Data validation in Excel is a handy tool. It allows the user to control the specifics of what information is able to be entered into a worksheet. This can help ensure that data is within expected ranges, and that the user enters data that will work in a formula. For example, ensuring that sales are never entered as negative values, or ensuring that words aren’t used in a cell included in a simple formula (12200 + 17090 + “March” + 1820 = …. ).
Sometimes we have a project that requires an internet connection. Of course, before charging ahead and USING the connection, it’s safest to first test to see if there IS a connection! This module uses Windows’ built-in “wininet” to query a website and let us know if it’s available. We use a high-availability one like Google or Yahoo.
The Protect Sheet function is a handy tool which allows users to lock down a worksheet against editing. However, what if you have a data entry sheet where you want to allow users to edit some cells but leave other ones? Excel doesn’t make the process for this very clear, but it is actually a very simple process:
