Listing data in excel - Word и Excel - помощь в работе с программами

When we need to collect data from others, they may write different things from their perspective. Still, we need to make all the related stories under one. Also, it is common that while entering the data, they make mistakes because of typo errors. For example, assume in certain cells, if we ask users to enter either “YES” or “NO,” one will enter “Y,” someone will insert “YES” like this, and we may end up getting a different kind of results. So in such cases, creating a list of values as pre-determined values allows the users only to choose from the list instead of users entering their values. Therefore, in this article, we will show you how to create a list of values in Excel.

Create List in Excel
- #1 – Create a Drop-Down List in Excel
- #2 – Create List of Values from Cells
- #3 – Create List through Named Manager
- Things to Remember
- Recommended Articles

You can download this Create List Excel Template here – Create List Excel Template

#1 – Create a Drop-Down List in Excel

We can create a drop-down list in Excel using the “Data Validation in excelThe data validation in excel helps control the kind of input entered by a user in the worksheet.read more” tool, so as the word itself says, data will be validated even before the user decides to enter. So, all the values that need to be entered are pre-validated by creating a drop-down list in Excel. For example, assume we need to allow the user to choose only “Agree” and “Not Agree,” so we will create a list of values in the drop-down list.

In the Excel worksheet under the “Data” tab, we have an option called “Data Validation” from this again, choose “Data Validation.”

As a result, this will open the “Data Validation” tool window.

The “Settings” tab will be shown by default, and now we need to create validation criteria. Since we are creating a list of values, choose “List” as the option from the “Allow” drop-down list.

For this “List,” we can give a list of values to be validated in the following way, i.e., by directly entering the values in the “Source” list.

Enter the first value as “Agree.”

Once the first value to be validated is entered, we need to enter “comma” (,) as the list separator before entering the next value. So, enter “comma” and enter the following values as “Not Agree.”

After that, click on “Ok,” and the list of values may appear in the form of the “drop-down” list.

#2 – Create a List of Values from Cells

The above method is to get started, but imagine the scenario of creating a long list of values or your list of values changing now and then. Then, it may get difficult to return and edit the list of values manually. So, by entering values in the cell, we can easily create a list of values in Excel.

Follow the steps to create a list from cell values.

We must first insert all the values in the cells.
Then, open “Data Validation” and choose the validation type as “List.”
Next, in the “Source” box, we need to place the cursor and select the list of values from the range of cells A1 to A5.
Click on “OK,” and we will have the list ready in cell C2.

So values to this list are supplied from the range of cells A1 to A5. Any changes in these referenced cells will also impact the drop-down list.

For example, in cell A4, we have a value as “Apr,” but now we will change that to “Jun” and see what happens in the drop-down list.

Now, look at the result of the drop-down list. Instead of “Apr,” we see “Jun” because we had given the list source as cell range, not manual entries.

#3 – Create List through Named Manager

There is another way to create a list of values, i.e., through named ranges in excelName range in Excel is a name given to a range for the future reference. To name a range, first select the range of data and then insert a table to the range, then put a name to the range from the name box on the left-hand side of the window.read more.

We have values from A1 to A5 in the above example, naming this range “Months.”

Now, select the cell where we need to create a list and open the drop-down list.

Now place the cursor in the “Source” box and press the F3 key to an open list of named ranges.

As we can see above, we have a list of names, choose the name “Months” and click on “OK” to get the name to the “Source” box.

Click on “OK,” and the drop-down list is ready.

Things to Remember

The shortcut key to open data validation is “ALT + A + V + V.“
We must always create a list of values in the cells so that it may impact the drop-down list if any change happens in the referenced cells.

Create a drop-down list

You can help people work more efficiently in worksheets by using drop-down lists in cells. Drop-downs allow people to pick an item from a list that you create.

In a new worksheet, type the entries you want to appear in your drop-down list. Ideally, you’ll have your list items in an
Excel table
. If you don’t, then you can quickly convert your list to a table by selecting any cell in the range, and pressing

Ctrl+T

.
Notes:
- Why should you put your data in a table? When your data is in a table, then as you
  add or remove items from the list
  , any drop-downs you based on that table will automatically update. You don’t need to do anything else.
- Now is a good time to
  Sort data in a range or table
  in your drop-down list.
Select the cell in the worksheet where you want the drop-down list.
Go to the

Data

tab on the Ribbon, then

Data Validation

.

Note:
If you can’t click

Data Validation

, the worksheet might be protected or shared.
Unlock specific areas of a protected workbook
or stop sharing the worksheet, and then try step 3 again.
On the

Settings

tab, in the

Allow

box, click

List

.
Click in the

Source

box, then select your list range. We put ours on a sheet called Cities, in range A2:A9. Note that we left out the header row, because we don’t want that to be a selection option:
If it’s OK for people to leave the cell empty, check the

Ignore blank

box.
Check the

In-cell dropdown

box.
Click the

Input Message

tab.
- If you want a message to pop up when the cell is clicked, check the
  
  Show input message when cell is selected
  
  box, and type a title and message in the boxes (up to 225 characters). If you don’t want a message to show up, clear the check box.
Click the

Error Alert

tab.
- If you want a message to pop up when someone enters something that’s not in your list, check the
  
  Show error alert after invalid data is entered
  
  box, pick an option from the
  
  Style
  
  box, and type a title and message. If you don’t want a message to show up, clear the check box.
Not sure which option to pick in the

Style

box?
- To show a message that doesn’t stop people from entering data that isn’t in the drop-down list, click
  
  Information
  
  or Warning. Information will show a message with this icon
  
  and Warning will show a message with this icon
  
  .
- To stop people from entering data that isn’t in the drop-down list, click
  
  Stop
  
  .
  
  Note:
  If you don’t add 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.»

You can download an example workbook with multiple data validation examples like the one in this article. You can follow along, or create your own data validation scenarios.
Download Excel data validation examples
.

Data entry is quicker and more accurate when you restrict values in a cell to choices from a drop-down list.

