I have a form that will be filled out by parties from different areas.
I have a drop down list that the user selects the area they are from.
At that point I would like to be able to make different input boxes
appear or highligh specific boxes for the user to fill out depending
on what area they select.

If you enter a formatting function into the actual cell to be filled
out, it will only work once because the user will overwrite the
function the first time the form is used. There has got to be a way to
get around this, for example:

Could I put a formula in cell A30 that says: =if(A3=Seattle,
A5=Yellow, A5=Black)

Even though A30 is completely unrelated to the boxes I want adjusted,
it would control them if the values were met.

Thanks,
Ryan

No such function exists to enable you to set the format of a cell in
that way. However, you could do it using Conditional Formatting.
Select the cells that you want to appear yellow when A3="Seattle", and
click on Format | Conditonal Formatting. In the first box you should
choose Formula Is rather than Cell Value Is, and then put this formula
in the next box:

=$A$3="Seattle"

Then click on the Format button and on the Patterns tab and choose
yellow, then OK your way out. With those cells still highlighted, set
a black background colour.

Now they will appear black if A3 does not show Seattle, but they will
change to yellow when Seattle is chosen.

Hope this helps.

Pete

On Mar 13, 6:38*pm, dicko1 wrote:
I have a form that will be filled out by parties from different areas.
I have a drop down list that the user selects the area they are from.
At that point I would like to be able to make different input boxes
appear or highligh specific boxes for the user to fill out depending
on what area they select.

If you enter a formatting function into the actual cell to be filled
out, it will only work once because the user will overwrite the
function the first time the form is used. There has got to be a way to
get around this, for example:

Could I put a formula in cell A30 that says: =if(A3=Seattle,
A5=Yellow, A5=Black)

Even though A30 is completely unrelated to the boxes I want adjusted,
it would control them if the values were met.

Thanks,
Ryan

Use conditional formatting for the individual area based on the value
selected from the drop down. Select the area that is to be filled in by
Dept1 Go to conditional formating and use formula A3=Dept1 then set your fill
color. Do the same for each Department.


"dicko1" wrote:

I have a form that will be filled out by parties from different areas.
I have a drop down list that the user selects the area they are from.
At that point I would like to be able to make different input boxes
appear or highligh specific boxes for the user to fill out depending
on what area they select.

If you enter a formatting function into the actual cell to be filled
out, it will only work once because the user will overwrite the
function the first time the form is used. There has got to be a way to
get around this, for example:

Could I put a formula in cell A30 that says: =if(A3=Seattle,
A5=Yellow, A5=Black)

Even though A30 is completely unrelated to the boxes I want adjusted,
it would control them if the values were met.

Thanks,
Ryan