Q: Dynamic Pop-up Menus

Hi,

The short answer is no. There is a lot of interest in having somethng like you describe but no, it does not currently exist.

quinn

Hi quinn,

I recall a recent (brilliant!) solution that you gave using a formula to enter 'Show' based on the previous Pop-Up choice. Then use the Filter feature to show only those rows before offering Pop-Up further choices. I have searched, but I can't find that thread. Perhaps Toni was the Original Poster?

Regards,

Ian.

Hi GW,

Creating a Pop-Up Menu in Numbers 3 is very easy.

In a spare table or column, enter the values that you want to populate the Pop-up.

Select those cells.

Format Panel > Cell > Data Format > Pop-Up Menu

Done. They are now Pop-Up menus

Click on the upside-down triangle to show the menu items

I would like to have a pop-up menu (on a different sheet) read:

     Banana

     Orange

     Apple

You can now copy and paste any one of those cells to another table (on the same or a different sheet). The menu choices will be carried over.

is it also possible to have the pop-up menu update itself automatically? Let's say I add A4 = Pineapple to my table. Could I get my pop-up menu to automatically have "Pineapple" as an option or must I manually type it in as a selection?

No. Not automatically. Numbers does not allow dynamic update from a table to a Pop-Up Menu.

(Apologies to quinn. I misread the original question).

To add an item to a Pop-Up, use the add button:

Or start from scratch with a new list

Regards,

Ian.

Hi Ian,

Thanks for the boost. I was thinking that it wasn't going to address GW's issue.

GW- the link is here:

Re: changing Pop-up-Menu

Let me know if it works for you.

quinn

Hi quinn,

Our replies are crossing in the mail .

I finally got my head around GW's question, and I discovered I had completely missed the point of the original question.

I hope my last reply makes sense to you and GW.

Regards.

Ian.

Hi Ian,

Call me brilliant anytime.

I wish I know how to  link to individual replies, I would send people trying to understand popups to your answer here. I can only get a link if someone has responded to a post. (doing that now).

I use a popup for a client list and it is a little work to update it. Generally I use a variation on your last method. I have my client list and add the new client to it. Select the list and choose text as format. Alphabetize the list. Choose popup as format. Copy and paste to where I need it.

ciao,

quinn

Hi Quinn,

I would send people trying to understand popups to your answer here.

It looks like it is time for you and I to start composing a User Tip on Pop-Up Menus in Numbers 3. You will be an equal co-author.

I can start a draft User Tip, but I would prefer to avoid cluttering this forum with drafts or published "half finished" tips. If you feel OK about this, click on my name/avatar to see my profile. Email me with details and anonymous examples of what you do now (I had a play with your method, but ran into a brick wall).

I use a popup for a client list and it is a little work to update it. Generally I use a variation on your last method. I have my client list and add the new client to it. Select the list and choose text as format. Alphabetize the list. Choose popup as format. Copy and paste to where I need it.

 

ciao,

quinn

Regards,

Ian.

Hi Ian,

Don't know if this eventually will prove useful in "faking" dynamic Pop-Up Menus, but it turns out AppleScript can automate some of the process:

For example try this on your Table 1 above:

property targetRange : "A2:A5"
tell application "Numbers"
  set t to front document's active sheet's first table whose selection range's class is range
  tell t
  set selection range to range targetRange
  set selection range's format to pop up menu
  end tell
end tell

SG

Hi SG,

If I am reading that right it will take A2:A5 and make them into popups.

What if I want to take those popup values and paste them into a table, say this table:

the blank cells are the popups that need updating. can that be done with a script? Still read as a blank cell but with the new popup?

quinn

Hi Applescript Guru SG,

I tried your script with this table in Numbers 3.2 (and Numbers '09 was not open)

A2 to A5 selected. In AppleScript Editor I pasted the script and clicked on the hammer to compile.

Syntax Error. Expected variable name, class name or property but found unknown token.

Same message if I click on Run.

Same message if I click somewhere else in the table (A2:A5 are not selected).

Thanks for your help.

Regards,

Ian.

Hi Ian,

That sounds like a copy-pasting problem. (I find the new forum software particularly unfriendly to AppleScript).  I suggest trying the copy-paste again.  After hitting the hammer, the script should look like this:

You don't have to select A2:A5 manually. Just click anywhere in the table and run.

SG

Hi SG,

You wrote: I find the new forum software particularly unfriendly to AppleScript

Maybe not the new forum software. I copied your script to Pages 4 and saved. Then copied from Pages 4 to the AppleScript Editor. No go.

But copying your script from your first reply above, then pasting into AppleScript Editor did exactly as you said in your second reply.

A2:A5 are now Pop-Up Menus.

Thanks!

Regarding the new forum software,

Site map of Communities and Categories

Regards,

Ian.