By default, all columns are formatted as General. This screws up alphabetic
sorts: the name TRUE ends up after the Zs, the name MAY or JUNE etc. ends up
as a date. Ok, so you change the format of all columns to Text, one by one.

Can the default format be set to Text?
Or is there an easier way to change the format of a number of columns at once?

All the Excel help articles I could find worry about changing number
formats, and are no help to me.

Regards,
Gerry Metze

Gerry

not sure if you can set the default to text ... it would kind of defeat the
object of a spreadsheet - calculations.

However, click on the grey box at the top left of the grid (above row 1,
left of column A) to select all the cells.

Now, select Format | Cells | Number | Category = Text

Can't think of a quicker way to do it

Regards

Trevor


"GerryM" wrote in message
...
By default, all columns are formatted as General. This screws up
alphabetic
sorts: the name TRUE ends up after the Zs, the name MAY or JUNE etc. ends
up
as a date. Ok, so you change the format of all columns to Text, one by
one.

Can the default format be set to Text?
Or is there an easier way to change the format of a number of columns at
once?

All the Excel help articles I could find worry about changing number
formats, and are no help to me.

Regards,
Gerry Metze

"GerryM" wrote in message
...
By default, all columns are formatted as General. This screws up
alphabetic
sorts: the name TRUE ends up after the Zs, the name MAY or JUNE etc. ends
up
as a date. Ok, so you change the format of all columns to Text, one by
one.

Can the default format be set to Text?
Or is there an easier way to change the format of a number of columns at
once?

All the Excel help articles I could find worry about changing number
formats, and are no help to me.

Regards,
Gerry Metze


Gerry,

You could set up a template. That is to say, take a blank workbook, format
the all of the sheets for text, and save it as an .xlt file.

When you need a new workbook, select New from the menu, go to templates and
select your saved template file.

One solution

Beege

Thanks to both of you -- both methods sound better than what I am doing now.

Gerry Metze

"Beege" wrote:


"GerryM" wrote in message
...
By default, all columns are formatted as General. This screws up
alphabetic
sorts: the name TRUE ends up after the Zs, the name MAY or JUNE etc. ends
up
as a date. Ok, so you change the format of all columns to Text, one by
one.

Can the default format be set to Text?
Or is there an easier way to change the format of a number of columns at
once?

All the Excel help articles I could find worry about changing number
formats, and are no help to me.

Regards,
Gerry Metze


Gerry,

You could set up a template. That is to say, take a blank workbook, format
the all of the sheets for text, and save it as an .xlt file.

When you need a new workbook, select New from the menu, go to templates and
select your saved template file.

One solution

Beege