Excel help

SarieP

Because so many of you are computer savvy, can you please help me?  I am trying to create a drop down list in excel with block arrows.  I have entered and named my list and did the data validation to create a drop down list, but since I made the block arrows using the insert shapes function, the arrows are independent from the actual cell.  How can I make my arrow part of the cell so that it will show up on my drop down list?Thanks a bunch.

ac_in_dc

Are you in Excel 2007 or 2003? They just switched me to 2007...it sucks b/c I have to relearn everything. I was a total ninja at the old version.

georgia_bride09

Are you talking about filters?

ac_in_dc

I see your prob. I just made a list using data validation and the arrow only automatically shows up when you click the cell.Do you want some way for it to show up all the time?

SarieP

2007, I was great at it before but now I suck. No, not talking about filters.  I'm making an actual drop down list so all they have to do is select which arrow they want in the cell, but I can't figure out how to make the arrows appear in the drop down list.

ac_in_dc

Here's what I found on-line in an excel forum. If you use data validation a list shows up, but only when you click the cell. You have to create a combo box under tools:Office button > Excel Options, make sure "Show Developer Tab" is selected. Click the Developer tab > Controls > Insert Combobox from the active x controls, right click the drop down and select properties, in that pane that opens. Put the range with your list in the listfillrange and the cell you want to link to. Click the design mode button to get out of design mode

SarieP

ac, I did that but it still didn't work.  If I type text into the cells that I want to appear in the drop down list, it works just fine.  It's the fact that I have inserted shapes into my spreadsheet. I want to know how to make those shapes appear as text inside a cell.

ac_in_dc

Ohh...I misunderstood your original question. Why don't you just download a font on a free fonts website. There shoudl be a lot of arrow and symbol fonts there. Otherwise if you know visual basic there may be a way to program this in, but my gut instinct is that without some VB programming Excel won't have the capacity to do what you're asking. Just an educated guess on my part, though.

SarieP

Gah! I can't download anything without IT doing it for me.  I don't have permissions to download things on my computre.

ac_in_dc

nothing under Insert -> Symbols will work for you? They have some basic arrows there.

SarieP

That is what I used.  BUT when you insert a picture into a cell, how do you make it show up as text so it will appear in a drop down list?

ac_in_dc

Not sure. Definitely make sure you're inserting "text" and not "illustrations" from the insert menu.It also looks like there's an EMBED function that you enter into the cell value to allow this to happen. But it's confusing, when I look in help for info on the embed function it's not recognized.I think I could figure it out with some research, though. Although depending on what you're trying to do, it may be more efficient to work around the problem in a different way.