Data Validation Dropdown List Not Working
 

I have a large Excel 2003 spreadsheet with about 30 worksheets. On most of
them I've been using (quite successfully) the data validation dropdown lists.
However, I recently added content to one of the worksheets and the data
validation dropdown lists no longer dropdown. The cells still contain the
data validation data...I checked by doing a Edit-GoTo-Special-Data
Validation-All on the sheet and it found all the cells where I have put the
dropdown list. I also checked the data validation for each cell and the list
is still selected. Has anyone had this happen before? Did I reach some
Excel limit?

Data Validation Dropdown List Not Working
 

Are the dropdown arrows not appearing or just the dropdown won't drop when you
hit the arrow?

See Debra Dalgleish's site for possible reasons.

http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal08.html#Freeze


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:09:02 -0800, D.R. wrote:

I have a large Excel 2003 spreadsheet with about 30 worksheets. On most of
them I've been using (quite successfully) the data validation dropdown lists.
However, I recently added content to one of the worksheets and the data
validation dropdown lists no longer dropdown. The cells still contain the
data validation data...I checked by doing a Edit-GoTo-Special-Data
Validation-All on the sheet and it found all the cells where I have put the
dropdown list. I also checked the data validation for each cell and the list
is still selected. Has anyone had this happen before? Did I reach some
Excel limit?

Data Validation Dropdown List Not Working
 

No dropdown arrows!

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Are the dropdown arrows not appearing or just the dropdown won't drop when you
hit the arrow?

See Debra Dalgleish's site for possible reasons.

http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal08.html#Freeze


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:09:02 -0800, D.R. wrote:

I have a large Excel 2003 spreadsheet with about 30 worksheets. On most of
them I've been using (quite successfully) the data validation dropdown lists.
However, I recently added content to one of the worksheets and the data
validation dropdown lists no longer dropdown. The cells still contain the
data validation data...I checked by doing a Edit-GoTo-Special-Data
Validation-All on the sheet and it found all the cells where I have put the
dropdown list. I also checked the data validation for each cell and the list
is still selected. Has anyone had this happen before? Did I reach some
Excel limit?

Data Validation Dropdown List Not Working
 

The dropdown arrows simply are not appearing. Thanks for the link. My
spreadsheet is using the Show ALL option in the Tools-Options-View dialog and
the In-cell Dropdown is checked in the Data-Validation-Settings dialog. I am
not using Split or Freeze Panes. If I Copy-Paste the cell in another sheet
of the same workbook the dropdown arrow appears. Still a mystery.

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Are the dropdown arrows not appearing or just the dropdown won't drop when you
hit the arrow?

See Debra Dalgleish's site for possible reasons.

http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal08.html#Freeze


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:09:02 -0800, D.R. wrote:

I have a large Excel 2003 spreadsheet with about 30 worksheets. On most of
them I've been using (quite successfully) the data validation dropdown lists.
However, I recently added content to one of the worksheets and the data
validation dropdown lists no longer dropdown. The cells still contain the
data validation data...I checked by doing a Edit-GoTo-Special-Data
Validation-All on the sheet and it found all the cells where I have put the
dropdown list. I also checked the data validation for each cell and the list
is still selected. Has anyone had this happen before? Did I reach some
Excel limit?

Data Validation Dropdown List Not Working
 

Just to close this out, once I performed the Copy-Paste to another sheet in
the same workbook I realized I could probably Copy-Paste the contents of the
sheet to a new sheet and the data validation dropdown arrows may reappear. I
tried this and sure enough the dropdown list arrows re-appeared for the
selected cell. I don't think this workaround is the preferred method to
solve this problem...it'd be nice to understand the root cause.

"D.R." wrote:

The dropdown arrows simply are not appearing. Thanks for the link. My
spreadsheet is using the Show ALL option in the Tools-Options-View dialog and
the In-cell Dropdown is checked in the Data-Validation-Settings dialog. I am
not using Split or Freeze Panes. If I Copy-Paste the cell in another sheet
of the same workbook the dropdown arrow appears. Still a mystery.

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Are the dropdown arrows not appearing or just the dropdown won't drop when you
hit the arrow?

See Debra Dalgleish's site for possible reasons.

http://www.contextures.on.ca/xlDataVal08.html#Freeze


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Tue, 11 Dec 2007 11:09:02 -0800, D.R. wrote:

I have a large Excel 2003 spreadsheet with about 30 worksheets. On most of
them I've been using (quite successfully) the data validation dropdown lists.
However, I recently added content to one of the worksheets and the data
validation dropdown lists no longer dropdown. The cells still contain the
data validation data...I checked by doing a Edit-GoTo-Special-Data
Validation-All on the sheet and it found all the cells where I have put the
dropdown list. I also checked the data validation for each cell and the list
is still selected. Has anyone had this happen before? Did I reach some
Excel limit?