AutoComplete & Custom Lists

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 Creating a Custom List   Inserting a List into Your Worksheet 
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AutoComplete

"If Excel recognizes the pattern you're typing when you enter a sequence of characters, it will attempt to complete the pattern using a feature called AutoComplete. AutoComplete can be a major time-saver for you if you manage lists in Excel or find that you are entering the same values or functions over and over again. If you activate the AutoComplete feature while entering data, review the insertion and, if it makes sense to you, press [Enter] and move on." *

*Halvorson, Michael and Michael Young: Running Microsoft Office 97, Standard and Professional. Microsoft Press, 1997.

While you can choose to simply begin typing in the column where you want to insert an AutoComplete entry, then press [Enter] to accept Excel's 'best guess,' you can also access a list of existing entries in the column by using the [Alt + Down Arrow] key combination. This opens a list of all of the entries in that column.

From the list, use the down arrow to scroll to the entry you want to insert, then press [Enter], or click on the entry to insert it into the active cell.

For example, in entering a list of names, you have already entered Michael Smith's name. Farther down the list, you need to enter Michael Grayley's name. Make sure that the cell where you want to insert the first name is selected, press [Alt + Down Arrow], scroll to 'Michael,' then press [Enter].

You can turn AutoComplete on or off by selecting Options from the Tools menu, selecting the Edit tab, then either adding or removing the check mark next to Enable AutoComplete for cell values.

Custom Lists

In Excel 2000, you'll need to look under Custom Fill Series to find Help on this topic. But they work the same way, even though the name has changed. You can still create a custom list from items that you've already listed on a worksheet, or you can type the list from scratch.

If you've already entered the list of items you want to use as a series:

  1. Select the list (highlight it) on the worksheet.
     
  2. In the Tools menu, click Options, and then click the Custom Lists tab.
     
  3. To use the selected list, click Import.

To create a new list:

  1. Select New list in the Custom lists box.
     
  2. Type the entries in the List entries box, beginning with the first entry. Press [ENTER] after each entry.
     
  3. When you've entered all the items, click Add.

Note: A custom list can contain text or text mixed with numbers. To create a custom list containing only numbers (e.g., inventory numbers):

  1. First select enough empty cells to contain the list (or better yet, highlight the entire column).
     
  2. On the Format menu, click Cells, and then click the Number tab. Apply the Text format to the empty cells, and then type the list of numbers in the formatted cells.
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Using the Copy Handle to Insert Your Custom List

Once you've created and saved your custom list, it's simple to use. Just type in an item from the list, move the mouse pointer over the copy handle (see below) until it turns into a crosshair, then click and drag through the range where you want to insert the list.

 

Copy Handle Tooltips An Excel Filled List
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