Newbie Help with a formula...

[mbruch9]

I want to enter a specific product number in one cell and have it
display that products description in another cell on the same sheet.
Can anyone tell me how to do this. I basically want to make product
labels and by just entering the product number have it automatically
display the description. If I have 2 cells and a database (1=Green
2=red 3=Blue) when I type 1 into the first cell the word "green" will
automatically appear in the second cell. If 3 was entered in the first
cell the word "blue" would be displayed in the second.
Any help will be greatly appreciated.

 

[Toddcruis]

You can either use "If" -for less than seven products or use a VLOOKUP or HLOOKUP functions
The excel index has examples.

Todd Suzuk
MOUS Excel

 

[Gord Dibben]

An example only.........

Your data layout may differ or you may want it all on one sheet. You could
have the data columns in an out-of-the-way spot on the same sheet.

In Sheet2 column A enter the numbers(A1:A20)

In Sheet2 column B enter the descriptions (B1:B20)

In Sheet1 B1 enter =VLOOKUP(A1,Sheet2!$A$1:$B$20,2,false).

In Sheet1 A1 have a Data Validation drop-down box with a list generated from
Sheet2 Column A.

Note: to use a list from another worksheet you must name the list range.

In this example, the named range would be the numbers from Sheet2 Column A.

For more on Data Validation see Debra Dalgleish's site.....

http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal01.html

More notes: if you want to see more than one number and description in Sheet1
Column A and B you can drag/copy the formula down Column B and use Data
Validation drop-downs in A1:A20. Same list in each. Select A1:A20 then
Data>Validation>Allow>List.

Gord Dibben XL2002