Drop down list that only puts a number in the cell

I know how to create a drop down list, but I want to do something a little different and am not sure if it is possible. I would like to have each item of the drop down list numbered and when chosen, only the number is entered in the cell.
So the drop down list would be something like:

1. absolutely not
2. maybe
3. definitely

Picking one of these from a drop down list would only put a 1, 2, or 3 in the the cell.

Is this possible and how?

How about putting the value you want in adjacent cell, see attached workbook
Select a value from dropdown in cell B1 and get the value you want in adjacent cell A1

formula in A1 is
=VLOOKUP(B1,MyTable,2,0)

source for data validation is
=myList

(myList and MyTable are named ranges)

a VBA solution - see attached workbook
- select a value from dropdown in cell A1
- whenever A1 value changes then change event macro overwrites value in cell with looked up value

this is in the sheet module

Please Login or Register  to view this content.

Do you want to change the actual value of the cell or just how it is displayed?
If the former, then try one of the solutions above.
If the latter, you can do it with Conditional Formatting.
1. Select the cell, click 'Conditional Formatting' → 'New Rule' → 'Use a formula to determine which cells to format'
2. Enter this in the formula box:

Formula:

Please Login or Register  to view this content.

3. Click 'Format', select the 'Number' tab, then 'Custom' in the list on the left-hand side. On the right-hand side, enter this in the 'Type' box:
;;;"1"
4. Click OK twice to get out.
5. Repeat using "2" and "3" for your other options.

Hope that helps.

Not exactly what I was looking for, but it might work. Thank You!

the VBA solution is EXACTLY what you asked for