I have a cell with "DOC STATUS" with four available options using a dropdown
list in that cell, ie, "due", "late", "revisions due", "completed". The next
cell is "Current Due Date". For two of the four "DOC STATUS" the date is a
calculation, ie the date in cell A3+20. For the remaining two "DOC STATUS"
the date could be any date I designate. So I would like to have a formula
reside in the "CURRENT DUE DATE" cell with the option of still doing manual
entry in that cell WITHOUT destroying or overwriting the formula-because the
DOC may end up reverting to a status where the formula calculation is useful.
This is something very easy to do in database programs but I am having a
hard time figuring it out in excel.

You could use another cell to test
=IF(ISBLANK(C4),formula,C4)

--
HTH,
David McRitchie, Microsoft MVP -- Excel
My Excel Pages: http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/excel.htm


"MelB" wrote in message ...
I have a cell with "DOC STATUS" with four available options using a dropdown
list in that cell, ie, "due", "late", "revisions due", "completed". The next
cell is "Current Due Date". For two of the four "DOC STATUS" the date is a
calculation, ie the date in cell A3+20. For the remaining two "DOC STATUS"
the date could be any date I designate. So I would like to have a formula
reside in the "CURRENT DUE DATE" cell with the option of still doing manual
entry in that cell WITHOUT destroying or overwriting the formula-because the
DOC may end up reverting to a status where the formula calculation is useful.
This is something very easy to do in database programs but I am having a
hard time figuring it out in excel.

Just use a third cell for the manual value. You did not specify which of the
four options you wanted for manual, but look at:

=IF(OR(A1="due",A1="revisions due"),A3+20,B9)

So if A1 is either due or revisions due, use the formula, otherwise use the
value in B9 (which you manuallly enter)
--
Gary''s Student - gsnu200748


"MelB" wrote:

I have a cell with "DOC STATUS" with four available options using a dropdown
list in that cell, ie, "due", "late", "revisions due", "completed". The next
cell is "Current Due Date". For two of the four "DOC STATUS" the date is a
calculation, ie the date in cell A3+20. For the remaining two "DOC STATUS"
the date could be any date I designate. So I would like to have a formula
reside in the "CURRENT DUE DATE" cell with the option of still doing manual
entry in that cell WITHOUT destroying or overwriting the formula-because the
DOC may end up reverting to a status where the formula calculation is useful.
This is something very easy to do in database programs but I am having a
hard time figuring it out in excel.