Start by making a list of valid entries on a sheet, and sort or rearrange the entries so that they appear in the order you want. Then you can use the entries as the source for your drop-down list of data. If the list is not large, you can easily refer to it and type the entries directly into the data validation tool.

Create a list of valid entries for the drop-down list, typed on a sheet in a single column or row without blank cells.
Select the cells that you want to restrict data entry in.
On the

Data

tab, under

Tools

, click

Data Validation

or

Validate

.

Note:
If the validation command is unavailable, the sheet might be protected or the workbook may be shared. You cannot change data validation settings if your workbook is shared or your sheet is protected. For more information about workbook protection, see
Protect a workbook
.
Click the

Settings

tab, and then in the

Allow

pop-up menu, click

List

.
Click in the

Source

box, and then on your sheet, select your list of valid entries.

The dialog box minimizes to make the sheet easier to see.
Press RETURN or click the

Expand

button to restore the dialog box, and then click

OK

.
Tips:
- You can also type values directly into the
  
  Source
  
  box, separated by a comma.
- To modify the list of valid entries, simply change the values in the source list or edit the range in the
  
  Source
  
  box.
- You can specify your own error message to respond to invalid data inputs. On the
  
  Data
  
  tab, click
  
  Data Validation
  
  or
  
  Validate
  
  , and then click the
  
  Error Alert
  
  tab.

Need more help?

You can always ask an expert in the Excel Tech Community or get support in the Answers community.

Create a Data List in Excel

After you’ve correctly entered data into a table and included the proper headers, convert the table to a list.

Select a cell in the table.
Select Home > Sort & Filter > Filter.
Column header arrows appear to the right of each header.
When you select a column header arrow, a filter menu appears. This menu contains options to sort the list by any of the field names and to search the list for records that match certain criteria.
Sort your data list to find whatever specific data you want to retrieve.

Note that a table of data must contain at least two data records before a list is created.

Basic Excel Table Information

The basic format for storing data in Excel is a table. In a table, data is entered in rows. Each row is known as a record. Once a table has been created, use Excel’s data tools to search, sort, and filter the records to find specific information.

Columns

While rows in the table are referred to as records, the columns are known as fields. Each column needs a heading to identify the data it contains. These headings are called field names. Field names are used to ensure that the data for each record is entered in the same sequence.

Make sure to enter the data in a column using a consistent format. For example, If numbers are entered as digits (such as 10 or 20,) keep it up; don’t change partway through and begin entering numbers as words (such as «ten» or «twenty»).

It’s also important to leave no blank columns in the table, and note that the table must contain at least two columns before a list is created.

Guard Against Data Errors

When creating the table, make sure the data is entered correctly. Data errors caused by incorrect data entry are the source of many problems related to data management. If the data is entered correctly in the beginning, you’ll get the results you want.

To guard against data errors, leave no blank rows in the table being created, not even between the headings and the first row of data. Make sure each record contains data about only one specific item, and that each record contains all the data about that item. There can’t be information about an item in more than one row.

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Источник

Excel 2019 is used in many organizations to fill out information on customers, orders and products. Some of the data items are repetitive, meaning that you don’t type data into a cell but rather select from a data list. For instance, you might want to select a state from a dropdown list in a column that stores the state for a customer address. You can make it easier to fill out forms in Excel 2019 using data lists, and this article shows you how to create them.

Set Up the List

Before you create a dropdown list in Excel, you need a list of data to use. Since you can make multiple worksheets in one Excel workbook, most people use a separate sheet to populate the data list. You can then configure any specific cell in the Excel form to point to this list of data. You then set the cell as a list, and Excel does the rest for you.

You don’t have to use a separate sheet to populate a data list. You can use the same sheet or even a separate workbook. You can use a separate workbook, but any changes to this workbook could affect the data list. Also, if the workbook is moved to a different directory or storage location, your list will no longer function.

For simplicity, this article’s examples use the same workbook and worksheet, but just know that you can use references to separate worksheets and workbooks for your own data lists.

Create a blank worksheet in a currently opened workbook, or you can create a new workbook to store the new data list. In the following scenario, a list of states is used for a data list. We’ll add five states to the first column (A) in a new worksheet.

(List of states set up for a dropdown)

In the image above, five states were added to their own cells. Notice at the top that «State» is used to label the column list. This is beneficial for the dropdown that we’ll make, and it helps label data so that others can understand what the list is used for. The list can be as long as it needs to be, but we’ve only added five states for simplicity.

You now need a place to display the dropdown that will contain these values. For simplicity, we’ll set up a dropdown in the same worksheet. Make sure that you label the dropdown as well so that users know what the dropdown list is for.

(Location of the state dropdown and its label)

In the image above, the cell E4 is selected as the cell that will contain the dropdown list. In D4, the label «States:» is displayed so that users know a list of states will be shown in the dropdown. It also helps users understand that they must select a state when they fill out the form. Labeling cells is an important part of creating effective spreadsheets that store the right data, especially among several users that add data and revise it periodically.

Creating a Dropdown Based on External Data

With the cell next to the «States:» label selected, click the «Data» tab. The «Data» tab has several data tools that you can use to work with lists. Click the «Data Validation» button, which is found in the «Data Tools» section of the «Data» tab.

(Location of the «Data Validation» button)

Clicking this button displays another dropdown selection. Click the «Data Validation» option, and a new window opens where you can configure your data list and cell that contains the options for a user to choose from.

(Data validation configuration window)

In the window above, you have several options to set a dropdown using a list of data. For a dropdown, you need to choose the «List» option. The «List» option is found in the «Allow» dropdown box.

(Select «List» for the validation criteria)

In the image above, notice that the «Allow» dropdown has the «List» option selected. This option tells Excel 2019 that you want to use a data list. If you hadn’t already created a data list in an external workbook or in a worksheet in the current workbook, you would need to cancel out of this window and create a list. For this reason, it’s better to create a list of data that you want to display in a dropdown before setting up this configuration option.

