Drop Down List Formatting


Posted by Michael on December 18, 2001 6:19 AM

I have a couple of imbedded Drop-Down list boxes (Data - Validation - List) on my speardsheet, the problem is that the lists are very long, and I can hardly read the entries. Is thee a way to increase the font size in these boxes? I've tried to find help in the help index of Excel, and I couldn't find anything even close. Thanks.

Posted by MatthewH on December 18, 2001 6:46 AM

Try and break the list down a bit or select the list box, right-click and go to properties. Select Font and change it from there.

MAtt

Posted by Ian Mac on December 18, 2001 6:50 AM

It sounds like a problem a lot of people at my place of work get themselves into.

As far as I'm aware you can't increase the size in the drop down list box.

The problem usually stems from normal text/data being of a font size over 10pts, this forces the user to decrease the zoom that is used, if it's 75% or below I'll be tiny. but! you think! all the info on the sheet will be hugh if I change that.

What should be done is that the sheets/books should be set up at 100% zoom and so all the data is legable an easy to read. What a lot of people do is inrease the size of the font to make them legable and thus it creates the problem you are describing AND make it a bit of pain for setting up the page for printing.
Of course, this doesn't help if you've a lot of data and a low resolution, you just can't get all the info you want on the same screen.
The two ways I'd combat that problem is
A: increase the resloution on the users PC's (if it can be done), that'll give the users a bigger sheet area to view and you can set the form up at 10pts for normal text and the zoom to 100%
I'd use at least 800 x 600
preferably 1024 x 768
B: if it's not possible to increase the resolution because of hardware limitations, I'd suggest decreasing the font size to about 8pts and decrease the size of the columns/ rows to fit, then increase the zoom to a comfortable reading level and your drop down boxes should be bigger than the text it's self.

Any help??

Ian Mac

Posted by Ian Mac on December 18, 2001 6:52 AM

Matt, I think he's using the validation lists not not forms and controls listboxes. (NT)



Posted by Michael on December 18, 2001 7:20 AM

Thanks, It worked great.


Thanks, I appreciate the work around. It worked perfectly.