This macro displays a list of predefined choices and inserts one of the Microsoft Excel spreadsheet fields within the phrase placeholder. Input selection dialog window will appear when command is executed to allow user input (Lookup search).


The macro is similar to a Selection Table macro with the difference that it reads the data from an Microsoft Excel spreadsheet file. This is ideal for searching for the data fields from larger databases.



•Name - The unique name of the field. The field name cannot contain blanks or special characters. Two fields with the same name and of the same type are treated as one - the user input is only required once.

•Description (optional) - Description of a field to be shown on the input dialog.

•File path - File path to the Excel file with the data content. Select a folder button to open a file from a disk.

•Sheet (optional) - Name of the Excel sheet to be used.

•Cell range (optional) - Specify an Excel cell range to be used, for example A1 : D50.

•Lookup Column no. (optional) - Number of the Excel column to be searched on. Specify a comma delimited list to search on multiple columns. Leave this field blank to search all columns.

•Return column(s) (optional) - Number of the Excel column which content is to be returned as an output. Specify a comma delimited list to return multiple columns. Leave this field blank to return all columns.

•All matches - Enable this option to output all matches instead of the first only.

•Output separator (optional) - Specify separator characters to be displayed between multiple return fields.

•Force Query (optional) - If multiple Excel File Lookup macros in the same command are using the data from the same Excel table, FastKeys only asks for the user input once. Select this option to force a separate user input.

•Remember last input (optional) - If this option is enabled, the last user selection will be pre-selected when calling the macro next time.

•No output (optional) - Enable this option to instruct FastKeys not to output the value. This is useful for using the values later in the conditional statements, calculations or scripts.

•Output format (optional) - The macro output can be further processed by several additional macro functions. See: Output format


Select OK to insert a %TABLE_Name% macro field into the command. Double-click on the field name to open the dialog and edit the macro properties again.


In the following example, the user will be asked to select a patient's gender to further adjust the phrase.

The patient is associated with several symptoms. %TABLE_Gender1% is advised to stay home. %TABLE_Gender2% blood pressure is normal.


TABLE_Name field variables can also be used in the conditional statements, calculations or scripts.