If you don't want the number treated as a full date, put it in as text.
--
David Biddulph

"pete5440" wrote in message
...
Thanks Dave and David. David I tried the xx/xx in the formula a half
dozens
times and kept getting error message about invalid characters "/".
Finally,
it does work. One last and hopefully final question though. I will keep
adding dates to this list on an ongoing basis. So you are saying I will
have
to keep the Helper Column to do my sort? Wouldn't it be somehow easier to
just have the formula 'work' (by that I mean do not associate a year with
the
mm/dd) every time I entered the dates?

"David Biddulph" wrote:

If, instead of mmdd format text, you want to see mm/dd format text, just
change your =text(b3,"mmdd") formula to =text(b3,"mm/dd")
--
David Biddulph

"pete5440" wrote in message
...
Dave I appreciate the tips but this isn't happening. I'm using Excel
2007
and
never had issues like this in previous versions. Somehow I have managed
to
changed my first date from 1/1 to1-Jan in playing with this and I can't
change it back. I have added a 'blank' helper column (C) and if enter
the
formula, =text(b3,"mmdd") and pull this down it will change my dates
from
xx/xx to xxxx without the "/" separating the month and day. I need the
xx/xx
format.

"Dave Peterson" wrote:

This helper column of formulas doesn't replace the original data. You
can
either use an unused column or insert an empty column (usually
adjacent
near the
original data).

So if you put the dates in column A, then you could use column B to
hold
the
formula:
=text(a2,"mmdd")

If there is no autofill button/grab handle, try toggling this setting:

Tools|Options|Edit tab|Check the "Allow cell drag and drop" box.
(xl2003 menus)

pete5440 wrote:

Here's the formula: =TEXT(B2,"mmdd"). The b2 cell is highlighted in
yellow
but no 'grab handle' to pull it down the column. Dates are changed
from
1/1,
1/9 etc. to 1/0 with this formula. I'm also getting a "circular
warning" at
times and when I click on circular references it shows $B$2. I'm
really
stumped and never seemed to have problems in prior versions of
Excel.

"Dave Peterson" wrote:

What happend when you used the =text() formula?

What was in B2?



pete5440 wrote:

Re the Helper Column(s). Am I just to copy everything to another
column (B)
and set up a formula there? Mike, with the 2-column approach
does
this mean
I'll have three columns to handle my dates and I'll need to use
all
three to
sort (sorry, I'm confused)? In trying to let the help function
of
excel guide
me, and posting this same inquiry in the excel worksheet thread,
the question
about "text" came up. I'm looking for the easiest (isn't
everyone)
way to do
this. I tried the =text(b2,"mmdd") but it didn't work.

"pete5440" wrote:

I have a worksheet with one column being dates in the format
of
3/2, 4/25,
12/10, etc. As I added dates I could always sort from lowest
(1/1) to highest
(12/31). Now I can't seem to sort any dates that have been
added
in 2009. I
do not have a year attached to these dates as they are
birthdays
and I need
to sort by month/day regardless of year. If I highlight A2 (A1
is
my column
heading) the formula box shows 1/1/2008. I have never set up
the
year and
there is no formula set up as I have only ever added the
month/day. This is
Excel 2007. How do I fix?


--

Dave Peterson


--

Dave Peterson