1234Hi all;

On my Windows XP Home:
Start Control Panel Regional and Language Options Regional Options
"English (United States) Customize
Numbers Negative number format: -1.1
Currency Negative currency format: ($1.1)
I switch to Excel 2003.
Enter -10 in a cell, it shows as -10. Change the format of that cell to
currency, it shows ($10.00). Both happen to match the Windows regional
settings. Is that a coincidence? I'm not curious enough to change those, as
they suit me for a default, but I've never had a problem formatting a
negative number with brackets, and without going all the way to a Format
Cells Number Custom.
Format Cells Number Number Negative numbers
shows -1,234.10 in black, then the same in red, then (1,234.10) in black,
followed by (1,234.10) in red. This matches my admittedly poor memory of
previous versions of Excel. Choosing the black with brackets and reducing the
decimal places to zero shows the format preview (1,234), and results in (10)
displayed in the cell.
Going to Format Cells Number Custom
on that cell now shows: #,##0_);(#,##0)
a far cry from: _ * # ##0_);_ * (# ##0);_ * "- "_);_ @_ .
I am real curious as to why it was not that simple for Hélène. I don't
suppose anyone knows?

Regards,
Ian.


"Gordon" wrote:

Gordon wrote:
Gord Dibben wrote:

Helene

Gordon is not correct.

Windows Regional Settings control Excel's default number formatting.


Well it's *NEVER* worked for me in *ANY* version of Excel on *ANY*
machine I've *EVER* worked on, and that goes back to Office 95 on
Windows 95 right through to Office 2002 on XP SP2. And I use Excel
extensively every day in every job I've had for the last 10 years.


And I've never known it work for any of the hundreds of colleagues I've
worked with over those ten years either. EVERYONE has ALWAYS had to use
custom formats.

--
Interim Systems and Management Accounting
Gordon Burgess-Parker
Director
www.gbpcomputing.co.uk