I have a mixed bag of locked & unlocked cells in a protected sheet.
While testing, I tried to delete a row, which was blocked - this was expected.
But the action unmerged my cells.
Being protected, the user will not be able to re-merge them.

Is there a way to prevent Excel 2002 from unmerging the cells?

Maybe you could explain what happened.

In xl2003, the option to delete the row was disabled. I couldn't even choose
that action.

What action do you mean?

Kaz wrote:

I have a mixed bag of locked & unlocked cells in a protected sheet.
While testing, I tried to delete a row, which was blocked - this was expected.
But the action unmerged my cells.
Being protected, the user will not be able to re-merge them.

Is there a way to prevent Excel 2002 from unmerging the cells?

--

Dave Peterson

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the swift reply.

Here are a few descriptions of what I have:

Cells A2:B2 are merged and locked. = filed label
Cells C2:J2 are merged and unlocked. = field entry by user
The entire sheet is protected.
Unlocked calls can enter data only €“ no formatting allowed and no insert /
delete allowed.

I tested to make sure the protection was working:
Right click row 2.
€œDelete€� is available in the short-cut menu to click.
On click the pop-up warning about trying to edit a protected sheet does come
up.
However:
The row is not deleted, but all the merged cells become unmerged.
There is no undo available, and the cells cant be re-merged without first
un-protecting the sheet.
The only option is to close without saving.

I am a contractor and plan to leave this solution with the client and move
on, but, obviously, I dont want to leave it with this issue.

Is this a bug, or is there an option in tools to set?
Or vba code that prevent the delete / insert option being available at all?

Thanks for the help.

I set up a test worksheet in a new workbook that is laid out the way you
explained.

But when I rightclicked on the row number for row 2, the delete option was
disabled.

A couple of questions...

#1. If you open excel in safe mode
close excel
windows start button|Run
excel /safe
and file|Open your workbook

Do you get the Delete option when you try it?

I'm hoping/guessing that you have a macro that replaces that delete option.

#2. Are you sure you shared the correct layout--no insert and no delete???

And are the ranges that are merged really just a single row?

Kaz wrote:

Hi Dave,

Thanks for the swift reply.

Here are a few descriptions of what I have:

Cells A2:B2 are merged and locked. = filed label
Cells C2:J2 are merged and unlocked. = field entry by user
The entire sheet is protected.
Unlocked calls can enter data only €“ no formatting allowed and no insert /
delete allowed.

I tested to make sure the protection was working:
Right click row 2.
€œDelete€� is available in the short-cut menu to click.
On click the pop-up warning about trying to edit a protected sheet does come
up.
However:
The row is not deleted, but all the merged cells become unmerged.
There is no undo available, and the cells cant be re-merged without first
un-protecting the sheet.
The only option is to close without saving.

I am a contractor and plan to leave this solution with the client and move
on, but, obviously, I dont want to leave it with this issue.

Is this a bug, or is there an option in tools to set?
Or vba code that prevent the delete / insert option being available at all?

Thanks for the help.

--

Dave Peterson

Hi Dave,

The error is my mistake entirely.
My colleague setup the protection, and she ticked the "delete rows".
I should have checked this before asking this forum.

However, it is your probing that led me to ask her the obvious question, so
all is not lost.

Thank you very much for your help.
K.

Don't you hate that when that happens?

<vbg

Kaz wrote:

Hi Dave,

The error is my mistake entirely.
My colleague setup the protection, and she ticked the "delete rows".
I should have checked this before asking this forum.

However, it is your probing that led me to ask her the obvious question, so
all is not lost.

Thank you very much for your help.
K.

--

Dave Peterson