OK, here we go. Please understand, this solution will generate an error, specifically a "CIRCULAR CELL REFERENCE ERROR", but it does not change or alter the end result for locking the values.
Take a look at the image, it contains three seperate screen shots, each one after hitting F9 (recalculate). Notice the error at the bottom of the image, it was generated by the FIRST time the formula was triggered. This is a not so glam way of handling this.
Now, you could make a button to lock , and unlock the sheet, but only buttons will trigger it, as a formula cannot trigger a module!
It's kind of fun to do the impossible! -Walter Elias Disney
Well, right off the head, this can be accomplished with a two step method. Stay with me.
A column that holds the UNIQUE number, along with another column that keeps track of whether or not the first colum has a vlaue in it, and upon a value being placed in the first column, does not recalculate. Try to imagine:
Column A hold boolean (y/n)
Column B hold unique value.
Column C holds the actual data.
If column A is set to N (default), which in this case means "NOT LOCKED", then a unique number is generated!
Once a value is set for C, then A should be changed to Y, and no other unique number will be generated in B, unless you manually set A to "N".
Just one VERY simple way of locking the values in!
It's kind of fun to do the impossible! -Walter Elias Disney
@ac3mark - I think this will work for the situation I am in as well. Would you mind giving an example of how to set this up (what would go in each column). Thanks!
