Why isn't the conditional formatting working?
 

I am new to the group, and this is my first posting, so I hope that I
am doing this correctly.

I am trying to make Excel "hide" the "#N/A"s that shows up in column,
because they are distracting. They aren't showing up because of any
real error, but rather just because no value has been entered into a
list, yet. The problem is that no value may be entered into the list,
so the "#N/A"'s are there, but are distracting and annoying. I have
been told that it is possible to hide them, by simply using condtional
formatting. The column in which the "#N/A"s show up has a light tan
color,so I thought that I could hide the "#N/A"s by formatting them to
show up in the same light tan, thereby making them invisible, using
the following steps:

1. Highlighting the column to which I want to apply the formatting
2. Go to the Format window
3. Choose "Conditionl Formatting"
4. Choose "Cell Value is" in the lefthand blank box
5. Choose "equals" in the middle blank box
6. Click on the "Format" button
7. Choose the color selector, and pick tan, which is the color of then
column containing the "#N/A"s
8. Click "OK"

---but nothing happens! The "#N/A"'s are still there.

Can anyone please helps me with this?

Why isn't the conditional formatting working?
 

from help:

Hide error values and error indicators in cells
For example, the formula =1/0 returns #DIV/0. Error values include #DIV/0!,
#N/A, #NAME?, #NULL!, #NUM!, #REF!, and #VALUE!.

Format text in cells that contain errors so they don't show

1.. Select the cells that contain the error value.
2.. On the Format menu, click Conditional Formatting.
3.. In the box on the left, click Formula Is.

4.. In the box on the right, type =ISERROR(reference), where reference is a
reference to the cell that contains the error value.
5.. Click Format, and then click the Font tab.

6.. Click Format.
7.. In the Color box, select white.

so you want ISERROR(#N/A)

--


Gary


"Ray" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am new to the group, and this is my first posting, so I hope that I
am doing this correctly.

I am trying to make Excel "hide" the "#N/A"s that shows up in column,
because they are distracting. They aren't showing up because of any
real error, but rather just because no value has been entered into a
list, yet. The problem is that no value may be entered into the list,
so the "#N/A"'s are there, but are distracting and annoying. I have
been told that it is possible to hide them, by simply using condtional
formatting. The column in which the "#N/A"s show up has a light tan
color,so I thought that I could hide the "#N/A"s by formatting them to
show up in the same light tan, thereby making them invisible, using
the following steps:

1. Highlighting the column to which I want to apply the formatting
2. Go to the Format window
3. Choose "Conditionl Formatting"
4. Choose "Cell Value is" in the lefthand blank box
5. Choose "equals" in the middle blank box
6. Click on the "Format" button
7. Choose the color selector, and pick tan, which is the color of then
column containing the "#N/A"s
8. Click "OK"

---but nothing happens! The "#N/A"'s are still there.

Can anyone please helps me with this?

Why isn't the conditional formatting working?
 

sorry, don't know what i was thinking

iserror(A1)
or whatever your cell address is


--


Gary


"Ray" wrote in message
ups.com...
I am new to the group, and this is my first posting, so I hope that I
am doing this correctly.

I am trying to make Excel "hide" the "#N/A"s that shows up in column,
because they are distracting. They aren't showing up because of any
real error, but rather just because no value has been entered into a
list, yet. The problem is that no value may be entered into the list,
so the "#N/A"'s are there, but are distracting and annoying. I have
been told that it is possible to hide them, by simply using condtional
formatting. The column in which the "#N/A"s show up has a light tan
color,so I thought that I could hide the "#N/A"s by formatting them to
show up in the same light tan, thereby making them invisible, using
the following steps:

1. Highlighting the column to which I want to apply the formatting
2. Go to the Format window
3. Choose "Conditionl Formatting"
4. Choose "Cell Value is" in the lefthand blank box
5. Choose "equals" in the middle blank box
6. Click on the "Format" button
7. Choose the color selector, and pick tan, which is the color of then
column containing the "#N/A"s
8. Click "OK"

---but nothing happens! The "#N/A"'s are still there.

Can anyone please helps me with this?