In January a friend asked me to assist with a small Excel assignment.
Her company wanted to add a Calendar control to a worksheet so that people could interactively select a date. I have never understood why people like this as nothing is quicker than typing a date as 7/4/14 and letting excel sort it out. But hey, that’s what the client wants.
The issue was that it had to work in every version of Excel from Excel 2002/XP to Excel 2013.
As anybody who has used the Calendar controls in Excel VBA Knows, they rarely work between versions and often require VBA references to be added/changed and DLL’s downloaded to make them work.
This model had to be able to be opened across all the Excel versions from Excel 2002/XP to Excel 13 and even transferred from one version to another regularly.
After struggling with the concept a while I threw away the Calendar Control idea and decided to plagiarise Chandoo’s 2014 Calendar.
Hui’s Chandoo’s Calendar Tool
Every year Chandoo releases a Yearly Calendar as a small gift to his readers. The 2014 calendar is available here.
It has all the facilities of a calendar using simple worksheet functions and Named Formula, and it doesn’t use VBA.
So, why not add a bit of generic VBA and use this as a Calendar selection tool?
The Process
Chandoo’s 2014 Calendar was stripped down to its absolute basic being 2 worksheets and a number of named Formulas which controlled the calculations.
The idea was to:
- Let the user to Select a cell, where they want to enter a date, It can be any cell on any worksheet.
- Press a Calendar Button or or Double Click on the cell and be taken to a Calendar.
- Select a date in the Calendar.
- Have a level of validation/acceptance of certain dates and rejection of other dates.
- Be taken back to the original worksheet and have the date placed into the original cell.
The calendar should pop up and be hidden by VBA code and shouldn’t require the user to know how to do that.
The Calendar had to have a level of user ability to modify the selection criteria and obviously the active year.
The calendar shouldn’t be reliant on any Addins, DLL’s or other external files.
Lets have a look at the components.
The Components
The following description and images use a sample file which you can Download here.
The File is compatible with all PC Excel versions but your screens may look slightly different in different versions, mostly colors are rendered slightly differently.
If you use a Mac Excel version, please let us know how this goes?
The Interface
The Interface is simple, You select a cell where you want to insert a date and press the Calendar Button or Double Click the cell:
The calendar Button uses some simple VBA to store the names of the worksheet and cell where the cursor was when the button was pressed and then opens the Calendar sheet by un-hiding it (making it visible) as per below:
The above image shows the calendar.
This user wanted to only allow Fridays or Saturdays to be selected and so they are manually colored Yellow.
If you select any non-yellow cell – Nothing happens
If you select any yellow cell – That date is returned to your original location
Click on the Year and change it to another value to change years
Selecting the Close button closes the calendar and returns you to your original location with no changes.
You can change the Dates that are allowable to be selectable by either changing the VBA or Selecting Multiple cells and coloring as appropriate.
The Calendar
This Calendar tool in it’s most basic format consists of three Worksheets My Worksheet, Calendar and Mini
My Worksheet is a worksheet where I want to use the date and do my work
Mini is a Row by Row version of the calendar, it remains hidden at all times but it is busy in the background calculating the dates
Calendar is simply a display of the Mini Data in a convenient 12 Month layout
The Calendar worksheet is where the user can select a Date. If the date is Valid (Yellow), the user selected date is returned to the original worksheet and cell, otherwise the user remains on the Calendar worksheet
The relationship between the Mini and Calendar is all handled by Named Formula which the user doesn’t need to worry about
The VBA
My Worksheet
My Worksheet is a user area where the user is doing his work.
