Creating a List

[netknightt]

Hi, I don't seem to be able to find a way to create a list easily and be able to add to it. I simple want a box I can type a title in for a book. I want it then to be put in alphabetical order on a sheet. As I get new books I would like to add it to the list and have it sort it. I would like to be able to do this on a regular sheet of paper and then eventually carry it over to a second and third. Would anyone have time to possibly help with this?
Thanks as always a new excel user. Netknightt

 

[Dan Waterloo]

Hi netknightt,

It sounds like you have a single column of book titles. Just write the titles one under the other. E.g.,

A1: Much Ado About Nothing
A2: A Streetcar Named Desire
A3: The City of God
A4: Advanced Excel Reports.

Then select one of the cells in the list. Click the Sort Ascending button on the Standard toolbar. (If you have trouble finding this, use /Data/Sort.)And you end up with this list in cells A1 to A4:

A Streetcar Named Desire
Advanced Excel Reports
Much Ado About Nothing
The City of God

I'm not sure what you mean by, "I want to do this on a regular sheet of paper ...."

 

[netknightt]

thanks for the help, the comment about regular paper was to be more specific about making the paper fill up with the book titles. Not having one column down the left side of it and then another paper with the column down the left side. I was hoping to fill the entire page in alphabetical order and then when that page was full to be able to start a second one and have them both be in order. a,b,c until it was filled with title and then move to the second with say the w,x,y,z titles. Netknightt

 

[Dan Waterloo]

I think I have a better idea now of what you're trying to do. I believe you still want a list for data entry and sorting. And then a second sheet (or more) that contains formulas that puts that list into a format more like what you want.

So, let's say the list is on a sheet named List. (You could focus this list on just part of the alphabet; e.g., "List A-D"). The book titles are in cells A1, A2, A3, etc., as before.

But now there's a second sheet named "Book Titles A-D". The cells on this sheet are linked to the cells on "List A-D" using formulas. The formula in cell A1 is ='List A-D'!A1. And as follows, where the name of the cell is followed by a colon and then the formula contained within it:
B1: = 'List A-D'!A2
C1: = 'List A-D'!A3
D1: = 'List A-D'!A4
A2: = 'List A-D'!A5
B2: = 'List A-D'!A6
C2: = 'List A-D'!A7
D2: = 'List A-D'!A8
A3: = 'List A-D'!A9
etc.

This setup would give you four columns of book titles across the page. Some of them might get cut off because the cell is too narrow for them. You could pick 3 or 5 or whatever number of columns.

There is a more clever way of writing the formula so it's easier to copy from cell to cell on the Book Titles sheet. But first see whether this meets your needs. If you're just starting Excel, this formula may be complex enough to understand.