Thanks bnt, sadly it's a lot more complicated.
Data in each column would be either numbers or text...sometimes both!
To clarify...any given cell in this spreadsheet may be populated with numbers (or text, or both!!), but not just any number or text...they have to be valid when compared to a list of values....simple ranges won't work ie, we may use 102000 & 103000 but nothing between, (or indeed ABC & XYZ but not STU).
There's too many valid values and cells to provide drop downs for each one....and in most cases the data would pasted in, not entered manually.
What I have is a file that contains the defined valid values available for each column in the s/sheet....can I get excel to compare the values that are entered/pasted in the s/sheet against this file somehow...similar to v/h lookups...but in the background...via macro?
I may be asking the impossible I guess!
bnt, just seen your 13:02...sounds interesting...will have a play
Last edited by TessCoes; 30th July 2007 at 12:50.