When you select «List» from the dropdown, a new list of options display in the «Data Validation» window. The «Source» text box is where you can type the range of cells. With a list of only five states, it’s easy to take a look at the cells that contain states and type them into this text box. However, when you have a range of cells that span several rows, you’d have to scroll down the spreadsheet to find the last cell in the list. You could also have empty cells that you miss as you scroll down the list. Instead of typing the cell range manually, you can click the arrow up button adjacent to the «Source:» text box. This opens a view of your spreadsheet where you can use your mouse to select the cells that contain a list of data.

Click the arrow button next to the «Source» text box to trigger the data selection feature. The «Data Validation» window collapses and then only the Source text box displays. Use the mouse to highlight each state. You don’t need to click the states individually. Instead, click the first state and drag your mouse to the last state in the list. The data validation tool will automatically create the range in the text box with the right textual labels that reference cells containing the information to display in the dropdown.

(Data list selected and displayed in Source text box)

Click the «Input Message» tab to see a list of options to prompt the user with information when the input cell is selected. In some scenarios, having a label such as «State» is not enough to explain what the user should input. You might need additional information to explain what is needed using a prompt. You could set a Note but these notes are used for revisions and not the best option for setting instructional information. With an Input Message, you can prompt the user and display additional information when the cell is selected.

(Input message configuration window)

The input configuration window contains a title and an input message. The «Title» text box is where you set up the main title that the user will see when clicking the cell. The «Input Message» is arguably the more important input text box. This text box describes the purpose of the input selected by the user. It gives additional information to help the user understand the right data selection when filling out the Excel 2019 form.

Fill out these two input fields if you think more information is needed for the user as the form is filled out. Click the «Error Alert» tab to set up an error message or warning for the user should one occur.

(Error alert option for a data dropdown)

In the configuration window above, the check box labeled «Show error alert after invalid data is entered» tells Excel to stop the user and display the configured error should the user enter invalid input. For instance, we have five states from which the user can select in a dropdown. If the user decides to enter a state that isn’t in the list, then Excel would display an error and prompt the user to re-enter information to valid input. You can remove this selection to skip the option, but you should only skip this option if you do not want to restrict data entry to only what’s available in the dropdown list.

In the «Style» dropdown, you can choose if you want to stop the user (the default), or if you want the message to show as an informational note or a warning. This gives you granular control of invalid data errors, so that you can choose if you want to allow the user to continue filling out the form even if data is incorrectly entered.

The «Title» and «Error message» input boxes are the text displayed to the user. Just like the ‘Input Message» option, the «Error message» text box is the most important because it gives the user detailed information on why the input is invalid.

After you make your choices in all three tabs, click the «OK» button, and Excel 2019 sets up the dropdown list in the selected cell.

(Dropdown using a data list)

You can test the new dropdown data list by selecting data. You can also test the error messages by setting the cell to a state that does not match one in the set list.

For instance, first click the arrow in the dropdown and select «Florida.» Notice that no error message is displayed. Next, click the dropdown cell, which is E4 in this example. Type the word «Text» in the input cell. Click away from the input cell by clicking cell F1. Notice that an error message displays indicating that incorrect input was detected.

(Error message displayed from invalid input)

This error and validation control let you stop invalid input so that you can keep a spreadsheet of data that follows a strict rule set. By blocking invalid input, you can ensure that only a specific set of data is added to your input forms.

Dropdown lists are a common part of forms, and Excel makes it easy to create them whether the list contains 2 or 2000 cells. Dropdown lists are valuable when you have a set list of items from which you want users to choose, so they cannot just type any value into a cell. Using data lists makes creating long forms with multiple dropdown lists faster and remember that you aren’t limited to just the current sheet. You can reference any worksheet or workbook that contains your data by just adding the appropriate reference syntax in your data validation options.

Managing Data

Entering and managing lots of data can be a daunting task. It’s easy to get overwhelmed in all of those rows and columns of information. The solution is to use a form. A form is simply a dialog box that lets you display or enter information one record (or row) at a time. It can also make the information more visually appealing and easier to understand.

Most people who are familiar with the MS Office suite associate complex forms with Excel’s sister program Access, but you can use them in Excel as well. In fact, you can even share data between the two programs.

There are two kinds of forms available in MS Excel: data forms and worksheet forms.

Data forms are generally used for data entry. They are simple forms that list the contents of a single column. What’s more, they can display up to 32 fields at a time. This is especially helpful when dealing with a data range that reaches across more columns than will fit on a screen. You can insert, alter, delete, and even find records with data forms.

Worksheet forms are more sophisticated and specialized. They can be customized to fit the information at hand or to fill a particular need. They can even be complex and appealing enough to be printed or distributed online. Worksheet forms must be created using the Microsoft Visual Basic Editor.

Adding the Form Button to the Quick Access Toolbar

The Form button is not included in the ribbon, but you can add it to the Quick Access Toolbar, which, if you remember, is in the upper left hand corner of the application window.

To add the Form button, click the arrow to the right of the Quick Launch toolbar and select More Commands. This will launch the Excel Options window, which can also be accessed by clicking Options on the File tab.

In the «Choose commands from» box, select Commands Not In the Ribbon, then scroll down through the list until you find Forms. Select it and click Add. When you are finished, click OK.

This is what the Form button looks like: .

Adding Records Using the Data Form

When you click the Form button for the first time, Excel will analyze the row of field names and entries for the first record. It uses that information to create a data form.

Let’s click on the Form button now.

The first record appears in the dialogue box:

Click Find Next to find the next record.

If you want to add a new record using the data form, click New.

As you can see in the snapshots above, the number of the record appears above the New button.

However, when you click the New button, it lets you know that it’s a new record.

Let’s add a new record.

Enter the information, then hit Enter.

The new record appears in your list:

You can hit ESC when you’re done adding records.

Editing Records in the Data Form

In addition to adding records, you can also edit them. You can use the data form to find records that need updated or removed from the list.

To do this, click the Form button on the Quick Access Toolbar.

Find the record that you want to update or remove.

Now click in any of the fields to update the data. You can also delete data in the field.

Hit Enter.

Navigating Through Records in the Data Form

If you have a lot of records, navigating through them can be a challenge. The data form makes it a bit easier.

If you want to move to the next record in the data form, press Enter or the down arrow key.

