fa,

If you know how to add a custom macro button to a toolbar and
can find the Personal.xls file then paste this code into the Personal.xls file
and attach it to the custom Toolbar button.
Then select the cells you want to format and click the new button.
------------------------------
Sub JustWhatIWanted()
'Jim Cone - San Francisco, USA - January 2006
'Adds a telephone number format to all cells in the selection'
Dim rngSelection As Excel.Range
Dim rngCell As Excel.Range
'Make sure the following line does not wrap (is a single line).
Const strFormat As String = "[<=9999999]###-####;[<=9999999999]###-###-####;###-###-###-####"

If TypeName(Selection) < "Range" Then
MsgBox "Select some cells on the worksheet. ", vbInformation, "Special Number Format"
Exit Sub
End If
Set rngSelection = Excel.Selection
For Each rngCell In rngSelection
rngCell.NumberFormat = strFormat
Next 'rngCell
End Sub

'-------------------------------------------
Jim Cone
San Francisco, USA
http://www.realezsites.com/bus/primitivesoftware



"frustratedagain" wrote in message...
Every Excel spreadsheet I receive includes column(s) somewhere of phone
numbers. Rather than have to recreate in EACH file a new custom format
I dream of being able to PERMANENTLY add two telephone
number formats so that I can EASILY apply the following formats:
###-###-#### and ###-###-#### ###. Is there any way on EARTH that I
can PERMANENTLY add these formats to MS's available formats?

Remember: I DO NOT CREATE new Excel spreadsheets, I only receive them,
so templates would be useless.
frustrated...
frustratedagain