This text box has been linked to the value in a cell.Īs I select a different month from the data validation list in B1 you can see both the result in cell D1 and my text box dynamically update. You can see in the image below that my text box is linked to cell D1 which contains a formula that combines the words "Year to Date" with the text in cell B1 (which is a data validation list in which the user can select a month). ( Note: your linked cell can be any worksheet in your workbook.) Now, while the text box is selected click in the Formula bar and type an = sign, then click on the cell you want to link to and press Enter to confirm. A text box is selected when you can see handles around it. (These are the handles that allow you to resize the text box.) If the text box is not active, simply click on it once to select it. You can tell the text box is active because it will have small square boxes/circles on the outer edges. In order to link the text box to a cell you need it to be active. A portion of the Insert tab of the ribbon with the Text Box tool marked. Simply click the Text Box tool and hold the left mouse button while you drag to draw it on your worksheet. You'll find text boxes on the Insert tab of the ribbon in the Text group. This is because they're actually an object that hovers above your worksheet just like charts and images. The reason I like to use text boxes is that they can be positioned anywhere in your workbook and don't have the constraints of a cell. I created these dynamic labels using text boxes that are linked to a cell which contains the dynamic text (more on dynamic text in a moment). Speed Km/h' updates to include 'All' or 'Top 10'as the different selections are made: (See Figure 1.)
data validation lists, work just as well as Combo Box lists.) This is done by selecting from a Combo Box list.
As a result it's important that the labels in the report reflect the selections made.įor example, in my Tour de France dashboard below I have a few different ways to filter the data, one is to toggle between viewing the results for 'All' riders or just the 'Top 10'. Or start dragging the box to reposition it, thus indicating that you can format and edit the box itself.One of the great features of an Excel Dashboard report is that they are typically interactive, in that they enable the reader to choose different ways to filter the data. A double crosshatched pattern (that just looks like a bunch of fuzzy dots on my monitor) is displayed when you click the border of the text box.A single crosshatched pattern is displayed when you click inside the text box, thus enabling you to format and edit the text.Text boxes display two different border patterns when you select them: Unlike the other Excel graphic objects, when you select a textīox, it displays sizing handles but no rotation handle (because Excel can't display text at just any angle you may select). Text boxes differ somewhat from other graphic objects that you add to the worksheet. Over the cell or select the comment with the Reviewing toolbar.) (Comments show only when you position the mouse pointer The text, click anywhere on the screen outside of the text box to deselect it.Īlthough text boxes are similar to cell comments with text-within-a-box display, they differ from comments in that text boxes are notĪttached to particular cells and are always displayed in the worksheet. If you want to break a line before it reaches the right edge of the text box, press the Enter key. If you reach the end of the text box and keep typing, Excel scrolls the text up, and you then have to resize the text box to displayĪll the text that you've entered. When the text that you type reaches the right edge of the text box, Excel automatically You can then start typing the text that you want displayed in the text box. Mouse button, Excel places the insertion point in the upper-left corner of the box. To create a text box, click the Text Box button on the Drawing toolbar and then drag the mouse pointer to draw the outline of the box. (The only other object that does this are the callouts that you insert from theĪutoShapes Callout pop-up menu.) They're great for calling attention to significant trends or special features in the charts that you create. Text boxes are graphics that combine text with a rectangular graphic object.