To move to the previous record, hit the up arrow or press Shift+Enter.

To move to the first record in the data list, press CTRL+ ? (up arrow) or press CTRL+PgUp.

To go to a new data form that comes after the last record, press CTRL+ ? (down arrow) or CTRL+PgDn.

Find Records in the Data Form

If you want to find a specific record, you can use the Criteria button in the data form. It’s pictured below.

When you click the Criteria button, Excel 2019 clears the field entries in the data form. Instead, the word Criteria is displayed.

Let’s push the Criteria button to show you what we mean.

We now see a blank data form.

Notice that the word Criteria is above the new button, and the new button is inactive since we’re searching for a record.

Now, let’s say you’re looking for a woman named Mary Webb, but you have 5000 women named Mary in your list.

Enter the criteria: Mary Webb.

Now click the Find Next button.

As you can see, it brings up the record.

You can also include the following operators in search criteria to help you find the record you need:

? for single
* for multiple wildcard characters
= Equal to
> Greater than
< Less than
>= Greater than or equal to
<= Less than or equal to
<> Not equal to

Data Validation

Data Validation lets you choose what information is acceptable to enter into a cell. For instance, you may have a product code that has four digits. You can set up a cell so that anything other than a 4-digit number will display an error message.

To set up data validation, select a cell or cells, then click the Data tab. Go to Data Validation in the Data Tools group.

Choose Data Validation from the dropdown menu.

You’ll see this window:

Since we’re going to set up a cell to accept only a 4-digit number, we will select Text length from the drop down menu that says «Allow» over it. From the Data dropdown menu, we are going to select «equal to» and in the length text field we will type «4.» That tells Excel we want an entry with four characters.

From here, we can hit OK and have Excel 2019 provide a generic warning that looks like this:

Alternatively, we can create a custom warning by selecting the Error Alert tab. Which looks like this:

Here we have selected the Warning style and entered the text for our error alert.

When a user enters a code of less or greater than four digits, the message will look like this:

There are three kinds of error messages available in Excel: information messages, warning messages, and stop messages. Information messages and warning messages do not prevent invalid information to be entered into the cell; they simply inform the user that such an entry has been made. Users can choose to ignore the warning. A stop message, on the other hand, will not allow an invalid entry. It has two buttons, Cancel and Retry. Cancel restores the cell to its original value, and retry returns them to the cell for further editing.

You can also set up a message to remind users what the restrictions or expectations are. Use the Input Message tab to create a custom reminder.

It will display anytime the cell or the range of cells is selected, as in the example below.

Auditing

MS Excel gives you a variety of tools to audit information in a worksheet. Just like data forms, formula auditing can take some of the confusion and frustration out of dealing with lots of different formulas. You can also see which cells have invalid information in them.

To use these tools, go to the Formulas tab, then the Formula Auditing group.

Select Error Checking and choose Error Checking from the dropdown menu.

That said, it is not always apparent which cells have formulas in them. Therefore, the first step to evaluate the formulas is to find them. Click the Show Formulas button, as highlighted below.

As you can see in the example below, the whole numbers will be changed to the formulas and the formula cells will be selected.

To make it easier to see the cells when they are no longer selected, you can click the fill button. This will fill the selected cells with very visible yellow.

Let’s take a closer look at the other functions in the Formula Auditing group.

These two buttons allow you to trace (and turn off trace) precedents in a formula. A precedent cell is one that is referred to by a formula in another cell.

B2 thru B13 are precedents because they are referred to in the formula in cell B15. As you can see, the trace precedents button shows you the relationship between the cells.

The next button removes all arrows.

The Watch Window (pictured below) is useful when you’re not sure if alterations to the value in a cell will affect a formula. You can easily remind yourself of the formula by adding it to the watch window.

The Evaluate Formula function will perform the calculations of a formula in slow motion so you can see each step. To use it, select a formula, then click the Evaluate Formula button in the toolbar. You will see a box that looks like this:

Click the Evaluate button to see Excel 2019 perform the calculations in slow motion. Use the Step In and Step Out buttons to navigate through each step in the formula.

Introduction to Data Plotting Using 3D Maps

Excel lets you explore your data in a worksheet by plotting it on a map. For example, you might want to create a 3D map to show the cities where your customers live. You will need an image of a map in either .jpg, .png, or .bmp format. If the data you wish to plot on a map doesn’t relate to cities, but perhaps instead locations in a warehouse, you’ll want to upload an image that relates to your data. That said, you will also need data that relates to the picture so that your data can be plotted using an XY coordinate system.

To create the 3D map, go to the Insert tab, then click the 3D Map button.

It may take a moment to load, but you will see the 3D Map screen.

To create a map customized for your data, click New Tour.

Go to Home>New Scene in the 3D Map screen.

From the dropdown menu, select New Custom Map.

You will then see this dialogue box:

Locate the background picture you want to use.

Click Open.

You can now see your picture open in the 3D Map window. Use the dialogue box to adjust the XY coordinates if needed.

Click Apply, then Done.

Источник

Excel allows you to analyze data according to different parameters. An inline element of the analysis – is the sorting. To make the item work, the information must be presented in the form of a list, drawn up in a certain way.

The data in the table is distributed in columns and rows. There are similar values in the columns: numbers, dates, text. But they are not mixed. The sorting won’t work if there are empty rows or columns.

The sorting of data in Excel

In Excel can be arranged to lists:

ascending;
descendingly;
by user-defined parameters (days of week, months, etc.).

To sort in ascending order means ordering the data:

from 0 to 9;
from A to Я;
from A to Z.

Descending — in reverse order.

To invoke to the custom sort order, you must perform the following sequence: «DATA» — «Sorting» -«Order» — «Customizable list». The menu of this type appears.

How to discard the data in Excel by column?

We have the training table with the list of employees and salary.

salary.

Sort the salary in descending order, from higher to least. Select the desired column – right mouse button – Sort – Largest to Smallest:

The sort range is expanded automatically. It turns out like this:

How to sort in Excel in ascending order?

Select the column – right mouse button – this time we show: from a minimum value to a maximum value.

The result:

How to sort alphabetically in Excel?

