a pet peeve / desire with conditional formatting editing

[Gates Is Antichrist]

Just about every time I hand-edit a condition I get killed by the arrow key behavior, which doesn't work as an edit key, but infuriatingly causes unwanted cell references to be inserted to the condition. If this isn't described well enough, just try using an arrow key in any text box and watch, while editing any existing conditional format. (Even control-arrow keys are screwed thusly! Nice work catching that one, Microsoft Deproductivity Development Team!)

I have a workaround, but my question is if the behavior itself can be defeated - and if not, is there a better workaround than mine.

FWIW the workaround is to tab to the text box of concern and immediately hit Ctrl-C, and paste to an external app. like Word (or Notepad, if you don't mind the weaker Control-arrow behavior).

 

[Aladin Akyurek]

Just about every time I hand-edit a condition I get killed by the arrow key behavior, which doesn't work as an edit key, but infuriatingly causes unwanted cell references to be inserted to the condition. If this isn't described well enough, just try using an arrow key and watch, while editing any existing conditional format. (Even control-arrow keys are screwed thusly! Nice work catching that one, Microsoft Deproductivity Development Team!)

I have a workaround, but my question is if the behavior itself can be defeated - and if not, is there a better workaround than mine.

FWIW the workaround is to tab to the text box of concern and immediately hit Ctrl-C, and paste to an external app. like Word (or Notepad, if you don't mind the weaker Control-arrow behavior).

Yes, it is a terrible thing, also in the Refers to box of Insert|Name|Define.

First hit F2 then activate movement keys...

 

[Norie]

A similar behaviour also happens in the formula bar.

I've lost count how many times when I'm entering a concatenation formula, hit space and ended up with an unwanted reference to the entire row. eg 2:2

 

[Gates Is Antichrist]

Aladin: Awesome. Awesome. Thanks! F2 - whoda thunk it was that easy. What an enormous timesaver you've given me/us with that one.

 

[Gates Is Antichrist]

Norie, the one that kills me is having the shift key down for 1 millionth of a second too long after typing an ampersand - which is followed by space bar. Typing shift-spacebar screws me over and over.