Written by Allen Wyatt (last updated July 10, 2021)
This tip applies to Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2019, and 2021
Iswar has two cells in which users enter degrees and minutes, which represent latitude. The values can necessarily vary from 0 degrees and 0 minutes to 90 degrees and 0 minutes. (Obviously Iswar is dealing with northern-hemisphere latitudes.) He wants to use data validation to check and limit what can be entered in the two cells. For the degrees Iswar can validate that the value is between 0 and 90. The problem is with the minutes cell, which can vary from 0 to 59 unless the degrees cell is 90, then the only acceptable value is 0 minutes. Iswar wonders how he can create the validation for the minutes cell to take this into account.
Assuming that you enter degrees into cell A1, you could set up validation for the degrees in this manner:
Figure 1. The Settings tab of the Data Validation dialog box.
Now, assuming that you enter minutes into cell B1, you could set up validation for the minutes in this manner:
The formula used for the Maximum value (step 7) sets a maximum for the cell based on whatever is entered into cell A1 (the degrees).
ExcelTips is your source for cost-effective Microsoft Excel training. This tip (8235) applies to Microsoft Excel 2007, 2010, 2013, 2019, and 2021. You can find a version of this tip for the older menu interface of Excel here: Handling Validation for Proper Latitude.
Professional Development Guidance! Four world-class developers offer start-to-finish guidance for building powerful, robust, and secure applications with Excel. The authors show how to consistently make the right design decisions and make the most of Excel's powerful features. Check out Professional Excel Development today!
When using data validation, you might want to have Excel display a message when someone starts to enter information into ...
Discover MoreData Validation is a great tool in Excel for making sure that whatever is entered in a cell matches your specific ...
Discover MoreWhen creating a worksheet, you may need to limit what can be entered into a particular cell. Using data validation you ...
Discover MoreFREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
There are currently no comments for this tip. (Be the first to leave your comment—just use the simple form above!)
Got a version of Excel that uses the ribbon interface (Excel 2007 or later)? This site is for you! If you use an earlier version of Excel, visit our ExcelTips site focusing on the menu interface.
FREE SERVICE: Get tips like this every week in ExcelTips, a free productivity newsletter. Enter your address and click "Subscribe."
Copyright © 2025 Sharon Parq Associates, Inc.
Comments