Duplicate values in an Excel list


How often have you seen an Excel worksheet where a single entry in Column A applies to several rows of data? Sort this list by name, and those blank cells make it impossible to tell who sold what in February and March.



Caption: Once the blank cells (above) have been filled in (below),
the list can be sorted

When a list is small, you can enter the missing names manually. But if your database is huge, you need a better way of filling in those names. Here's how:

1. Select the range (A3:A14).
2. Press <F5> to open the Go To dialogue box.
3. In the Go To dialogue box, click Special.
4. Select the Blanks option.
5. Type = followed by the address of the first cell with an entry in the column (=A3 in our example), and press <Ctrl>-<Enter>.
6. Reselect the range and choose Edit-Copy. Then select Edit-Paste Special, choose the Values option, and click OK.

- John Walkenbach


Category:spreadsheet
Issue: April 1999

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