The formula also removes any spaces in the text, by using the SUBSTITUTE function, because the range names can’t use space characters.

There is a named range on the worksheet – RedFruit – and the data validation formula uses the INDIRECT function to create a reference to that range. Here is a nice, simple conditional list – if you select Red Fruit in cell A2, you can see a list of red fruit in cell B2. But what about making a third drop down list? And how can you work with spaces, or other characters that can’t be used in Excel names? It’s fairly easy to make one drop down list show items based on what was selected in another drop down.