Warning Label

[imported_unknown]

Sorry if this question is very basic, but I am a new Excel user and beg your patience.

I have a cell that you must enter a numeric value to. How do I create a text warning label should a user input a negative value? I would like the text to read in this same cell, something like "Negative Input is Invalid". Can it be done in the same cell or does the warning have to be located in a different cell location?

 

[Yogi Anand]

On 2002-10-05 22:57, bariv wrote:
Sorry if this question is very basic, but I am a new Excel user and beg your patience.

I have a cell that you must enter a numeric value to. How do I create a text warning label should a user input a negative value? I would like the text to read in this same cell, something like "Negative Input is Invalid". Can it be done in the same cell or does the warning have to be located in a different cell location?

Hi bariv:

Welcome to the Board!

What you are trying to do is best handled in Excel via DATA|VALIDATION -- wherein the warning for an invalid is given via a Popup.

I believe Data Validation would work for you -- please post back if you need help on Data validation.

Regards!

Yogi

 

[imported_unknown]

Could certainly use some direction with data validation. How do I accomplish this?

Thanks for the advice!

 

[Yogi Anand]

Hi bariv:

Here goes for DATA|VALIDATION ...

Let us say the cell of interest is B2, and you want to make sure only positive numbers, greater than 0 are valid entries. Then ...

1. Select cell B2
2. from Menu bar DATA|VALIDATION
3. in the Dialog box -- SETTINGS|ALLOW|FORMULA
4. =B2>0
click OK!

Now when ever an entry is made in cell B2 -- it will be validated to be a positive number >0

Later you may want to incorporate Input Message and Error Alert features as well.

Regards!

Yogi
This message was edited by Yogi Anand on 2002-10-05 23:26

 

[imported_unknown]

Thank you. This works great for data input into the program, but how can I get a warning to print out? Lets say the input data is positive, no warning or text should appear anywhere, but if a negative value is input, I would like a cell to include a warning and appear in the print-out.

 

[Lowell In the south]

You could use conditional formating to hightlight, change the color of the font, make the font BOLD, All caps, I think I have even found on this board how to circle data that meet certain criteria. Would love to just tell you how to do all this but I am just learning too. Search the board there is amazing amount of information and some amazing people too.

 

[Yogi Anand]

On 2002-10-06 10:19, bariv wrote:
Thank you. This works great for data input into the program, but how can I get a warning to print out? Lets say the input data is positive, no warning or text should appear anywhere, but if a negative value is input, I would like a cell to include a warning and appear in the print-out.

Hi bariv:

'Lowell In the south' has mentioned some of the options provided an invalid number (in our case a number) is entered ...

but please keep in mind, the purpose of DATA VALIDATION is to not permit such an entry -- so if you are going to use DATA VALIDATION (such that only positive numbers will be permitted in cell B2), then if someone keys an invalid number in cell B2, the system can alert the user that this is an invalid entry ... for more details on this, click on DATA|VALIDATION and look at the Input Messages, ans Error Alert features available with DATA VALIDATION.

Sorry for this long winded explanation.

Regards!

Yogi

Edit: I did not address the issue of getting a printout of the warning for an invalid entry -- because if DATA VALIDATION is correctly employed, system will not allow an invalid entry to get in.
This message was edited by Yogi Anand on 2002-10-06 17:32