<html><head><title>Validity of Cell Contents</title><meta name="filename" content="text/scalc/guide/validity"/><meta name="language" content="en-US"/><help:css-file-link xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><!--The CSS style header method for setting styles--><style type="text/css">
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<p class="Head1"><help:key-word value="values; limiting on input" tag="kw68144_1" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="limiting value; specifying on input;" tag="kw68144_12" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="permitted cell contents; checking" tag="kw68144_11" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="cells; checking cells for validity" tag="kw68144_10" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="checking; for validity" tag="kw68144_9" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="validity; cell contents" tag="kw68144_8" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="cells; validity" tag="kw68144_7" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="error messages; defining for incorrect input" tag="kw68144_6" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="actions; defining for incorrect input" tag="kw68144_5" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="Help text; defining for cell input" tag="kw68144_4" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="cells; defining input help" tag="kw68144_3" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:key-word value="macro; carrying out for incorrect input" tag="kw68144_2" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"/><help:to-be-embedded Eid="validity" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"><help:link Id="68144">Validity of Cell Contents</help:link></help:to-be-embedded></p>
<p class="Paragraph">For each cell you can define in advance what type of contents will be valid for this cell. This will make it easier for users of your sheets to employ them correctly.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">The validity rule is activated when a new value is entered. If an invalid value has already been inserted into the cell, or if you insert a value in the cell either with drag and drop or by copying and pasting, the validity rule will not take effect. You can choose <span class="T1">Tools - Detective</span> at any time and choose the command <help:link Id="66908" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help">Mark Invalid Data</help:link> to display which cells contain invalid values.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">Additional details about <help:link Id="66827" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help">Data Validity</help:link> can be found in the <help:productname xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help">%PRODUCTNAME</help:productname> Help.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">Select the cells for which you want to define a new validity rule. You can select multiple cells by clicking on all respective cells while holding down the <help:switch select="System" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help"><help:case select="MAC">Command</help:case><help:default>Ctrl</help:default></help:switch> key.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">The validity rule is a component of the cell format. To copy the validity rule to other cells, choose <span class="T1">Edit - Copy</span> and <span class="T1">Edit - Paste Special</span>, and select "Format."</p>
<p class="Paragraph">On the <span class="T1">Values</span> tab page, enter the conditions for new values entered into cells. Values you have already entered will not be affected.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">In the field <span class="T1">Allow</span>, "All Values" is selected by default. This means that there are no restrictions. You can choose one of the other options: Whole Number, Decimal, Date, Time, and Text Length.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">This choice already sets the first condition. If you choose "Whole Numbers", values such as "12.5" are not allowed, even if they satisfy the other conditions. Choosing "Date" allows date information both in the form "1/1/97" as well as in the form of a <help:link Id="66424" xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help">serial date</help:link>. Similarly, the "Time" condition permits time values as "12:00" or serial time numbers. "Text Length" stipulates that cells are allowed to contain text only.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">After you have set the first condition under <span class="T1">Allow</span>, select the next condition under <span class="T1">Data</span>. According to what you choose, additional text fields (<span class="T1">Value</span>, <span class="T1">Minimum </span><text:s text:c="" xmlns:text="http://openoffice.org/2000/text"/>and <span class="T1">Maximum</span>) may appear to further specify the condition.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">A few possible conditions resulting from this register could be as follows: "Integer greater than 1", "Decimal between 10 and 12.5", "Date earlier than or equal to 1/1/2000", "Time not equal to 00:00", "Text with a length of more than 2 characters".</p>
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<p class="Paragraph">After you have determined the conditions for cell validity, if any values are subsequently entered which do not meet the conditions, <help:productname xmlns:help="http://openoffice.org/2000/help">%PRODUCTNAME</help:productname> will display a warning message. Fill out the other two tabs in the dialog to specify more detailed messages to aid a user working with your spreadsheet.</p>
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<p class="P2">On the <span class="T1">Input Help</span> tab page, enter the title and the text of the tip, which will then be displayed if the cell is selected.</p>
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<p class="P2">On the <span class="T1">Error Alert</span> tab page, select the action to be carried out in the event of an error.</p>
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<p class="P2">If you select "Stop" as the action, invalid inputs will not be accepted, and the previous cell contents will be retained.</p>
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<p class="P2">Select "Warning" or "Information" to display a dialog in which the entry can either be canceled (the cell value will be retained) or accepted (even if the new value violates the validity rule).</p>
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<p class="P2">If you select "Macro", then by using the <span class="T1">Browse</span> button you can specify a macro to be carried out in the event of an error.</p>
<p class="Paragraph">After changing the action for a cell on the <span class="T1">Error Alert</span> tab page and closing the dialog with OK, you must first select another cell before the change takes effect.</p>
