Sort Left to Right not working
 

HI,
ok getting a bit frustrated don't understand why this is not working: I have
following
info has headers in Row1
Prodgr part#, 04/04/2005 04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/12/2005
05/22/2003

I want to sort the dates left to right so should be
04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/22/2003 04/04/2005 05/12/2005
I did the data--sort--options--left to right, but it doesn't work.
Yesterday I tested and did work.
FYI, the format shows General, but if I try to format as date it doesnt' do
it. But if I go into the cell and hit enter then it does change the format.
Why would I have to go into the cell and hit enter? Once I do this, then the
Left to right works.

Can anyone have help with this?


Thanks,
Juan

Excel isn't seeing your dates as dates--it's seeing them as just plain old text.

This might work (if those dates match the same format as your short date
format--mdy??).

Select the range of "dates"
edit|replace
what: /
with: /
replace all

(it might make excel see your text as dates.)

The try reformatting the cells -- if the displayed text changes, try sorting the
data.

Juan wrote:

HI,
ok getting a bit frustrated don't understand why this is not working: I have
following
info has headers in Row1
Prodgr part#, 04/04/2005 04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/12/2005
05/22/2003

I want to sort the dates left to right so should be
04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/22/2003 04/04/2005 05/12/2005
I did the data--sort--options--left to right, but it doesn't work.
Yesterday I tested and did work.
FYI, the format shows General, but if I try to format as date it doesnt' do
it. But if I go into the cell and hit enter then it does change the format.
Why would I have to go into the cell and hit enter? Once I do this, then the
Left to right works.

Can anyone have help with this?

Thanks,
Juan

--

Dave Peterson

Juan

Sounds like the dates are actually text.

Select them and DataText to ColumnsNextNextColumn Data FormatDate.

Select DMY and Finish.

Your textual dates should become real dates.


Gord Dibben Excel MVP

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 12:28:01 -0700, "Juan"
wrote:

HI,
ok getting a bit frustrated don't understand why this is not working: I have
following
info has headers in Row1
Prodgr part#, 04/04/2005 04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/12/2005
05/22/2003

I want to sort the dates left to right so should be
04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/22/2003 04/04/2005 05/12/2005
I did the data--sort--options--left to right, but it doesn't work.
Yesterday I tested and did work.
FYI, the format shows General, but if I try to format as date it doesnt' do
it. But if I go into the cell and hit enter then it does change the format.
Why would I have to go into the cell and hit enter? Once I do this, then the
Left to right works.

Can anyone have help with this?


Thanks,
Juan

Hello Gord and Dave,

thanks alot for the help. These both options seem to work fine.

Thanks again,

Juan

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

Juan

Sounds like the dates are actually text.

Select them and DataText to ColumnsNextNextColumn Data FormatDate.

Select DMY and Finish.

Your textual dates should become real dates.


Gord Dibben Excel MVP

On Thu, 28 Jul 2005 12:28:01 -0700, "Juan"
wrote:

HI,
ok getting a bit frustrated don't understand why this is not working: I have
following
info has headers in Row1
Prodgr part#, 04/04/2005 04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/12/2005
05/22/2003

I want to sort the dates left to right so should be
04/09/2003 04/11/2003 05/22/2003 04/04/2005 05/12/2005
I did the data--sort--options--left to right, but it doesn't work.
Yesterday I tested and did work.
FYI, the format shows General, but if I try to format as date it doesnt' do
it. But if I go into the cell and hit enter then it does change the format.
Why would I have to go into the cell and hit enter? Once I do this, then the
Left to right works.

Can anyone have help with this?


Thanks,
Juan