Select «DATA»-«Sort» (or the column with the last names – right mouse button – select: custom sorting).

«Sort by» — select the name of the column, whose values you need to sort alphabetically. We have «Managers». In the sorting we choose on which options the tool will be guided. This can be a color of: a cell, a font, cell icon. In our example — «values» (analysis of values in the cell). «Order» — from A to Z or from Z to A. We make a direct order. Click OK.

The result of sorting alphabetically:

How to make the sorting by the date in Excel?

The initial data:

We need to sort the goods by the receipt date at the warehouse.

The procedure:

To check that the date column has the correct format («Date»). Select the column and sort it from old date to new ones (from new to old).

To choose from «old to new». The values of the list are arranged in chronological order.

To sort the data in the range you can by the days of week, by months. To do this, select the «Custom List» from the «Custom Sort» menu.

We sort the data by the meaning

For example, the information in the table should be allocated on positions, military ranks, certificates, customers and goods depending on their importance for the concrete enterprise, etc. For these purposes, user`s lists are created, which can be compiled independently.

In the «Custom list» menu you need to select the new list and to form the hierarchy of any objects. The separators may be commas or the «Enter» key. When hierarchical objects are added, click «Add».

And here is the result of the sorting the training table for the positions:

The sorting of data for multiple columns

If you want to sorting information by different conditions in different columns, use the «Custom List» menu. There’s the button «Add level».

The data in the table will be sorted according to several parameters. In one column, for example, in ascending order. In the other one («then by…») – alphabetically, etc. As a result, the range will be formed as specified by complex sorting.

Levels can be added, deleted, copied, swapped with the «Up» and «Down» buttons.

There are the simplest ways of the sorting data in tables. You can use formulas for these purposes. The built-in tools «LEAST», «LINE» COUNTIF» are suitable for these purposes.

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Excel has some useful features that allow you to save time and be a lot more productive in your day-to-day work.

One such useful (and less-known) feature in the Custom Lists in Excel.

Now, before I get to how to create and use custom lists, let me first explain what’s so great about it.

Suppose you have to enter numbers the month names from Jan to Dec in a column. How would you do it? And no, doing it manually is not an option.

One of the fastest ways would be to have January in a cell, February in an adjacent cell and then use the fill handle to drag and let Excel automatically fill in the rest. Excel is smart enough to realize that you want to fill the next month in each cell in which you drag the fill handle.

Month names are quite generic and therefore it’s available by default in Excel.

But what if you have a list of department names (or employee names or product names), and you want to do the same. Instead of manually entering these or copy-paste these, you want these to appear magically when you use the fill handle (just like month names).

You can do that too…

… by using Custom Lists in Excel

In this tutorial, I will show you how to create your own custom lists in Excel and how to use these to save time.

How to Create Custom Lists in Excel

By default, Excel already has some pre-fed custom lists that you can use to save time.

For example, if you enter ‘Mon’ in one cell ‘Tue’ in an adjacent cell, you can use the fill handle to fill the rest of the days. In case you extend the selection, keep on dragging and it will repeat and give you the day’s name again.

Below are the custom lists that are already in-built in Excel. As you can see, these are mostly days and month names as these are fixed and will not change.

Now, suppose you want to create a list of departments that you often need in Excel, you can create a custom list for it. This way, the next time you need to get all the departments name in one place, you don’t need to rummage through old files. All you need to do is type the first two in the list and drag.

Below are the steps to create your own Custom List in Excel:

Click the File tab
Click on Options. This will open the ‘Excel Options‘ dialog box
Click on the Advanced option in the left-pane
In the General option, click on the ‘Edit Custom Lists’ button (you may have to scroll down to get to this option)
In the Custom Lists dialog box, import the list by selecting the range of cells that have the list. Alternatively, you can also enter the name manually in the List Entries box (separated by comma or each name in a new line)
Click on Add

As soon as you click on Add, you would notice that your list now becomes a part of the Custom Lists.

In case you have a large list that you want to add to Excel, you can also use the Import option in the dialog box.

Pro tip: You can also create a named range and use that named range to create the custom list. To do this, enter the name of the named range in the ‘Import list from cells’ field and click OK. The benefit of this is that you can change or expand the named range and it will automatically get adjusted as the custom list

Now that you have the list in Excel backend, you can use it just like you use numbers or month names with Autofill (as shown below).

While it’s great to be able to quickly get these custom lits names in Excel by doing a simple drag and drop, there is something even more awesome that you can do with custom lists (that’s what the next section is about).

Create Your Own Sorting Criteria Using Custom Lists

One great thing about custom lists is that you can use it to create your own sorting criteria. For example, suppose you have a dataset as shown below and you want to sort this based on High, Medium, and Low.

You can’t do this!

If you sort alphabetically, it would screw the alphabetical order (it will give you High, Low, and Medium and not High, Medium, and Low).

This is where Custom Lists really shine.

You can create your own list of items and then use these to sort the data. This way, you will get all the High values together at the top followed by the medium and low values.

The first step is to create a custom list (High, Medium, Low) using the steps shown in the previous section (‘How to Create Custom Lists in Excel‘).

Once you have the custom list created, you can use the below steps to sort based on it:

Select the entire dataset (including the headers)
Click the Data tab
In the Sort and Filter group, click on the Sort icon. This will open the Sort dialog box
In the Sort dialog box, make the following selections:
- Sort by Column: Priority
- Sort On: Cell Values
- Order: Custom Lists. When the dialog box opens, select the sorting criteria you want to use and then click on OK.
Click OK

The above steps would instantly sort the data using the list you created and used as criteria while sorting (High, Medium, Low in this example).

Note that you don’t necessarily need to create the custom list first to use it in sorting. You can use the above steps and in Step 4 when the dialog box opens, you can create a list right there in that dialog box.

