Create an editable drop-down list in WPS Spreadsheet

Quick answer: Put the allowed choices in a worksheet range, apply Data → Validation → List to the input cells, and point Source to that range. Choose a Stop error alert when invalid typed entries should be rejected.

Set up the practice ranges

Use the original four project states: New, In progress, Blocked, Done. Enter them in H2:H5, one per cell, with Allowed status in H1. Put Task in A1 and Status in B1, then Draft, Review, and Release in A2:A4. Leave B2:B4 empty.

A small status CSV contains the four choices for reference. It does not contain validation rules. Create the layout above in a workbook before testing.

Create the list and alert

1. Select B2:B4 as the destination.
2. Open Data → Validation → Settings, and set Allow to List.
3. In Source, use the range selector to select H2:H5. Check that the reference covers exactly the four choices and does not include H1.
4. On Input Message, optionally add a short prompt such as “Choose the current task status.”
5. On Error Alert, enable the invalid-entry alert if a separate checkbox is offered, choose Stop, and use an explanatory message such as “Choose one of the listed statuses.” Confirm.
6. Select B2 and use its drop-down to choose New. Choose In progress in B3 and Done in B4.

The official WPS drop-down guide documents a range or typed list as Source, plus Input Message and Error Alert. It distinguishes Stop from Warning/Information, which can allow invalid input. A same-sheet choices range avoids unnecessary cross-sheet reference syntax in this first test.

Test invalid entry and source edits

Type Waiting into B2. With the intended Stop rule active, that typed value should be rejected; cancel the invalid entry and retain a permitted value. If it is accepted, revisit the rule on B2 and its alert settings before applying validation more widely.

Now change H4 from Blocked to On hold. Reopen a destination drop-down: the expected choices are New, In progress, On hold, Done. Then enter Waiting in H6. Because the Source still ends at H5, merely adding H6 should not be treated as proof that the list expanded. Reselect B2:B4 and change Source to H2:H6. Confirm that Waiting can now be chosen.

For clarity, the expected list sizes are 4 initially, 4 after renaming a choice, and 5 after expanding the source. These are range/content expectations; the actual interface remains untested.

Check existing entries separately

A changed list is not a migration of old records. If an old task already says Blocked, do not assume changing H4 rewrites that task to On hold. Review existing statuses before replacing any labels.

As an audit aid, =COUNTIF($H$2:$H$6,B2) should return 1 when B2 is a nonblank, unique permitted choice and 0 for an unlisted value. See COUNTIF. Keep the choices unique and exclude blank choices for this check. If blank statuses are allowed, decide that separately instead of interpreting every zero count as an error.

Common pitfalls

• No arrow: verify that B2:B4, not the source range, received a List rule; check any in-cell drop-down option your dialog exposes.
• Missing new item: inspect the Source endpoints rather than assuming automatic expansion.
• A warning but no rejection: use Stop for the intended typed-entry test.
• Pasted or imported values: test those routes separately; the typed-entry result does not prove every input method is blocked.
• Lost rule after saving: keep a workbook format. CSV contains text values, not validation or protection.

Validation improves entry consistency; it is not access control. Save, reopen and repeat the valid/invalid tests in the actual receiving application before relying on the workbook.

Version and testing scope

This guide follows the cited WPS desktop documentation. The exact installed build and free-versus-paid availability were not verified. It was not tested in WPS Spreadsheet; expected values were checked independently, and no application screenshots are claimed. Desktop controls do not establish Android or Web parity. Test your actual edition with the small sample before applying the procedure to an important workbook.