The user can invoke the Calendar Tool in two ways
- Select any Cell and press the Calendar Button; or
- Select any Cell and double click it
If the user uses method 1, pressing the calendar Button calls the Show_Calendar subroutine
If the user uses method 2, Double clicking a cell, the Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick() event is triggered on the My Worksheet VBA Code Module
The Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick() event simply calls the Show_Calendar subroutine
Private Sub Worksheet_BeforeDoubleClick(ByVal Target As Range, Cancel As Boolean)
Show_Calendar
End Sub
The Show_Calendar() subroutine in the Calendar_Modules VBA code module subroutine has 2 tasks to perform:
The 2 tasks are to store the location of the cell that the user wants the date in. It is stored in two variables mySht and myRng
These two variables are defined outside the Show_Calendar() subroutine and are declared as Public
This means they are available to all subroutines in the workbook.
Public mySht As String
Public myRng As String
Sub Show_Calendar()
mysht = ActiveSheet.Name
myRng = ActiveCell.Address
Sheets("Calendar").Visible = True
Sheets("Calendar").Select
End Sub
Calendar
Once on the Calendar two subroutines control the users interaction.
The Worksheet_SelectionChange() and Close_Calendar() subroutines control the users interactions as described below:
The main interaction is controlled by a Worksheet_SelectionChange() event in the calendar Worksheet VBA Code module.
Put simply it monitors when a selection changes and reacts accordingly
If a user selects multiple cells it is ignored
If a user selects a non-Yellow cell it is ignored
If a user selects a Yellow cell the subroutine sets the original users cell to the value of the selected date and formats the cell as appropriate
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
If Target.Cells.Count <> 1 Then Exit Sub
If Target.Interior.Color = 65535 Then 'Set Cell Color requirement here
Sheets(mysht).Range(myRng) = Target
With Sheets(mysht).Range(myRng)
.NumberFormat = "m/d/yyyy" 'Set cells Date format here
.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter
.VerticalAlignment = xlCenter
End With
Sheets("Calendar").Visible = False
Sheets(mysht).Select
End If
End Sub
The Close_Calendar() subroutine is called when the Close Button is selected
It simply hides the Calendar Worksheet and returns the user to the Original worksheet he was working on
Sub Close_Calendar()
Sheets("Calendar").Visible = False Sheets(mysht).Select \
End Sub
If you want to enable a user to select any date you can either
1. Set all valid dates to have a color Yellow
2. Remove the date checking section of the code. Comment out the two Lines colored in Red Below:
Private Sub Worksheet_SelectionChange(ByVal Target As Range)
If Target.Cells.Count <> 1 Then Exit Sub
'If Target.Interior.Color = 65535 Then 'Set Cell Color requirement here
Sheets(mysht).Range(myRng) = Target
With Sheets(mysht).Range(myRng)
.NumberFormat = "m/d/yyyy" 'Set cells Date format here
.HorizontalAlignment = xlCenter
.VerticalAlignment = xlCenter
End With
Sheets("Calendar").Visible = False
Sheets(mysht).Select
'End If
End Sub
The Final Product
Other Calendar Posts
Chandoo has written a number of posts on calendars, some are shown below:
http://chandoo.org/wp/2013/11/13/pop-up-calendar-excel-vba/
http://chandoo.org/wp/2012/09/12/interactive-pivot-calendar/
http://chandoo.org/wp/tag/printable-calendar/
Conclusion
This workbook has been tested in all versions of PC versions of Excel from 2002 to 2013 and it works a treat.
It is an Excel XLS file and runs in compatibility mode in Excel 2007+
You are free to use and extend it as required.
59 Responses to “Robust Dynamic (Cascading) Dropdowns Without VBA”
downloaded workbook doesn't work for me. it's always missing the first selection.
so, If I choose fruit, apples is not in the dropdown. if I choose vegetables, beets is not in the dropdown
@Gary, you are right, I try to anticipate the reply of Jeff.
