Data Validation - Is there a way to surpass the 255 characters limit?

Anonymous
2017-01-19T12:21:32+00:00

I had created the below formula, which is used for a drop-down list I am preparing. But when I came to paste it in the data validation box, it turned out that I can't insert more than 255 characters, while mine is 776 characters. Any help?

=IF(C2="Humanities List I",IF(C3="English",ENGL1,IF(C3="Others",_OTH1,IF(C2="Humanities List II",IF(C3="American and Media Studies",AMST2,IF(C3="Arabic and Near Eastern Languages",ARAB2,IF(C3="Architecture",ARCH2,IF(C3="Archeology",AROL2,IF(C3="English",ENGL2,IF(C3="Fine Arts and Art History",FAAH2,IF(C3="History",HIST2,IF(C3="Philosophy",PHIL2,IF(C3="Others",_OTH2,IF(C2="Natural Sciences",IF(C3="Others",OTHNS,IF(C2="Quantitative Thoughts",IF(C3="Others",OTHQT,IF(C2="Social Sciences List I",IF(C3="Others",OTHSS1,IF(C2="Social Sciences List II",IF(C3="Economics",ECON2,IF(C3="Education",EDUC2,IF(C3="Political Studies and Public Administration",PSPA2,IF(C3="Sociology and Media Studies",_SMS2,IF(C3="Others",OTHSS2,INDIRECT(SUBSTITUTE(C3," ","")))))))))))))))))))))))))))

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-21T04:04:44+00:00

    I can only get files from secure file-sharing websites, like microsoft live. So if you can upload your file and share a link here....

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  2. Anonymous
    2017-01-20T18:10:19+00:00

    I would very much appreciate it sir. Could you kindly share with me your email so I can send you the file with the corresponding information?

    Thank you very much.

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  3. Anonymous
    2017-01-20T15:29:12+00:00

    I don't think you understood my suggestion.

    "And I don't know how to shorten that function as I have different names used for different ranges."

    You need make a table of the unique names that you use for the different ranges, based on the unique combinations of the values in C2 and C3.  The "Others" from English and from Social Sciences must have different names, and the table that you create will ensure that those ranges are correctly found using the VLOOKUP, allowing INDIRECT to properly function.

    If you can share a version of you file, I can show you what needs to be done with that table.

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  4. Anonymous
    2017-01-20T07:55:31+00:00

    Thank you Bernie for your kind help. 

    The thing is that my issue is far more complicated.

    I have a database of about 1,000 cells, and they include university courses and titles. So we have a list of categories that include different types of fields, which include the relevant courses. The only problem I am facing is that a specific field is named more than once in my database, that's why I'd have to define different names like "_Oth1" whereas I should be naming it "Others" for the indirect function to look it up.

    I will explain my problem with corresponding pictures, as I would appreciate your efforts to help me solve this problem.

    1. The user visits a sheet, and chooses an area he/she wants to find their courses in

    1. They then after choose a field for the corresponding area, before they are asked to choose the course, so we are filtering our choices before giving the user the chance to choose their course.

    The long function that I had posted on this page refers to the third row, which is the "Course" that the user has to choose after picking up a choice from the two previous options. And I don't know how to shorten that function as I have different names used for different ranges.

    As you can see below, my database has many duplicate names, I am sharing this so that whoever can offer help would better understand what I mean.

    This is the beginning of my database, and the areas field is the field option a user has to choose. The orange cells refer to the "Field" categories, which is the second option the user has to choose from (e.g. Humanities I/Social Science List I). 

    And as you can see in the last two pictures, i have duplicates in the "Field" cells (the light greenish cells). 

    This is why I had created the previous long IF function, but couldn't use it on the data validation due to the character limit. I know there is a way for VLOOKUP to do the job for me, but I can't seem to know how to solve it. 

    Any help is very much appreciated!

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  5. Anonymous
    2017-01-19T15:11:04+00:00

    Make up a table of C2 and C3 combinations, and their list names, like

    Humanities List I English       ENGL1

    Humanities List I Others       _OTH1

    and use this in the place of your formula:

    =INDIRECT(VLOOKUP(C2 & " " & C3, ListAddress, 2, False))

    where ListAddress is the range where you created the table, like  $Z$2:$AA$30

    If the list is on another sheet you need to use a named range.

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