Excel autoformats a cell when I input the string of characters 05-2117. Has
anyone had a problem with this before? This is a customer number I am
inputing into a spreadsheet, but no matter what I format the field to be
Excel always changes the field to either be Date, the data gets changed to
May-71, or if I force the formatting to either General or Number the data
gets changed to 79380.

I've tried this on 2 different versions of MS Office, Office 2000 Pro and
Office 2007 Pro, and get the same results from both products. Has anyone come
across this before?

Is 05-2117 some kind of internal code that Excel uses and I just can not
input that string of data into any fields at all?

Format your cells as text. Excel assumes you're trying to enter a date,
probably May, 2117.

Dave
--
Brevity is the soul of wit.


"Bobjv" wrote:

Excel autoformats a cell when I input the string of characters 05-2117. Has
anyone had a problem with this before? This is a customer number I am
inputing into a spreadsheet, but no matter what I format the field to be
Excel always changes the field to either be Date, the data gets changed to
May-71, or if I force the formatting to either General or Number the data
gets changed to 79380.

I've tried this on 2 different versions of MS Office, Office 2000 Pro and
Office 2007 Pro, and get the same results from both products. Has anyone come
across this before?

Is 05-2117 some kind of internal code that Excel uses and I just can not
input that string of data into any fields at all?

Excel is being its normal helpful self. Indeed, many users are helped when
Excel see 05-2007 as the 1st of May in the year 2007.

To stop Excel being so helpful you can do one of two things:
a) preformat cells as Text
or
b) prefix the entry with a single quote (aka apostrophe) as in '05-2117
this will not display in the cell or when you print
best wishes
--
Bernard V Liengme
www.stfx.ca/people/bliengme
remove caps from email

"Bobjv" wrote in message
...
Excel autoformats a cell when I input the string of characters 05-2117.
Has
anyone had a problem with this before? This is a customer number I am
inputing into a spreadsheet, but no matter what I format the field to be
Excel always changes the field to either be Date, the data gets changed to
May-71, or if I force the formatting to either General or Number the data
gets changed to 79380.

I've tried this on 2 different versions of MS Office, Office 2000 Pro and
Office 2007 Pro, and get the same results from both products. Has anyone
come
across this before?

Is 05-2117 some kind of internal code that Excel uses and I just can not
input that string of data into any fields at all?

Thank you both so much, I never thought of doing it as text. Great to know
about the single quote thing as well.

here's another alternative that you can use just enter the numbers owthout
having to enter the the leading ' nor the - (hyphen), you just enter the
numbers and the cutome formatting does the rest

FormatCellsCustom [you create this yourself]
0#"-"####

"Bobjv" wrote:

Thank you both so much, I never thought of doing it as text. Great to know
about the single quote thing as well.

Hi bob
This type of numbers excel feeds as a date its automatic selection, so have
to change the format then only we can get the req number.

step 1 : first select the row where u want to enter this type of digits
step 2 : Then right click format cell then select number ..........there u
select as TEXT
step 3 : Once u select the text the entre select colum should be disable
from auto date to text . what we entre that one only it will show

try this catch u later bye

--
Name : K.Prasad
Inventory Manager
CRYSTALGALLERY
DUBAI



"Bobjv" wrote:

Excel autoformats a cell when I input the string of characters 05-2117. Has
anyone had a problem with this before? This is a customer number I am
inputing into a spreadsheet, but no matter what I format the field to be
Excel always changes the field to either be Date, the data gets changed to
May-71, or if I force the formatting to either General or Number the data
gets changed to 79380.

I've tried this on 2 different versions of MS Office, Office 2000 Pro and
Office 2007 Pro, and get the same results from both products. Has anyone come
across this before?

Is 05-2117 some kind of internal code that Excel uses and I just can not
input that string of data into any fields at all?