Working with the autofilter

The autofilter is displayed in the cobby sheets right next to the name of the attribute in the table header. Depending on which column we are in, other functions are available in the filter, which we will now discuss.

The most important element of the autofilter is the value list: here all unique values of the column are listed individually. Besides the values, there are two general entries: (Select all) and (Empty). To display only a specific value, first uncheck "Select all" and then check only the value you want to display.

It is even easier if we simply enter the value in the search field. The value list is then automatically reduced to the values that match the search entry. This makes sense e.g. for categories like in the article Add categories depending on attributes. By clicking OK, Excel will then show us all the products that are assigned to the Sale category.

The search works for all attributes. Depending on which attribute we use the autofilter on, other functions are available. For example, if we use the autofilter on a date column like Special Price From Date, the display changes. The values are now displayed according to years and months and we have the possibility to select a date range in addition to a date.

The display also changes for numerical values and we have additional filter functions to choose from.

After we apply a filter, the row numbers are displayed in blue and the autofilter that was applied gets a filter icon.

If you want to copy data from another table into the filtered area, you have to be careful. If you insert the values carelessly, the data often does not end up where it belongs. This is because Excel also pastes into the area that is not visible. Let's say we copy three values from another sheet and want to paste them into the filtered area. Excel would copy the three values into rows 13, 14 and 15, although only row 13 is visible. To avoid this, we must always work with formulas here.