Can anyone help me with excel please?

Hi Guys,

I am writing a spreadsheet in excel, it is a sheet that will help me to cost out builing projects. I am at a loss as to how to acomplish something though (although the sheet works fine longhand). I am using excel 2000 but have 2003 so I can use either. The problem is in achieving the following.

There are variable costs that are relative to certain circumstances eg. outside finish of wall.
1 rough render
2 facing brick
3 plain brick
4 etc
5 etc

I have a cell set up for each cost (for example call them cell b1), ideally I would like to have a drop down menu of say

rough
facebrick
plain brick
etc1
etc2

I have created a drop down list using validation (call it cell A1 for example), and wondered if it is possible to have a function that says.
if cell A1 = 'rough' then value = cell b1 (the place where the value for that choice is located)
if cell A1 = 'facebrick' then value = cell b2 (the place where the value for that choice is located).
if cell A1 = 'plainbrick' then value = cell b3 (the place where the value for that choice is located)
Is this possible? and if so, how do I set it up.

I know this is not a typical post, and I don't like to ask for help, but I am stumped here

 

I think you need a lookup table. Vlookup or Hlookup as I recall.

 

I have taken a glance at that and can see there is hlookup which is for horizontal tables Vlookup for vertical tables and I am very confused..

Gentlemen & ladies I beg of you.. I am a bear of very little brain and am in need of help. I have called the old bald and stupid helpline but got some old bald stupid guy there who knew about as much as me

 

Sorry OWG, I suck at Excel. Only use it to keep track of advertisers.

 

Me too, although you can actually price up everything for building a house with this sheet. I even worked out the trigonometry for the pitch of the roof to work out the area of the roof etc.

It is just this damn drop down menu multiple selection thing that is bugging me. I have excel in easy steps, but you have to know what your looking for in order to work out what you want

 

I've seen some amazing stuff done with Excel. It really is great software but I just havent taken the time to learn it all.

 

My buddy is a Microsoft Office User Expert (certified) I will try to get ahold of him and get an answer to this for you OWG.

 

Here's a decent H/VLookup tutorial: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010565491033.aspx

There's also the Lookup Wizard -- Tools->Addins->Lookup Wizard

I don't use that feature.

There's also: http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA012260381033.aspx - which now that I think about it might be the answer you are looking for.

and then there's this one about using arrays:
http://office.microsoft.com/en-us/assistance/HA010872901033.aspx

 

If your cell B2=rough render---this cell will read rough....if facing brick the cell will read facebrick....etc

=IF((B2="rough render"),"rough",IF((B2="facing brick"),"facebrick",IF((B2="plain brick"),"plain brick",IF((B2="South"),1,""))))