I am constantly running into this horrible design decision to auto-check
excel formulas as they are typed. I type in formulas, then add parentheses
from the right hand side back to the left to make certain of the calculation
orders. Every time I put in a close paren and then move backwards to add the
opening paren, Excel interrupts me and pops up a dialog telling me my formula
is broken..... WHILE I AM STILL TYPING IT. The worst part is that it
requires two clicks of non-default options that alternate positions (i.e. I
have to move the mouse t the correct button two separate times) in order to
go back to typing my formula. I have turned off every auto-check option
there is, and it still does this. GIVE ME A WAY TO TURN THIS OFF!

I've never experienced this problem.

How are you entering your formulas? Are you typing them in the formula
bar, or directly into the cell, or are you using the Insert Function
dialog box?

Can you show an example of the type of formula you're entering?

ikarius_rb wrote:
I am constantly running into this horrible design decision to auto-check
excel formulas as they are typed. I type in formulas, then add parentheses
from the right hand side back to the left to make certain of the calculation
orders. Every time I put in a close paren and then move backwards to add the
opening paren, Excel interrupts me and pops up a dialog telling me my formula
is broken..... WHILE I AM STILL TYPING IT. The worst part is that it
requires two clicks of non-default options that alternate positions (i.e. I
have to move the mouse t the correct button two separate times) in order to
go back to typing my formula. I have turned off every auto-check option
there is, and it still does this. GIVE ME A WAY TO TURN THIS OFF!


--
Debra Dalgleish
Excel FAQ, Tips & Book List
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html

I wrote out exactly how it happens in my first post.

I type out the formula first, then, with my cursor at the end of the
formula, I add parentheses from the right side of the formula to the left
side. This means I add closing parentheses before I add opening parentheses.
As soon as I cursor backwards past the closing paren, Excel triggers its
"invalid formula" function.

This is how I've entered formulas in excel since windows 3.1, and it's how I
think and see formulas. No previous version of excel has kicked up a fuss
about it, only now they're trying to get "smarter", and they're completely
bolloxing my productivity.

"Debra Dalgleish" wrote:

I've never experienced this problem.

How are you entering your formulas? Are you typing them in the formula
bar, or directly into the cell, or are you using the Insert Function
dialog box?

A simple example which shows the problem- in the cell type "=5-1*6", then
use the left arrow key to move backwards, add a right paren after the 1- so
it becomes "=5-1)*6", then use left arrow to move to the left, so you could
add an open paren at the beginning of the formula. As soon as you move to
the left of the close paren, the formula checker triggers.

I haven't found any way to turn this off with the options in excel 2003.

Thanks for explaining further.

After you type the formula, and before you press the arrow key, press
the F2 key.
You should see the word "Edit" in the status bar, at the bottom left of
the Excel window.

While you're in Edit mode, you should be able to move through the
formula, without the error messages.

ikarius_rb wrote:
I wrote out exactly how it happens in my first post.

I type out the formula first, then, with my cursor at the end of the
formula, I add parentheses from the right side of the formula to the left
side. This means I add closing parentheses before I add opening parentheses.
As soon as I cursor backwards past the closing paren, Excel triggers its
"invalid formula" function.

This is how I've entered formulas in excel since windows 3.1, and it's how I
think and see formulas. No previous version of excel has kicked up a fuss
about it, only now they're trying to get "smarter", and they're completely
bolloxing my productivity.




--
Debra Dalgleish
Excel FAQ, Tips & Book List
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html

"Debra Dalgleish" wrote:

Thanks for explaining further.

After you type the formula, and before you press the arrow key, press
the F2 key.
You should see the word "Edit" in the status bar, at the bottom left of
the Excel window.

While you're in Edit mode, you should be able to move through the
formula, without the error messages.

ikarius_rb wrote:
I wrote out exactly how it happens in my first post.

I type out the formula first, then, with my cursor at the end of the
formula, I add parentheses from the right side of the formula to the left
side. This means I add closing parentheses before I add opening parentheses.
As soon as I cursor backwards past the closing paren, Excel triggers its
"invalid formula" function.

This is how I've entered formulas in excel since windows 3.1, and it's how I
think and see formulas. No previous version of excel has kicked up a fuss
about it, only now they're trying to get "smarter", and they're completely
bolloxing my productivity.




--
Debra Dalgleish
Excel FAQ, Tips & Book List
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html


Thank you very much, that does it!

You're welcome!

"Debra Dalgleish" wrote:

Thanks for explaining further.

After you type the formula, and before you press the arrow key, press
the F2 key.
You should see the word "Edit" in the status bar, at the bottom left of
the Excel window.

While you're in Edit mode, you should be able to move through the
formula, without the error messages.

ikarius_rb wrote:

Thank you very much, that does it!


--
Debra Dalgleish
Excel FAQ, Tips & Book List
http://www.contextures.com/tiptech.html