Some Examples Where you can Use Custom Lists

Below are some of the cases where creating and using custom lists can save you time:

If you have a list that you need to enter manually (or copy-paste from some other source), you can create a custom list and use that instead. For example, this could be department names in your organization, or product names or regions/countries.
If you’re a teacher, you can create a list of your student names. That way, when you are grading them the next time, you don’t need to worry about entering the student names manually or copy-pasting it from some other sheet. This also ensures that there are fewer chances of errors.
When you need to sort data based on criteria that are not in-built in Excel. As covered in the previous section, you can use your own sorting criteria by making a custom list in Excel.

So this is all that you need to know about Creating Custom Lists in Excel.

I hope you found this useful.

You may also like the following Excel tutorials:

How to Sort by the Last Name in Excel
How to SORT in Excel (by Rows, Columns, Colors, Dates, & Numbers)
How to Sort By Color in Excel
How to Sort Worksheets in Excel
Automatically Sort Data in Alphabetical Order using Formula

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If you’re wondering how to create a multiple-line list in a single cell in Microsoft Excel, you’ve come to the right place. Whether you want a cell to contain a bulleted list with line breaks, a numbered list, or a drop-down list, inserting a list is easy once you know where to look. This wikiHow will teach you three helpful ways to insert any type of list to one cell in Excel.

1

Double-click the cell you want to edit. If you want to create a bullet or numerical list in a single cell with each item on its own line, start by double-clicking the cell into which you want to type the list.
2
Insert a bullet point (optional). If you want to preface each list item with a bullet rather than a number or other character, you can use a key shortcut to insert the bullet symbol. Here’s how:
- Mac: Press Option + 8.
- Windows:
  - If you have a numeric keypad on the side of your keyboard, hold down the Alt key while pressing 7 on the keypad.^[1]
  - If not, click the Insert menu, select Symbol, type 2022 into the «Character code» box at the bottom, and then click Insert.
  - If 2022 didn’t bring up a bullet point, select the Wingdings font instead, and then enter 159 as the character code. You can then click Insert to add the bullet point.
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3
Type your first list item. Don’t press Enter or Return after typing.
- If you want your list to be numbered, preface the first list item with 1. or 1).
4

Press Alt+↵ Enter (PC) or Control+⌥ Option+⏎ Return on a Mac. This adds a line break so you can start typing on the next line of the same cell.^[2]
5

Type the remaining list items. To continue your list, just enter another bullet point on the second line, type the list item, and press Alt + Enter or Control + Option + Return to open a new line. When you’re finished, you can click anywhere else on your sheet to exit the cell.

1
Create your list in another app. If you’re trying to paste a bullet list (or other type of list) into a single cell rather than have it spread across multiple cells, there’s a trick to pasting the list. Start by creating your list in an app like Word, TextEdit, or Notepad.
- If you create a bulleted list in Word, the bullets will copy over to your cell when pasted into Excel. Bullets may not copy from other apps.
2

Copy the list. To do this, just highlight the list, right-click the highlighted area, and then select Copy.
3

Double-click a cell in Excel. Double-clicking the cell before pasting makes it so the list items will all appear in the same cell.
4

Right-click the cell. The context menu will expand.
5

Click the clipboard icon under «Paste Options.» The icon has a clipboard and a black rectangle. This pastes the list into the cell you double-clicked. Each list item will appear on its own line within the same cell.

1

Open the workbook in which you want to create a drop-down list. If you want to be able to click a cell to view and select from a drop-down list, you can create a list with Excel’s data validation tool.^[3]
2
Create a new worksheet in the workbook. You can do this by clicking the + next to the existing workbook sheets at the bottom of Excel. This worksheet is where you’ll enter the items that you want to appear in your drop-down list.
- After you create the list on a separate sheet and add it to a table, you’ll be able to create a drop-down list containing the list data in any cell you want.
3
Type each list item into a single column. Enter every possible list choice into its own separate cell. The items you type will all be available in the drop-down list.
- If you plan to make a lot of drop-down menus and want to use this same sheet to create all of them, add a header to the top of the list. For example, if you’re making a list of cities, you could type City into the first cell. This header won’t actually appear on the drop-down list you create—it’s just for organization on this sheet that contains list data.
4

Highlight the entire table and press Ctrl+T. Include the header at the top of the list when highlighting. This opens the Create Table dialog.
5
Choose a header option and click OK. If you added a header to the top of your list, check the box next to «My table has headers.» If not, make sure there is no checkmark there before clicking OK.
- Now that your list is in a table, you can make changes to it after creating your drop-down list, and your drop-down list will update automatically.
6

Sort the list alphabetically. This will keep your list organized once you add it to your sheet. To do this, just click the arrow next to your header cell and select Sort A to Z.
7

Click the cell on the worksheet in which you want to add the list. This can be any cell on any worksheet in the workbook.
8

Type a name for the list into the cell. This is the cell where the list will appear, so give it a name that indicates the type of option you should choose from that list. For example, if you made a list of cities, you could type City here.
9

Click the Data tab and select Data Validation. Make sure the cell is selected before doing this. If you don’t see Data Validation in the toolbar, click the icon in the «Data Tools» section that has two black rectangles with a green checkmark and a red circle with a line through it. This opens the Data Validation window.
10

Click the «Allow» menu and select List. Additional options will expand.
11

Click the up-arrow in the «Source» field. This minimizes the Data Validation window so you can select your list data.
12

Select the list (without the header) and press ↵ Enter or ⏎ Return. Click back over to the tab that has your list data and drag the mouse cursor over just the list items. Pressing Enter or Return will add the range to the «Source» field.
13

Click OK. The selected cell now has a drop-down list. If you need to add or remove items from the list, you can simply make those changes on your new worksheet and they’ll automatically propagate to the list.

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Article SummaryX

1. Double-click the cell.
2. Press Alt + 7 or Option + 8 to add a bullet point.
3. Type a list item.
4. Press Alt + Enter (PC) or Control + Option + Return (Mac) to go to the next line.
5. Repeat until your list is finished.

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Thanks to all authors for creating a page that has been read 62,222 times.

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A Custom List in Excel is very handy to fill a range of cells with your own personal list.

It could be a list of your team members at work, countries, regions, phone numbers, or customers. The main goal of a custom list is to remove repetitive work and manual errors.

It is extremely useful when you need to fill in the same data from time to time. There are two options to create a list in Excel that can be used repeatedly by using the fill handle.

