#1. If I type in the date that includes the year in my system's short date
format (03/21/2005), then the format stays what I like. If I just type in 3/21
(without the year), the default format wins.

I sometimes hit ctrl-; (ctrl-semicolon) to enter the date and then just type
what I want (leaving off the year). Excel will remember the format of the cell
from the ctrl-semicolon.

#2. Either preformat that cell as Text (format|cells|Number tab) or start with
an apostrophe:

'-1234

#3. I'm not sure. Sometimes, it's just a matter of trial and error.

mjk wrote:

1) The default date format for Excel is "21-Mar" when I enter date
recognized data. This is unusable for me, I need the year displayed. How do I
change the default date format to display the year.

2) With default also, Excel sometimes requires "=" in equations and
sometimes not; i.e., if I enter a '-' it converts the cell to an equation.
How do i stop this so that it only makes equations when I enter '='.

3) How do I get help on Excel inconsistancies like the above in Excel
documentation anywhere?

mjk

--

Dave Peterson