hide cell contents without column or row hide

**ravergirl7216** · 07-29-2010, 10:58 PM

Is there anyway to hide data and protect the data within a cell without doing a column or ride hide? I was using the numberFormat = ";;;" or something like that to hide the cell contents. Is there anyway to get similar results thru VBA??

Thanks for your help

**MarvinP** · 07-29-2010, 11:07 PM

I've seen cells with white font color that looks like it is a blank cell. I wonder if you used that and protect the sheet, if that would work for you?

**DonkeyOte** · 07-30-2010, 12:53 AM

Irrespective of whether or not the cell constant is visible in the cell (custom format, font) it will still be visible in the Formula Bar ... removing that is generally speaking ill-advised.

If the cells are formulae - you can format the font colour and then lock & hide the cell - at which point when you protect the worksheet neither the in-cell value nor the formula will be visible to the end user.

I think the real question is why you need to do this etc...

**ravergirl7216** · 07-30-2010, 11:10 AM

I have a data validation list in a column of cells and I wonly want them to appear or to be used when the user toggles a certian button to use those hidden cells. The way the sheet is configured, I can't use a column hide or else I would do so. Is there a way to lock and unlock these cells in vba and may be i can hide the column in different colors like white. thanks for your help.

**DonkeyOte** · 07-30-2010, 11:20 AM

One "fudge" to prevent the DV lists from being active when you don't want them to be is to force an error in the Source.

Consider a Named Range called MyList that is the source for a DV list in B1.

I can modify the Source formula for the List as so:

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the above is simply an example that states where A1 is 0 the DV List should not populate
(though the arrow appears in B1 I can't select anything until A1 is modified)

Above is just to demo a basic premise - ie you can control as and when the DV lists are "active" (per se)