In this tutorial, you will learn how to create a list in Excel:

Using Pre-existing List
Create a list in Excel manually
Import from another worksheet

Let’s look at each of these methods one-by-one!

Watch it on YouTube and give it a thumbs-up!

Download this Excel Workbook and follow along with the tutorial on how to create a list in Excel :

Using Pre-existing List

At first, it might seem like magic how Excel does this!

There are some lists that are already stored in Excel like days of the week and months in a year.

To demonstrate the power of Excel’s Custom Lists, we’ll explore what’s currently in Excel’s memory as a default list:

STEP 1: Type February in the first cell

STEP 2: From that first cell, click the lower right corner and drag it to the next 5 cells to the right

STEP 3: Release and you will see it get auto-populated to July (The succeeding months after February)

Create a list in Excel manually

You can also manually add new values in the Custom List box and re-use them whenever you wish to.

Let us go straight into the Options in Excel to view how it’s being done, and how you can create your own Custom List:

STEP 1: Select the File tab

STEP 2: Click Options

STEP 3: Select the Advanced option

STEP 4: Scroll all the way down and under the General section, click Edit Custom Lists.

Here you can see the built-in default Excel lists of the calendar months and the days.

If you click on a Custom List, you will see under List entries that it is greyed out and you cannot make any changes. This indicated that it is a default Excel Custom List.

STEP 5: You can create & add your own Custom List under the List entries section.

Click on NEW LIST under the Custom Lists area and then manually enter your list, entering one entry per line:

After typing the values, click Add.

In our screenshot below, we added the values of the Greek alphabet (alpha, beta, gamma, and so on)

Click OK once done.

STEP 6: Click OK again

STEP 7: Now let’s go back into our Excel workbook to see our new Custom List in action. Type alpha on a cell.

STEP 8: From that cell, click the lower right corner and drag it to the next 5 cells to the right

STEP 9: Release and you will see it get auto-populated to zeta, which is based on our Custom List created in Step 8

Next up is a demonstration of how to make a list in Excel by importing data from another worksheet.

Import from another worksheet

You can easily import a custom list from another worksheet. Follow the steps below to get this done:

STEP 1: Go to the File Tab.

STEP 2: Select Options from the left panel.

STEP 3: In the Excel Options dialog box, select Advanced.

STEP 4: Under the General section, click on the Edit Custom List button.

STEP 5: In the Custom List dialog box, select the small arrow up button.

STEP 6: Select the range containing the custom list.

STEP 7: Click on Import.

STEP 8: Once the list will appear under list entries and click OK.

STEP 9: Click OK.

Now, your custom list is stored in Excel!

STEP 10: Type the first entry of the list “XS” in cell A8.

STEP 11: From that first cell, click the lower right corner and drag it to the next 6 cells to the right.

The entire list will be displayed in the selected range!

You can even create this list vertically. Simply, type the XS in a cell. Click on the lower right corner and drag the cell downwards.

The list will appear vertically!

Conclusion

In this article, you have learned how to make a list in Excel so that you don’t have to type the same list over and over again. You use the Custom list feature in Excel and store it in Excel and use it whenever necessary.

You can either use the pre-existing list, manually type the list or link it from another worksheet!

Make sure to download our FREE PDF on the 333 Excel keyboard Shortcuts here:

You can learn more about how to use Excel by viewing our FREE Excel webinar training on Formulas, Pivot Tables, Power Query, and Macros & VBA!

Источник

Bottom Line: The complete Excel guide on how to create drop-down lists in cells (data validation lists). Includes keyboard shortcuts to select items, copying drop-downs to other cells, handling invalid inputs, updating lists with new items, and more.

Skill Level: Beginner

Watch on YouTube & Subscribe to our Channel

Download the Excel File

You can download the file I’m using in the video here:

What Are Data Validation Lists?

Creating a drop-down list is a great way to ensure that entries are uniform and free from spelling errors. It also helps restrict entries so that only values you’ve approved make it onto the sheet.

That’s why they are also called data validation lists. They help to make sure that only valid data makes it into the cells that you’ve applied it to.

This can be helpful when multiple users are entering data on the same sheet and you want the options to be limited to a list of items or values that you’ve already approved.

We can also use drop-down lists to create interactive reports and financial models, where results change when the user changes a cell’s value.

How to Create a Drop-down (Data Validation) List

To create a drop-down list, start by going to the Data tab on the Ribbon and click the Data Validation button.

The Data Validation window will appear. The keyboard shortcut to open the Data Validation window is Alt, A, V, V.

You’ll want to select List in the drop-down menu under Allow.

At this point there are a few ways that you can tell Excel what items you want to include in your drop-down list.

Drop-down List from Comma Separated Values

The first way is by typing all of the options that you want in your drop-down list, separated by commas, into the Source field. For example, if there are only two options to choose from, such as Yes and No, you would simply type “Yes, No” (do not include the quotation marks) in the Source box. It doesn’t matter whether a space follows your comma or not.

A longer list of options might look like this: “Red, Blue, Green, Purple, Orange, Yellow, Brown”. The options in your drop-down list will appear in the exact same order that you have typed them.

Note: On some language versions of Excel you will need to use a semicolon (;) instead of a comma.

Drop-down List from a Range of Values

The second way to fill your list with options is to choose them from a range of values. To do this, instead of typing values into the Source field, you want to select the icon to the right.

Selecting this icon will open up a small window that will auto-fill when you select a range of cells on the worksheet. Once you’ve selected the values you want to appear in your drop-down list, you can click on the corresponding icon to take you back to the Data Validation window.

At this point, the range you’ve selected will show in the Source box and you can just hit OK.

Now the values in the range that you’ve selected show as options that you can choose from in your drop-down list.

Shortcut for Selecting from the Drop-down List

To choose the option you want from your drop-down list, you can use your mouse to click on the option you want. Another way to select it is to use the keyboard shortcut Alt+?. This brings up the drop-down list and you can use your up and down arrow keys to highlight the selection you want, and then press Enter to select.