Here’s the right formula, enter into the Name Manager while cell B8 was selected:
=IF(ISBLANK(C8),IF(DataEntry[#Headers] B:B = DataEntry[[#Headers],[Main Category]],OFFSET(ValidationLists[[#All],[Main Categories]],1,,COUNTA(ValidationLists[Meat])),OFFSET(ValidationLists,,MATCH(A8, ValidationLists[#Headers],0)-1,COUNTA(OFFSET(ValidationLists,,MATCH(A8, ValidationLists[#Headers],0)-1,,1))-1,1)))
UFFF ... i'm sorry ... forget my previous comment 🙁
Here’s the right formula, enter into the Name Manager while cell B8 was selected:
=IF(ISBLANK(C8),IF(DataEntry[#Headers] B:B = DataEntry[[#Headers],[Main Category]],OFFSET(ValidationLists[[#All],[Main Categories]],1,,COUNTA(ValidationLists[Meat])),OFFSET(ValidationLists,,MATCH(A8, ValidationLists[#Headers],0)-1,COUNTA(OFFSET(ValidationLists,,MATCH(A8, ValidationLists[#Headers],0)-1,,1)),1)))
the errors were due to the fact that ValidationLists does not include the header (as I had initially interpreted)
Great formula as an always Roberto. However, I think it still need some VBA to clean the subcategory selection if the user delete the previous category.
Regards
Ciao Elias! the formula was born from a discussion with Jeff, everyone added something then he wrote this post and he explained the formula ... he gave all the credit to me ... but the merit is more his ... I've only made a mess with these Excel Tables (I'm sorry) 🙂
anyway thanks
This post was borne out of a whole bunch of misunderstandings! When we'd all got to the bottom of them, something beautiful emerged from the dust. 😉
Gary: Thanks for the heads up. Have fixed post and sample file.
Elias: No VBA necessary as users CANNOT delete upstream categories without FIRST manually cleaning out downstream categories. Give the sample file a spin.
Hi Jeff,
Open the file->go to B8 and press the delete key. Do I missing something?
Also, the new file’s link is giving and error.
Regards
No, it's me that's missing something...I misunderstood what you were saying. So yes, you'd need VBA to do that, along the lines per my previous post. But this is still a great non-VBA solution, apart from that.
Link fixed.
Cheer Elias.
Great....i was looking something like this in past but end up with only VBA solutions which i really did not liked them because if anyone unknowingly chnage the upper LOV, All the sub selection get vanished and if the person do not know what those LOV, He/She can only hit his head.
What a fantastic solution. I'm currently replacing VBA routines with non-VBA ones and this formula has become a major part of my re-modelling. Thank you so much for debating, creating and sharing this formula.
LeonK
Kuldeep and LeonK: Thanks for you kind comments. Without comments like yours, I tend to think that noone finds this stuff useful.
[…] http://chandoo.org/wp/2014/02/25/robust-dynamic-cascading-dropdowns-without-vba/?utm_source=feedburn… […]
Great solution! shame I needed it 6 months ago, but I'm sure i'll find another use for it soon!
Certainly do find it useful, keep the awesome posts coming!
Nice work, Jeff and Roberto. The VBA-free cascading data validation is a worthy goal.
At my previous job I regularly sent out Excel surveys to dozens of recipients, and of course couldn't hazard the maintenance nightmare of VBA. I came up with a version of dependent dropdowns that wasn't as self-correcting as this, but uses Conditional Formatting to alert the user, and ultimately, the analyst, that something is amiss. If anybody's interested it's at http://yoursumbuddy.com/user-friendly-survey-without-vba/.
Hey, that's cool, Doug. Will add link to that in the main article.
Thanks Jeff!
[…] Weir explains Robert Mensa’s technique for creating robust dynamic drop downs, without VBA. Just remember, the best we can do is build things that are idiot resistant, not idiot […]
Thanks Jeff and Roberto, this is exactly what I was looking for. The timing it's like a miracle! 🙂
I noticed that the validation is not consistent, in some cells I can type anything I want, but in others the validation rule works. I just copied the cell from the one that was working to the rest and now all are fine. I hope I didn't mess up anything by doing that.
