Formula to grab a value out of a long list?

Question

Hello!
I’m trying to set up a formula in order to select one value out of a bunch of cells (about 200).
The cells in column A contain each one account number – e. g.: 6815
The cells in column B contain each a definition for the corresponding account number of column A – e. g.: “Office Supplies”
The formula is supposed to gather both expressions in order to unit and display them in another cell, let’s say “C201”, using something like
->  =A1&" "&B1
a) Now, how do I set up things in order to connect my formula with an array? …assuming the array would contain the 200 cells (A1 -> A200) and (B1 -> B200), but written in such a sleek maner, in terms of syntax, so the formula remains easy to update and easy to process.
b) If I add new accounts (e.g. A201, …) and new corresponding account definitions (e.g. B201…), can I have my formula growing dynamically with the added cells?
c) And most important, what do I have to insert into the formula in order to set up a sort of text-completion-function?
- e. g.: typing “6815” into a C-cell brings up the whole string “6815 Office Supplies”
- or : typing “Office Supplies” into a C-cell brings up the whole string “6815 Office Supplies”
(each new character typed into the cell reduces the amount of matching-expressions displayed in or next to the cell in a list, so one can choose more quickly)
d) on top (regarding c), the selecting-function would be arrow-keys-sensitive.
I know it sounds a little like some sort of FILEMAKER-abracadabra, but I’m wondering if all this also can be achieved in NUMBERS.
Any hints would be much appreciated.
G

Answer 1

HI gestyle,
e) correct. " annual picnic" in this case would be generated by a lookup formula, which 2014 would be entered text. The entered text would immediately replace the formula in the cell, leaving no way to retrieve the description text.
ee) sort of. The formula (in A2, for example) would need to get the entered text (also in A2) to use as a search key for the descriptive text (on another table), then return it to cell A2. Until text was entered in A2, there is a self reference issue. The issue disappears as soon as text is entered in the cell, but only because the formula itself disappears at that instant.
If the only purpose for having the full string ( 2014 Annual Picnic ) in a single cell is that it 'looks nice', I don't see a solution. If the full string needs to be in a single cell so that it can be used in further calculations, then this might fill the need:
Accts table is unchanged.
Main-1 is a duplicate of Main, with new formulas. Both formulas are entered in row 2, then filled down to row 6.
Column A contains entered text (the acount number)
B2: =IF(LEN(A)<1,"",IFERROR(" "&VLOOKUP(A,Accts :: A:B,2,FALSE),"<not found>"))
This is a reduced version of the formula in C2 of Main in my earlier post. It returns the account description associated with the account No. in column A. I've left the  " "&  portion in the formula to attach a space to the beginning of the description for some separation between the right-aligned acct No. in A and the name in B (compare with the same information in the Accts table).
C2: =A&B
This concatenates the contents of A and the contents of B into the full string seen in column C. As the string is already displayed (in two cells) in columns A and B, this column could be hidden without affecting its ability to be referenced by a formula needing the full string.
ef) With Numbers '09 (v2.x), a preference setting (Show auto-completion list in Table columns) would enable 'suggestions' for auto completion based on entries made in cells above the current cell and in the same column. Numbers 3 is a complete rewrite of the application, and several features have not (yet) made it into the new code. Provide Numbers Feedback, using the menu item of that name in the Numbers menu if you are using v3, and would find this feature useful.
eg) Correct for Numbers '09, and I suspect true for Numbers 3 as well.
You could investigate the use of a cell formatted as a Slider in conjunction with a Lookup table to accoplish this. There are some limitations: Sliders will generate sequential number values only, and do not allow for gaps in the series of numbers. You may find it difficult (I do) to select a specific number from a set of 200 using a slider.
Stepper formatted cells are similar to Sliders, but step through the list of numeric values through the user clicking (or clicking and holding) one of a pair of up and down triangles. Each step is discrete, making it easier to hit a specific nuber, but each change also triggers a recalculation of the table. Stepping through a list of 250 values in one cell on a small table (Main-1) by holding the mouse button down on the up arrow took 75 seconds—a level of tedium similar to that of a 250 item pop-up menu. Provide Numbers Feedback.
Regards,
Barry