You'd want to use the =indirect() function, but that only works when the
"sending" workbook is open.

But Harlan Grove wrote a UDF called PULL that will retrieve the value from a
closed workbook.

You can find the function at Harlan's FTP site:
ftp://members.aol.com/hrlngrv/
Look for pull.zip

Laurent Longre has an addin (morefunc.xll) at:
http://xcell05.free.fr/

That includes =indirect.ext() that may help you.

kspurgin wrote:

I was wondering if there is a way to have an input for an external ref.
within my excel joblist.

i.e. set up of reference files
c:\jobs\011\index.xls
c:\jobs\012\index.xls
c:\jobs\013\index.xls
etc.
I want to have an option in a list to input the job# and then it references
that file:

a1 would be a user input of a job number, for instance someone can inout 011
and then b1:b10 would include info for c:\jobs\011\index.xls

Is there a way of having the reference include a1 in the name?

--

Dave Peterson