data val - text length quickie

[ajm]

i want to limit the length of entry to a cell to the number of characters available in the tab name. i noticed while setting the criteria to Text length smaller than 32, this will work for alpha characters, but not necessarily for numbers. is the a simple function to limit the characters to 32 without coding?

 

[rmtimmah]

Try the validation option on the data menu.

Allow = Text Length
Data = less than or equal to
Maximum = 32

Should work for numbers also

 

[ajm]

thanks but no. unlimited numbers. text is limited to 32. i need to be able to limit character length to 32 - alpha and numeric.

 

[rmtimmah]

The above worked for me for Just numeric or Just text or combination of both. Or am I misunderstanding what you are after. Are you autofilling cells? As I am pretty sure that the data validation doesn't autofill either.

 

[ajm]

not autofilling. and when my numerics go over 32 characters, they revert to scientific format. so, if i enter 1-9 three times and then 12345 to take the number of characters over 32, i should get an error message. instead, i get 1.23456789123456E+31 (which is technically below 32 characters, i guess). I can't imagine anybody naming a spreadheet with a numeric string with more than 32 numbers, even with my vivid imagination. i was merely trying to lock everything down to limit mistakes. I think i'll just leave it as is. many thanks for your help.

 

[rmtimmah]

Format the cell as text and you shouldn't get that problem.