
Format list objects You can format cells in a list the same way that you format
cells in a worksheet.
Insert rows Another action that is common when you work with a list is to add
a new row. To that end, an inserted row is displayed whenever the list is active.
About Excel Lists
From the MS Excel Help File
This interface element consists of a blank row, displayed directly below the last
row of data, with a blue asterisk (*) inside the left-most cell.
When the list is inactive, the asterisk is removed and the list border shifts up to
the bottom of the last row of data.

Display a total row
To display a total row, click the Toggle Total Row button
on the List toolbar. This total row is displayed below the insert row when the
list is active, and shifts up to the row just below the last row of data when the list
is not active. When turned on, the word "Total" is displayed in the left-most cell,
and an appropriate Subtotal formula in the right-most cell.
The total row provides you the opportunity to display some manner of total for all
columns in your list. When you click in any a cell in the total row, an arrow
appears to the right of the cell. You can then click this drop-down list arrow to
display a number of aggregate functions. When you choose one, a subtotal
function is then inserted into that cell.
Note You cannot manually edit the cells of the total row to add different
functionality. You can select only an aggregate from the drop-down for use in the
subtotal function that is inserted into the cell by Excel.
Compatible with lists in Windows SharePoint Services When you publish a list to a
SharePoint site, you are creating a custom SharePoint list. If you choose to link the list
when you publish it, or when you export an existing SharePoint list, you can edit that list
offline and synchronize the changes to the SharePoint list at a later time.
Create an Excel List
1.
Highlight the range of data that you want make into a list (list: A series of rows
that contains related data or a series of rows that you designate to function as a
datasheet by using the Create List command.).
Note You can also select the range of cells to be specified as a list by selecting the
range of cells from the Create List dialog box.
2.
3.
On the Data menu, point to List, and then click Create List.
If the selected data has headers, select the My list has headers check box and
click OK.
The selected range of data is highlighted by the list indicator, and the most common list
related functionality is made available on the List toolbar.
About Excel Lists
From the MS Excel Help File
Note If you don't see the List toolbar, on the View menu point to Toolbars, and then
click List.
After the list has been created, it will be identified by a blue border. In addition,
AutoFilter drop-downs will be automatically enabled for each column in the list and the
insert row will be added as the last row or the list. If you choose to add a total row by
clicking Toggle Total Row
on the List toolbar, a total row will be displayed under
the insert row.
When you select a cell, row, or column outside of the list, the list becomes inactive. An
inactive list is surrounded by a blue border and does not display the insert row or
AutoFilter drop-downs.
Note The border will not be displayed if you clicked Hide Border of Inactive Lists on
the List menu.
Create a Drop-Down List
To make data entry easier, or to limit entries to certain items that you define, you can
create a drop-down list that gets its choices from cells elsewhere on the worksheet.
1. Type the entries for the drop-down list in a single column or row. Do not include
blank cells in the list.
If you type the list on a different worksheet from the data entry cell, define a
name (name: A word or string of characters that represents a cell, range of cells,
formula, or constant value. Use easy-to-understand names, such as Products, to
refer to hard to understand ranges, such as Sales!C20:C30.) for the list.
How?
1. Select the cell, range of cells, or nonadjacent selections (nonadjacent
selection: A selection of two or more cells or ranges that don't touch each
other. When plotting nonadjacent selections in a chart, make sure that the
combined selections form a rectangular shape.) that you want to name.
2. Click the Name box at the left end of the formula bar (formula bar: A bar
at the top of the Excel window that you use to enter or edit values or
formulas in cells or charts. Displays the constant value or formula stored
in the active cell.)
.
About Excel Lists
From the MS Excel Help File
Name box
3. Type the name for the cells.
4. Press ENTER.
Note You cannot name a cell while you are changing the contents of the cell.
If you type the list in a different workbook, define a name with an external
reference to the list.
How?
2.
3.
4.
5.
5. Open the workbook that contains the list of drop-down entries.
6. Open the workbook where you want to validate cells, point to Name on
the Insert menu, and then click Define.
7. In the Names in workbook box, type the name.
8. In the Refers to box, delete the contents, and keep the insertion pointer in
the box.
9. On the Window menu, click the name of the workbook that contains the
list of drop-down entries, and then click the worksheet that contains the
list.
10. Select the cells containing the list.
11. In the Define Name dialog box, click Add, and then click Close.
Select the cell where you want the drop-down list.
On the Data menu, click Validation, and then click the Settings tab.
In the Allow box, click List.
If the list is in the same worksheet, enter a reference to your list in the Source
box.
If the list is elsewhere, enter the name you defined for your list in the Source box.
Make sure the reference or name is preceded with an equal sign (=).
6. Make sure the In-cell drop-down check box is selected.
7. Specify whether the cell can be left blank: Select or clear the Ignore blank check
box.
8. To display optional input instructions when the cell is clicked, click the Input
Message tab, make sure the Show input message when cell is selected check
box is selected, and then fill in the title and text for the message.
9. Specify how you want Microsoft Excel to respond when invalid data is entered.
How?
About Excel Lists
From the MS Excel Help File
1. Click the Error Alert tab, and make sure the Show error alert after
invalid data is entered check box is selected.
2. Select one of the following options for the Style box:
To display an information message that does not prevent entry of invalid
data, click Information.
To display a warning message that does not prevent entry of invalid data,
click Warning.
To prevent entry of invalid data, click Stop.
3. Fill in the title and text for the message (up to 225 characters).
Note If you don't enter a title or text, the title defaults to " Microsoft
Excel" and the message to: "The value you entered is not valid. A user has
restricted values that can be entered into this cell."
Notes
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Applying data validation to a cell does not format the cell.
A drop-down list you create for a cell will be represented by an arrow next to that
cell . To enter information in that cell, click the arrow, and then click the entry
you want.
To make entering of repeated data easier, Excel automatically generates a dropdown list of all the unique items in a column. This drop-down list is not attached
to a specific cell, nor is it represented by an arrow. To select information from this
drop-down list, right-click the cell directly above or below other entries in a
column, and then click Pick From Drop-down List.
Tip
If the entry list is short, you can type the entries directly in the Source box, separated by
the Microsoft Windows list separator character (commas by default). For example, you
could type Low, Average, High in the Source box instead of entering the three words on
a worksheet.