Excel 2003: how to *conditionally* use Conditional Formatting

[DayLaborer]

I have a spreadsheet that contains many columns including:
- Parent's Name
- Child's Name

I've added Conditional Formatting on the Child's Name column to color the cell brightly if there is no value in it. My intention is to remind the person entering the data in the Excel sheet to enter information for the Child's Name field.

The problem is that I copied this Conditional Formatting all the way down the Child's Name column, so now all of the (acceptably) empty rows have a highlighted Child's Name column. That's just annoying to look at.

How can I set the Conditional Formatting on Child's Name to only be highlighted if both of these conditions are met:
- Parent's Name is not blank
- Child's Name is blank

Thanks,
Eliezer

 

[DaveInIowa]

Condition 1: Formula Is =IF(AND(A1>"",B1=""),TRUE,FALSE)

 

[buitenhek]

Dave has it right.
Like his info, make sure the a1 and b1 values do not have a $a$1 absolute value. Then set the format "Pattern" to yellow.
If the cells below the first value of child are empty, simple copy the blank value (with the Conditional equation)all the way down the page to where you want it to stop.

Regards
Peter Buitenhek
ProfitDeveloper.com

"Never settle for a job well done...always look for cost cutting measures