Auto-suggest on cell select
Location on ribbon: Tab DVD Addin → Group Text and Number
Command ID: ToggleAutoInput
What it does
A toggle that decides how the Quick Input feature is triggered. When ON, every time you select a cell the add-in opens the suggestion popup next to it, listing the unique values from the column above — the "suggest as you go" data-entry style of dedicated input tools. When OFF, the popup appears only when you ask for it via the Quick Input button or Ctrl+Alt+I. Turn it on for bulk entry sessions (site diaries, timesheets, material logs) and off again when you go back to writing formulas, so the popup stops jumping out.
How to use
- Go to tab DVD Addin → group Text and Number.
- Click Auto-suggest on cell select so the button appears pressed (ON).
- The Excel status bar shows
Quick Input: ON — popup auto-opens on cell selectfor about 5 seconds, then clears. - From now on, selecting a cell opens the suggestion popup: type to filter, Enter to insert, Esc to dismiss.
- Click the button again to turn it OFF — any popup currently showing closes immediately and the status bar reports
Quick Input: OFF — Ctrl+Alt+I only.
Example
At the end of the day you have 60 diary rows to enter: the Crew, Work item and Unit columns all repeat existing values. Turn Auto-suggest on cell select ON, then simply click each cell in turn: the popup opens by itself, you type two or three characters, press Enter, and the cursor drops to the next row. When the diary is finished, click the toggle off so the popup stops covering the sheet while you build the summary formulas.
Notes
- The on/off state is stored in the Windows registry, so it survives closing and reopening Excel.
- Only one popup exists at a time; selecting another cell closes the previous one.
- Turning it off does not disable the feature — it is still available via Ctrl+Alt+I or the Quick Input button.
- On very large sheets, scanning the column for unique values on every selection can feel slightly slower — switch it off while browsing or formatting big tables.
- The status-bar message is only a confirmation; it disappears after a few seconds and never touches your data.
Related
- Quick Input — the feature whose automatic mode this button controls.
- Configure source ranges… — define dedicated suggestion sources per input area.
- Preferences — the add-in's other general settings.