Brent asks if it is possible to make the data validation dropdown arrow appear on the left side of the cell. In Episode 582, I show you a horrible way to accomplish this, that will be entirely unacceptable to 99.9% of the audience.
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This blog is the video podcast companion to the book, Learn Excel from MrExcel. Download a new two minute video every workday to learn one of the 277 tips from the book!
Transcript of the video:
Hey! Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
I'm Bill Jelen.
Today, we have a question sent in by Brent and if you have a question for the podcast.
Please feel free to drop me a note or leave me a voicemail.
And unfortunately, Brent send in a two-part question and today's part I don't have an answer for, at least one that's not going to be acceptable.
Brent said that he likes to use, the data validation to get a drop-down list.
But, sometimes he has several cells that are merged together and the drop-down arrow appears way off to the right.
He says, "Hey! is there any way to make the drop down arrow appear on the left." Well, in case you've never used data validation.
It's pretty simple, we just use data and then validation and say that instead of allowing any value, we want to allow a list.
Now, normally we would point to a range of cells that had the data.
But, we can actually just type the list right here.
So, A B C D E F.
Click [ OK ] and what happens is we get a drop down, where we can choose from the list and Brent's, right.
When you have merged the cells that drop-down does appear way, way to the right.
Well, the only solution I have for this and I have to admit it is not acceptable at all is, to go to tools options and on the International tab, there's a setting where we can change the right to left orientation.
Say that we want to use right to left and then view current sheet right to left well this does happen to solve the problem of getting the drop down on the left hand side.
But, it also does a whole bunch of other things, they're going to drive us crazy for example, the numbers, the row numbers are now along the right-hand side of the spreadsheet, and the spread sheet reads right to left with column A over here, and then B and then C, then D.
This is so for those languages which read right to left for example, Hebrew.
So, well!
This is a horrible way to get the drop down arrow to the left side of the cell.
I don't think anyone, in their right mind would actually do this because of all the other problems, they're going to happen.
So, Brent!
Thanks for sending in your question.
Bad news is, I don't think I can solve it.
Although, you never know, if someone watching the podcast will come up with great solution.
Now, Brent has the second part of the question about data validation and we'll get to that one on tomorrow's podcast.
Thanks for stopping by.
We'll see you next time for another netcast, from MrExcel.
Hey! Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
Wooh! This is a horrible way to get the drop down arrow to the left side of the this well This is a horrible way to get the drop down arrow to the left side of the cell although you never know if someone on The Podcast watching the plot although you never know is someone watching the podcast although you never know if someone watching the podcast will come thanks for stopping by
I'm Bill Jelen.
Today, we have a question sent in by Brent and if you have a question for the podcast.
Please feel free to drop me a note or leave me a voicemail.
And unfortunately, Brent send in a two-part question and today's part I don't have an answer for, at least one that's not going to be acceptable.
Brent said that he likes to use, the data validation to get a drop-down list.
But, sometimes he has several cells that are merged together and the drop-down arrow appears way off to the right.
He says, "Hey! is there any way to make the drop down arrow appear on the left." Well, in case you've never used data validation.
It's pretty simple, we just use data and then validation and say that instead of allowing any value, we want to allow a list.
Now, normally we would point to a range of cells that had the data.
But, we can actually just type the list right here.
So, A B C D E F.
Click [ OK ] and what happens is we get a drop down, where we can choose from the list and Brent's, right.
When you have merged the cells that drop-down does appear way, way to the right.
Well, the only solution I have for this and I have to admit it is not acceptable at all is, to go to tools options and on the International tab, there's a setting where we can change the right to left orientation.
Say that we want to use right to left and then view current sheet right to left well this does happen to solve the problem of getting the drop down on the left hand side.
But, it also does a whole bunch of other things, they're going to drive us crazy for example, the numbers, the row numbers are now along the right-hand side of the spreadsheet, and the spread sheet reads right to left with column A over here, and then B and then C, then D.
This is so for those languages which read right to left for example, Hebrew.
So, well!
This is a horrible way to get the drop down arrow to the left side of the cell.
I don't think anyone, in their right mind would actually do this because of all the other problems, they're going to happen.
So, Brent!
Thanks for sending in your question.
Bad news is, I don't think I can solve it.
Although, you never know, if someone watching the podcast will come up with great solution.
Now, Brent has the second part of the question about data validation and we'll get to that one on tomorrow's podcast.
Thanks for stopping by.
We'll see you next time for another netcast, from MrExcel.
Hey! Welcome back to the MrExcel netcast.
Wooh! This is a horrible way to get the drop down arrow to the left side of the this well This is a horrible way to get the drop down arrow to the left side of the cell although you never know if someone on The Podcast watching the plot although you never know is someone watching the podcast although you never know if someone watching the podcast will come thanks for stopping by
