Viewing Notes in a Data Validated List

Copper Contributor

Greetings .. 
I'm creating some lists using Data Validation
In the cells I've written, for example "Wire Antenna" with a note that provides some examples. Just in case the person making the selection needs a bit more info.
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When I create the list using Data Validation .. "Wire Antenna" shows up .. but not the note.
Is it possible to view that note .. or does it need to be a comment .. or??
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I tried a work around to use a hyperlink .. but that seems to just work on the cell and doesn't change with the selection from the drop down.

4 Replies

@JP2Ro 

Do you mean that you added notes to the source range of the data validation drop down?

Those will never be displayed in the drop down.

You can provide an instruction for the user in the Input Message tab of the Data Validation dialog, but that applies to the cell as a whole, not to individual items of the drop down list.

@JP2Ro so neither comment nor note will show up in a data validation drop down list.  There are some workarounds possible:

a)  you can add info on extra lines in the same cell using ALT-ENTER and format cell to only show that 1st line

here is image showing cells A1 with 2 lines of text but you only see 1 in that cell, A2 has comment and A3 has note and then drop down in C2 shows the help text from A1 but notice how comments and notes aren't shown:

mtarler_0-1663858925478.png

but in this case C2 does return value/text that looks like the drop down (i.e. carriage return is lost)

alternatively

 

b) add helper columns that have the name with more info and then create links between them.  for example the 'real' list is in column A then col B has list with 'help' info.  Then in D is the data validation drop down based on col B.  Then make col C a XLOOKUP(value in D, column B, column A, "") so then C will show the text the way you want it to be seen but D is the actual dropdown box.  You can play with formatting to make it appear 'better' to some extent but there are trade-offs and limitations:

mtarler_1-1663859434915.png

so I made the text in col D white on white so you don't see it and you can lock the sheet and make col D and not col C selectable but it is still clunky

 

 

Gotcha .. Tks
@mtarler
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Ah .. Thanks .. I'll try them both out and see which works best.
I appreciate the alternate views and work around ..
Tks