Searchable drop down list excel without vba
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Excel now supports searchable drop-down lists! Until this new feature hit the streets, searchable drop-down lists required writing complex VBA code coupled with advanced Excel features to work properly. Searchable drop-down lists now work without any user effort whatsoever. The feature is native to Excel. In January 2022, this feature is available to select Beta Channel users of Office 365. When officially released, the feature will be rolled out to Office 365 and standalone Excel users running the latest yearly version Let’s look at an example of this wonderful, soon-to-be-released, new feature.
“Does Excel have a feature to allow a Data Validation list to be searchable?” This is a common question asked on this site and most any Excel training venue. What do we mean by a searchable Data Validation list? Let’s look at the example below.
A traditional dropdown list provided via the Data Validation tool displays a list of items from a predefined list. The issues with the list are multifold:
Although all the above-mentioned issues are worth investigating, this post’s focus is on the searchable aspect of the Data Validation list. Comments are closed.
We all use Google as a part of our daily routine. One of its features is search suggestion, where Google acts smart and gives us a list of suggestions while we are typing. In this tutorial, you’ll learn how to create a searchable drop-down list in Excel – i.e., a drop-down list that will show the matching items as you type. Below is a video of this tutorial (in case you prefer watching a video over reading the text). Searchable Drop Down list in ExcelFor the purpose of this tutorial, I am using the data of Top 20 countries by GDP. The intent is to create an excel drop down list with a search suggestion mechanism, such that it shows a drop down with the matching options as I type in the search bar. Something as shown below: To follow along, download the example file from here Creating the searchable drop-down list in Excel would be a three-part process:
Step 1 – Configuring the Search BoxIn this first step, I will use a combo-box and configure it so that when you type in it, the text is also reflected in a cell in real time. Here are the steps to do this:
Step 2 – Setting the DataNow that the search box is all set, we need to get the data in place. The idea is that as soon as you type anything in the search box, it shows only those items that have that text in it. To do this, we will use
Helper Column 1 Put the following formula in cell F3 and drag it for the entire column (F3:F22) =--ISNUMBER(IFERROR(SEARCH($B$3,E3,1),""))This formula returns 1 when the text in the Combo Box is there in the name of the country on the left. For example, if you type UNI, then only the values for United States and United Kingdom are 1 and all the remaining values are 0. Helper Column 2 Put the following formula in Cell G3 and drag it for the entire column (G3:G22) =IF(F3=1,COUNTIF($F$3:F3,1),"")This formula returns 1 for the first occurrence where Combo Box text matches the country name, 2 for the second occurrence, 3 for the third and so on. For example, if you type UNI, G3 cell will display 1 as it matches United States, and G9 will display 2 as it matches United Kingdom. The rest of the cells will be blank. Helper Column 3 Put the following formula in cell H3 and drag it for the entire column (H3:H22) =IFERROR(INDEX($E$3:$E$22,MATCH(ROWS($G$3:G3),$G$3:$G$22,0)),"")This formula stacks all the matching names together without any blank cells in between them. For example, if you type UNI, this column would show 2 and 9 together, and rest all cell would be blank. Creating the Dynamic Named RangeNow that the helper columns are in place, we need to create the dynamic named range. This named range will only refer to those values that match the text entered in the combo box. We will use this dynamic named range to show the values in the drop-down box. Note: In step 1 we entered DropDownList in the ListFillRange option. Now we will create the named range with the same name. Here are the steps to create it:
Step 3 – Putting the VBA Code to WorkWe are almost there. The final part is to write a short VBA code. This code makes the drop down dynamic such that it shows the matching items/names as you are typing in the search box. To add this code to your workbook:
That’s it!! You are all set with your own Google type Search bar that shows matching items as you type in it. For a better look and feel, you can cover cell B3 with the Combo Box and hide all the helper columns. You can now show off a little with this amazing Excel trick. To follow along, download the file from here What do you think? Would you be able to use this search suggestion drop-down list in your work? Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment.If you have enjoyed this tutorial, I am sure you would like the following Excel tutorials too: |