Thanks again,
Pablo
[…] Howdy folk. Jeff Weir here. You might remember me from shows such as Handle volatile functions like they are dynamite, Did Jeff just Chart, and Robust Dynamic (Cascading) Dropdowns Without VBA. […]
Guys, does this work with subcategories beyond 3, per the example? I have a flow chart decision tree with 6 subcategories. My customers are basic users who don't want to read my guidelines or decision tree. I thought dynamic dependent drop downs the best option for this situation. However, I can't seem to find anything on the web that shows beyond 3 categories. If anyone can help show how it could work with the learning/example that Jeff published above, I would be grateful...or if there are better options then drop downs...
Leonard - yes it can. As per the original article: Like Roger’s approach, Roberto’s approach can handle any number of cascading levels, provided all the category names are unique. All you need to do is simply add the new subcategories to the right hand side of the validations table.
Thanks Jeff!
Even though I am basic beginner, I managed to emulate and then modify. Maybe it say somewhere, but I discovered that if your last column in the validation table isn't filled in as far as the 1st column, then you won't get the full first drop down list. I basically created an extra end column that I filled in with bogus numbers so it would work.
Thanks again!
[…] Dependent Data Validation (Cascading Data Validation) […]
I just implemented this mechanism and it works perfectly. When I close the file and try to open it again, it just crashes Excel, and the file become useless.
Tested in two different machines and got the same result.
Anyone with the same problem?
Tks
Enzo
Hi Enzo. Not sure what's going on there. I'll flick you an email, in the case that you want to send me the file to look at.
Hey,
I did this equation on a template and it worked out well. I set up three different sections with no problem. A few months later when I tried to add two more sections to a different tab, it will not work. Well, at first it worked but then out of the blue the formula is not working. But only for that section. This is what I am typing in with the proper adjustments for the cell I am entering. Also, not sure if this is a part of the problem, I am using macros to dynamically rebuild the ValidationListsD table in the formula.
=IF(ISBLANK('Budget Details'!H11),IF(DataEntryD1[#Headers] 'Budget Details'!G:G = DataEntryD1[[#Headers],[SC Account Name]],OFFSET(ValidationListsD[[#All],[SC Account Name]],1,,COUNTA(ValidationListsD[SC Account Name])),OFFSET(ValidationListsD,,MATCH('Budget Details'!F11,ValidationListsD[#Headers],0)-1,COUNTA(OFFSET(ValidationListsD,,MATCH(‘Budget Details’!F11,ValidationListsD[#Headers],0)-1,,1)),1)))
Oh and my starting cell for this one is G11.
Hi -
Thanks for the example - something I could never have done myself 🙂
Fine article and excellent solution for cascading validation lists. Once I found it I couldn't resist trying it. After a while, then, i bumped into an apparently unsolvable problem: when I try copying the sheet which contains DataEntry table, the validation list wouldn't work. I have the ValidationLists in a different sheet.
Of course, copying the worksheet forces excel to copy the ValName range which remains with the same name but scoped to the new sheet instead of the workbook. The DataEntry table becomes DataEntry2 instead. I thought the problem was that ValName scoped to workbook in the first place, so that having 2 different range named the same, one being scoped to the workbook was the issue. So I decided to change the scope of ValName to the worksheet before copying. The result was the same: validation lists do not appear on the new sheet, while still working fine on the original one.
Is there anything I am missing or is just that the operation doesn't have an easy solution (meaning I need to set up the whole thing everytime a copy the sheet)?
@Walter
Your correct
Named Formula are sheet specific and copying sheets can create these issues
You can setup a new Named Formula and relink it on the new worksheet eg: ValName2
Thanks. I thought so.
Hi Guys! try this..
Let us assume you have the main dropdown in cell A1 and its dependent dropdown in cell B1. Also, let us assume that the name of your main validation list is "list1", which means that under validation criteria for cell A1, you Allow List and in source you type"=list1". So, instead of "=list1", try this:
Under validation criteria for cell A1, Allow - List. In Source, type the following formula...
=IF(B1"","",list1)
THAT IS IT! So long as cell B1 is not empty you will not be able to input any value in cell A1.
