Spreadsheet programs help to represent complicated data clearly and concisely. Attribute mappings can be extremely useful when ranking values and data. If you don't want to have to manually enter a value's attributes into its corresponding cell every time they appear, drop-down lists are a great advantage. These lists allow the user to select from several predefined attributes. Here we explain how to create drop-down lists in Google Sheets..
A drop-down list allows one click to select predefined values from a sequence. The selected value will then be displayed in the cell, making it easy to select, since the value does not have to be typed by hand. You can also use dropdowns to make sure the data is consistent and correct. If multiple users work on a table, predefined values can be used in the drop-down lists to ensure that users can only make correct entries. This results in fewer misprints and huge time savings - good reasons to create Google Sheets dropdowns.
In our comparison between Google Sheets and Excel, you can see how Google and Microsoft spreadsheets differ..
Google has made it as easy as possible for its users to edit dropdown fields in individual cells. To create them, follow these steps:
Step 1: Select a cell with the right button and click? Data validation ?:
Step 2: in the section? Criteria ?, select? Item list ?:
Step 3: After selecting? List of elements ?, in the next free text field type all the elements of the list manually . Each item must be separated by a comma. Then click? Save ?
Step 4: In the selected cell, a drop-down menu will have been created. This is indicated by the down arrow in the cell.
Step 5 : Click the arrow to open the drop-down menu. Check if the items are listed in the desired sequence and spelled correctly. If you want to make changes, go to the menu item? Data validation? and modifies the list of elements in the submenu? Criteria ?..
Step 6 : in the menu? Data validation ?, you can check the option? Show help text for validation ? to the right of? Appearance ?. When you check it, a field will appear below where you can add an explanatory text that will appear when you hover over the drop-down menu.
The result looks, for example, like this:
Step 7: If you want to clear the drop-down menu, go back to? Data validation? and press the button? Remove validation ?. The selected cell will be unformatted again and can be filled with other values.
Our article on "Conditional Formatting in Google Sheets - How to Apply It Easily" might also interest you.