Use conditional formatting to ensure that any data entry errors or omissions are clearly highlighted.

To validate data-entry forms:

  1. Add a new line item to your module. This acts as an error measure for another data-entry line item. In the example below, Error Grade is the error measure. 
  2. Create a formula to return an error measure value, conditional on the value entered in another line item. In the example below, the formula  IF ISBLANK  is entered into the number-formatted Error Grade line item. The error measure value is returned in the text-formatted Grade line item. 
Error grade line item is highlighted with the formula visible.
  1. Select Conditional formatting from the toolbar. 
  2. From the dialog box, select the New Rule button. 
  3. Select the line item you want to format, from the dropdown menu. 
    In the example, Grade is selected.
  4. From the dropdown menu, select the line item that contains the values the color code should be based on.
    In the example, Error Grade is selected.
  5. Choose the Values and colors. You can:
  • Select a 2-color scale and set the Minimum and Maximum values. 
  • Select a 3-color scale and set the Minimum, Mid-point and Maximum values. 
  1. Select OK to apply your conditional formatting rule.  
    From the example, the cells in the Grade line item are colored:
  • White, when the value of the cells in Error Grade is 0
  • Yellow, when the value of the cells in Error Grade is 1
  • Red, when the value of the cells in Error Grade is 2
New conditional formatting rule created