Cmt...that works fine for two level dropdowns, where you have set up named ranges ahead of time. But my approach can handle any number of cascading levels (provided all the category names are unique) without having to set up individual named ranges. All you need to do is simply add subcategories to the right hand side of the validations table (Table1). There's more on this in the original article I link to at the top.
That is AWESOME!!! I am not VBA yet but needed to impress by boss 😀 AND I DID!!! I did impress myself though as well lol! Biggest thanks to you, Chandoo!!! You rock!
This is exactly what I was looking for, except for one issue, I would likre my data input to be on a different sheet to the source table, and I can't seem to make it work...help?
I have tried the formula. My data input is on Opportunity Data sheet from K3:M9999 and my Validation Lists are on DB Sheet from B37:W55. I have "First_Header", "ProductData" and "ValidationLists" in the Name Manager. I tried the formula as: =IF(ISBLANK(Opportunity_Data!L3),IF(ProductData[#Headers] DB!B:B=ProductData[[#Headers],[Customer Billing Plant]],OFFSET(ValidationLists[[#All],[Customer Billing Plant]],1,,COUNTA(ValidationLists[Customer Billing Plant])),OFFSET(ValidationLists,0,MATCH(DB!A36, ValidationLists[#Headers],0)-1,COUNTA(OFFSET(ValidationLists,,MATCH(Sheet1!A36, ValidationLists[#Headers],0)-1,,1)),1))). I am continuously getting the error message regarding incorrect formula with the ValidationLists[[#All] highlighted. Can you please help me?
One more simplest way is to use INDIRECT function.
Yes, you can use INDIRECT. But you have to set up a seperate named range for every possible combination, and you can't use spaces (meaning in the example above you would have to use Ozark_Beauty instead of Ozark Beauty). So if you have more than a couple of levels of cascading dropdowns, the INDIRECT approach soon becomes unwieldy.
Whereas my approach can handle any number of cascading levels (provided all the category names are unique) without having to set up individual named ranges. All you need to do is simply add subcategories to the right hand side of the validations table (Table1). There's more on this in the original article I link to at the top.
I'm working on adapting this to my form. I'm just getting into using VBA and advanced formulas, literally like three days ago! I was wondering if this will work with my project. I have a very simple form that I created using one downstream dropdown to capture a group and subgroup. I only have the one table where my source data is pulled from. There are no headers in my data entry (form) area either. Just want to make sure its possible. I'm hoping to understand this better once my Vyvanse kicks in!
Kind regards
Yes, this should work. Setting it up can be a bit complicated, so if you get stuck, perhaps the best way to proceed is to download the example, and change it to suit your needs.
Hi Chandoo,
Your formulas have worked wonders for me, however after finally being able to apply this "Robust-dynamic-cascading-dropdowns-without-vba", it seems I could not get the dropdowns to work if I duplicate the worksheet and rename. When I pull up the Name Manager, it seems the originally created table and Name Ranges are scoped to Workbook, and new Names exist scoped to specific Worksheet.
Not sure if I make any sense, but in simple terms, I duplicated sheet 1, rename to sheet 2, click on the same cell with data validation, no drop-down appears.
Any idea?
Hi Jim. I'm the author of this guest post, not Chandoo. You'll simply have to create new names that don't conflict with the old.
Hi Jeff, sorry I didn’t notice... anyway, thanks for the reply, just realised the sheet names and formulas will then have to match accordingly, it works fantastic now! A thousand sincere thanks!!! 😉
Hi Jeff,
Thanks for this post, this was very helpful. I am trying to tweak this formula to accommodate a similar dynamic drop-down structure, but in a different format. My DataEntry table must be formatted a certain way to meet upload requirements.
