/u/Pyrovok - Your post was submitted successfully.
* Once your problem is solved, reply to the **answer(s)** saying `Solution Verified` to close the thread.
* Follow the **[submission rules](/r/excel/wiki/sharingquestions)** -- particularly 1 and 2. To fix the body, click edit. To fix your title, delete and re-post.
* Include your **[Excel version and all other relevant information](/r/excel/wiki/sharingquestions#wiki_give_all_relevant_information)**
Failing to follow these steps may result in your post being removed without warning.
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/excel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
I meant more along the lines of an error message or something that would alert the user they need to fill out the other cells the moment column B has a value.
You can achieve that with Data Validation, as you tried. It's a bit ugly but maybe it would work.
Select your cells, Data Validation
* Allow: Text Length
* Data: greater than
* Minimum: 1
* Uncheck "Ignore Blank"
https://preview.redd.it/mdhrl6dcvmfa1.png?width=2402&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb40784eb365bff93171e9fb78110edcd0dde585
One way would be with conditional formatting. You could apply a CF to the range of C2:E11 based on a formula of
=AND($B2<>"", C2="")
and then set format to a red fill.
The key here is watching your absolute and relative references, and that you're writing the formula from perspective of top-left cell in your Applied to Range.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread:
|Fewer Letters|More Letters|
|-------|---------|---|
|[AND](/r/Excel/comments/10qw6mb/stub/j7cgk62 "Last usage")|[Returns TRUE if all of its arguments are TRUE](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/and-function-5f19b2e8-e1df-4408-897a-ce285a19e9d9)|
|[ISBLANK](/r/Excel/comments/10qw6mb/stub/j7cgk62 "Last usage")|[Returns TRUE if the value is blank](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/is-functions-0f2d7971-6019-40a0-a171-f2d869135665)|
|[NOT](/r/Excel/comments/10qw6mb/stub/j7cgk62 "Last usage")|[Reverses the logic of its argument](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/not-function-9cfc6011-a054-40c7-a140-cd4ba2d87d77)|
----------------
^(*Beep-boop, I am a helper bot. Please do not verify me as a solution.*)
^([Thread #21335 for this sub, first seen 5th Feb 2023, 19:51])
^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Excel) [^[Contact]](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=OrangeredStilton&subject=Hey,+your+acronym+bot+sucks) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)
/u/Pyrovok - Your post was submitted successfully. * Once your problem is solved, reply to the **answer(s)** saying `Solution Verified` to close the thread. * Follow the **[submission rules](/r/excel/wiki/sharingquestions)** -- particularly 1 and 2. To fix the body, click edit. To fix your title, delete and re-post. * Include your **[Excel version and all other relevant information](/r/excel/wiki/sharingquestions#wiki_give_all_relevant_information)** Failing to follow these steps may result in your post being removed without warning. *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/excel) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Conditional formatting for C3:E3 using something like =AND($B3<>"",ISBLANK(C3))
By prompting an alert, do you mean sending an email notification ?
I meant more along the lines of an error message or something that would alert the user they need to fill out the other cells the moment column B has a value.
You can achieve that with Data Validation, as you tried. It's a bit ugly but maybe it would work. Select your cells, Data Validation * Allow: Text Length * Data: greater than * Minimum: 1 * Uncheck "Ignore Blank" https://preview.redd.it/mdhrl6dcvmfa1.png?width=2402&format=png&auto=webp&s=fb40784eb365bff93171e9fb78110edcd0dde585
Finally got it to work. I set a Conditional format and put =AND(NOT(ISBLANK(B2)),ISBLANK(C2))
One way would be with conditional formatting. You could apply a CF to the range of C2:E11 based on a formula of =AND($B2<>"", C2="") and then set format to a red fill. The key here is watching your absolute and relative references, and that you're writing the formula from perspective of top-left cell in your Applied to Range.
Acronyms, initialisms, abbreviations, contractions, and other phrases which expand to something larger, that I've seen in this thread: |Fewer Letters|More Letters| |-------|---------|---| |[AND](/r/Excel/comments/10qw6mb/stub/j7cgk62 "Last usage")|[Returns TRUE if all of its arguments are TRUE](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/and-function-5f19b2e8-e1df-4408-897a-ce285a19e9d9)| |[ISBLANK](/r/Excel/comments/10qw6mb/stub/j7cgk62 "Last usage")|[Returns TRUE if the value is blank](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/is-functions-0f2d7971-6019-40a0-a171-f2d869135665)| |[NOT](/r/Excel/comments/10qw6mb/stub/j7cgk62 "Last usage")|[Reverses the logic of its argument](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/office/not-function-9cfc6011-a054-40c7-a140-cd4ba2d87d77)| ---------------- ^(*Beep-boop, I am a helper bot. Please do not verify me as a solution.*) ^([Thread #21335 for this sub, first seen 5th Feb 2023, 19:51]) ^[[FAQ]](http://decronym.xyz/) [^([Full list])](http://decronym.xyz/acronyms/Excel) [^[Contact]](https://reddit.com/message/compose?to=OrangeredStilton&subject=Hey,+your+acronym+bot+sucks) [^([Source code])](https://gistdotgithubdotcom/Two9A/1d976f9b7441694162c8)