Text to Columns / #Name?
 

Good day,

I have read with great interest the various posts on the common #Name? error
and one good solution is to select a column and then select DataText to
columnsFinish to fix the error.

But, my question is as follows: why does this happen?

When I select a cell, it is clearly formatted as "number" however, Excel
seems to see it as text, hence the error.

Why is this?

Thanks for your help, it is always greatly appreciated.

Helene

Text to Columns / #Name?
 

Helen

I think you mean the #VALUE! error.

#NAME? is a result of a whole 'nother set of errors in data entry.

See help for a list of #NAME?-causing errors like misspelled function name or
ATP not being loaded.

If the data looks like a number but is formatted as Text......external data
being brought in frequently ends up this way...........merely re-formatting to
"number" or General does not change that number back to a number.

Formatting is used to change the appearance of data but not the underlying
value.

Excel has to be forced to make the change.

DataText to Columns is one method and works well with dates that come in as
text.

Another is to Format the data to General then copy an empty cell and paste
specialadd over the data.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:36:00 -0800, Helen
wrote:

Good day,

I have read with great interest the various posts on the common #Name? error
and one good solution is to select a column and then select DataText to
columnsFinish to fix the error.

But, my question is as follows: why does this happen?

When I select a cell, it is clearly formatted as "number" however, Excel
seems to see it as text, hence the error.

Why is this?

Thanks for your help, it is always greatly appreciated.

Helene

Text to Columns / #Name?
 

Gord,

Thank you for the response. I did mean #Name?, not Value. Unfortunately,
since I did not create that workbook, I do not have its historic background.

In any case, like I mentioned earlier, the Text to Column did do the trick.

Thank you.

Helene

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Helen

I think you mean the #VALUE! error.

#NAME? is a result of a whole 'nother set of errors in data entry.

See help for a list of #NAME?-causing errors like misspelled function name or
ATP not being loaded.

If the data looks like a number but is formatted as Text......external data
being brought in frequently ends up this way...........merely re-formatting to
"number" or General does not change that number back to a number.

Formatting is used to change the appearance of data but not the underlying
value.

Excel has to be forced to make the change.

DataText to Columns is one method and works well with dates that come in as
text.

Another is to Format the data to General then copy an empty cell and paste
specialadd over the data.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

On Thu, 4 Jan 2007 15:36:00 -0800, Helen
wrote:

Good day,

I have read with great interest the various posts on the common #Name? error
and one good solution is to select a column and then select DataText to
columnsFinish to fix the error.

But, my question is as follows: why does this happen?

When I select a cell, it is clearly formatted as "number" however, Excel
seems to see it as text, hence the error.

Why is this?

Thanks for your help, it is always greatly appreciated.

Helene