How to Search the Drop-down List

Unfortunately, Excel doesn’t have an option to search the drop-down list for a particular item, but I’ve created an add-in that gives you that option. It’s called List Search and you can access that add-in here:

Click here to download the List Search Add-in

Note: You will create a free account for the Excel Campus Members site to access the download and any future updates. The download site also contains installation instructions and videos.

How to Copy the Data Validation List to Other Cells

If you have created a drop-down list for a particular cell and would like other cells to have the same data validation list, you can easily copy (extend) that list to other cells.

Start by clicking on the cell that has the list, and then select any additional cells that you want to extend the drop-down list to. This can include blank cells or cells that already have values in them.

As before, you will click on the Data Validation button in the Data tab, but this time a warning will appear that says, “The selection contains some cells without Data Validation settings. Do you want to extend the Data Validation to these cells?”

Choose Yes, and then hit OK when the Data Validation Window appears. You’ll see that each of the cells in your selection now has the same drop-down options as the original cell.

It’s also worth noting that you can copy and paste Data Validation from one cell to another just as you would copy and paste normal values and formatting.

Handling Errors and Invalid Inputs

What happens when we enter a value into a cell that has a Data Validation List, but that value is not one of the options in the list? That depends on the Error Alert settings, which we have control of.

To change the kind of message the user receives when they enter an extraneous value, you can go back to the Data Validation window. Under the Error Alert tab, you can find three options: Stop, Warning, and Information.

You’ll also notice that there are fields where you can change the title of the error message and the text of the message itself, so that when the user enters data that’s not part of your validation list, they will receive an alert that’s worded in the way you want it to appear.

Here is an explanation of each Error Alert Style:

Stop Style

When the user types an invalid entry, an error message will appear that gives the option to either retype the entry or cancel the attempt. The message looks like this:

Warning Style

The Warning style displays a message that gives the user a choice to allow an entry that isn’t on the preset list.

Information Style

The Information style displays a message that automatically allows the entry no matter what the value is. The user is presented with informative text about validation rules.

Error Checking Alert

When any invalid entry is made in a cell, the error checking alert will appear in the cell. The error is indicated with the green triangle in the top-left corner of the cell. Clicking the Error Box button will allow you to see more info about data validation error. You can select “Display Type Information” from the list to see the cause of the error.

Disable Error Alerts

Another option under the Error Alert tab is to uncheck the box that says, “Show error alert after invalid data is entered.” This allows any value to be entered into the cell, and no message box will appear.

Adding New Data to the Source Range of the List

Adding new options to our drop-down list is possible, but it isn’t automatic when we add new items the bottom of our source list. We need to tell Excel what our new extended source range is. You can do that in the Data Validation window by just typing in the new range, or re-selecting the range to include the new data. (See the section above entitled “Create a Drop-Down List from a Range of Values” for how to select your range.)

The great thing is that we don’t have to redefine these settings for each cell that has Data Validation. The “Apply these changes to all other cells with the same settings” checkbox does this for us. When you click the checkbox, the other cells will selected in the background. This gives you a visual indication of what will be updated.

Then press OK. Any cells that shared the same data validation settings will now include the updated changes that you’ve made.

There is a way to automate the process so that any change you make to the source data instantly updates your drop-down list. It involves using Excel tables and named ranges. You can find out how in this post:

How to Add New Rows to Drop-down Lists Automatically – Dynamic Data Validation Lists

Removing Data Validation from a Cell

Getting rid of a Data Validation list is simple. Open the Data Validation window and click the Clear All button.

If you want to clear the validation settings from other cells with the same settings, make sure to click that checkbox before hitting the Clear All button.

Make Your Workbooks Interactive

Data Validation lists are a great tool to add to your Excel toolbelt. They help us keep our data clean and make our spreadsheets easier to use. We can use them as the source of lookup formulas to create interactive financial models and reports. I will do some follow-up posts with these techniques as well.

Once you feel comfortable with drop-down lists, you may want to try dependent (also called cascading) lists. These are lists that change depending on what you’ve already chosen in another list. For example, you may create a list of car brands, like Toyota, Ford, and Honda. Then you can have a second list of car models that populates with specific options depending on what you choose in the first list. If you choose Toyota in the first list, you might see Corolla, Camry, and Tacoma in the second. But if you go back to the first list and choose Ford, the options in the second list can change to Mustang, Explorer, and Focus. Learn how to create dependent cascading lists here.

If you have any questions or comments about how to use drop-down lists, don’t hesitate to leave a comment below. Thanks! 😊

Источник

Table of contents

#1 – Create a Drop-Down List in Excel

#2 – Create a List of Values from Cells

#3 – Create List through Named Manager

Things to Remember

Recommended Articles

See also

Need more help?

See also

Need more help?

Want more options?

What to Know

Create a Data List in Excel

Basic Excel Table Information

Columns

Guard Against Data Errors

Set Up the List

Creating a Dropdown Based on External Data

Managing Data

Adding the Form Button to the Quick Access Toolbar

Navigating Through Records in the Data Form

Find Records in the Data Form

Auditing

Introduction to Data Plotting Using 3D Maps

The sorting of data in Excel

How to discard the data in Excel by column?

How to sort in Excel in ascending order?

How to sort alphabetically in Excel?

How to make the sorting by the date in Excel?

We sort the data by the meaning

The sorting of data for multiple columns

How to Create Custom Lists in Excel

Create Your Own Sorting Criteria Using Custom Lists

Some Examples Where you can Use Custom Lists

About This Article

Is this article up to date?

Using Pre-existing List

Create a list in Excel manually

Import from another worksheet

Conclusion

Download the Excel File

What Are Data Validation Lists?

How to Create a Drop-down (Data Validation) List

Drop-down List from Comma Separated Values

Drop-down List from a Range of Values

Shortcut for Selecting from the Drop-down List

How to Search the Drop-down List

How to Copy the Data Validation List to Other Cells

Handling Errors and Invalid Inputs

Stop Style

Warning Style

Information Style

Error Checking Alert

Adding New Data to the Source Range of the List

Removing Data Validation from a Cell

Make Your Workbooks Interactive