Input message and error message

We can make it the users of our worksheet easier to ad data into cells by informing them what to type.

 The first is the “Input message”.

Select the range, and click the “Data Validation” button.

Select the “Input Message” tab in the dialog.

If the check box is not checked, click the check box for the text “Show input message when cell is selected”.
In the top box we can give a title, and a message in the lower box.

Click OK
This gives the message, when a cell is selected from our range.
A second way is to caution the users of our worksheet when there is something wrong with the information they entered.

Open the “Data Validation”dialog again.
And select the “Error Alert” tab.

Again, check the box for the text “Show error alert after invalid data is entered.”.

We give a “Title” and a “Message”here.

In the “Style” we have three possibilities:

1. Stop
2. Warning
3. Info

When we chose “Stop”, a warning window appears with the “Retry” and “Cancel” buttons.
This option will never allow values that do not meet the requirements.

This is not the case when we have chosen “Warning”.
Here, the user still has the option to give his own values.

 

The same applies to “Information”.
The user can still enter their own data.

 

Invalid data in a validation range

If we have choosen one of the last two error messages, “Warning”, or “Information”, error values can be entered by the users.

In order to detect cells with invalid information, first select the range, and then click the downward pointing arrow next to the “Data Validation”.
Select “Circle Invalid Data” from the drop-down menu.
This places a circle around each cell with incorrect data.

To remove the circles , repeat these steps, but choose “Clear Validation Circles”. That is quite logical.

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