In my case on the DataEntry table, my "Main Category' drop downs are the table headers (So picture Fruits, Vegetables, and Other Stuff, in B7:D7) and my dependent sub-category drop-downs (only using 1) are in the rows directly underneath (ex. Apples, Beets, Bread as selections in B8:D11)
My Validation table has my Main Category selections as column headers with all the sub-category values listed underneath. (I hadnt considered an Initial List since I only have 1 dependent drop-down list)
I can change the validation table in any way I want but the DataEntry table must stay in this format. Is there a way to rearrange the formula to accommodate this while maintaining functionality?
Thanks!
Michael
I'm afraid not, Michael. You'll have to research for a different approach.
In this case, you can use the example demonstrated here:
https://chandoo.org/wp/cascading-drop-down/
Hi Chandoo,
Thanks for this, unfortunately I cannot use this as I will need to copy the validation over to multiple columns to the right, and also have the dependent drop down validation copied down to multiple rows. So I wont be able to have the IFERROR formula that displays the red X next to my drop-downs, nor can I put it underneath. Similarly I will need to format my validation values as a table so I can add new items to each drop-down as I please.
Based on this criteria, is VBA my only option here?
Hi Chandoo,
I use Excel for Mac 2016, so when I try to paste my version of the suggested formula the range of cells box truncates it to 255 characters max (my formula has 455 characters).
Is there a way to get around this situation?
I tried splitting it up in two and using CONCATENATE to combine it together but it didn't work. Maybe I'm doing it or there's a more clever way to circumvent this limitation...
Hi! This solution is perfect for me! I am trying to use Cascading Drop-downs on a protected sheet and don't want to get into VBA to get around that. I would only need to adapt the Headings and Category names.
I can do this easily and it works perfectly on the worksheet I downloaded from you.
However - I think I am having the same trouble as Leonardo above - When I try to copy the sheet into my existing workbook, it fails. It says I am missing a parenthesis. I am also using Excel for Mac 2016. But I don't understand why it works on the worksheet I downloaded, but not when trying to integrate it into a new workbook. Thanks for any help!
Actually I figured it out - if I "copied" your worksheet into mine, the problems occurred. If I "moved" the worksheet into mine, it worked perfectly, thanks again for providing this innovative solution, now I can use these lists on a protected workbook with no VBA to work around!
Hi everyone,
First of all, thank you for this article, it is really insightful.
I have a question regarding this topic tho.
My question is "How many levels of dynamic (cascading) dropdowns can you construct ?".
In order terms, would it be possible to add a 4th level with illegal characters in the example above ?
I tried to research that really hard but could not find anything. Any help is welcome.
Thank you,
Pierre
Hi, I am looking for a formula where the cell content changes from selecting the options in a dropdown. For example: when I select week as an option in the dropdown then my dashboard will give me report week wise information. From Cell A5 to A15 the weeks should be reflecting and based on that weeks the other column cells should give the info. Likewise when I select the option as Month then the same cells A5 to A15 should show the months and based on the month the other column cells will give the report. And other this is, only the available week or month should reflect in the A5 to A15 Cells from the dump.
Kindly request to help me in this as I have stuck with the dashboard which I need to complete and share with clients.
Hi Thomas... Thanks for your comments. Please refer to automatic month rollover page for information on how to calculate month dates based on starting month. You can tweak this logic with an IF formula so that when "Weeks" is selected in the drop down, you will have weeks in A5:A15 and months otherwise.
Automatic Rolling Months in Excel [Formulas]
Thank you so much Chandoo. It's helpful.
Hi Chandoo, I have attached the dashboard via email. Please check.
I need help!
I have 2 columns one with date which can repeat and another with date that vary along the day as multiple tests are executed during the day. I need a cascading dropdown, than upon selection of the date, user's can choose the time at which the report was executed to look at the data.
my 2 tables look like this:
Date Hour
20/10/2020 13:45
20/10/2020 15:34
07/10/2020 20:00
09/10/2020 20:45
09/10/2020 21:45
How would the formulas look for a scenario where I don't have and categories listed on the top row?
You may want to refer to my latest post "two level dropdowns" for another way dealing with this problem. link here - Two-level Data Validation [Excel Trick]