Copying Conditional formatting in excel 2007

[mshaw]

I am having difficulty in copying a conditional formatting formula in excel 2007.
Basically, I want the cell that I conditionally format (A1) to have a colored fill if a reference cell (A4) has any number in it.
I can get that to work in one cell, but when I copy it to another cell (B1), it references the same cell as the originally formatted cell (A4), not the new cell I want to refer to (B4).

A1 A2 A3 A4

B1 B2 B3 B4

I would appreciate any help you can give.

 

[pbornemeier]

Check the conditional formatting for absolute ($) references. $A$4 will always refer to cell A4 when you copy it across. Your current conditional format is probably something like: =ISNUMBER($A$4) if it was =ISNUMBER(A$4) , the letter value will change when you drag the cell across.

 

[mshaw]

That is correct, they are absolute numbers. I'm having trouble getting rid of the absolutes. I know to eliminate the $ sign, but when I do that in the conditional formatting box, I can't figure what to put in the formula box. Without the $, it seems to want both a true and a false action, and I can't get that right.
I think we're on the right track. Thanks for your quick reply.

 

[pbornemeier]

Highlight A1...A4 starting with A1 to make it the active cell. Open the conditional format dialog box and change the type from 'Cell Value Is' to 'Formula Is' enter
=ISNUMBER(A$4)
as the formula and click OK. This should do what you want. I do not understand your comment: "it seems to want both a true and a false action"