Need help sorting dates

[Dhawk]

I have another excel newbie question. Is there a way to sort a range of dates on a sheet? In other words, I have a column with differt dates spread over five years. I would like to sort or separate the data on the sheet that is dated from 08/31/01 to 10/31/02.

As always, you help is appreciated.

Thanks
Dave
This message was edited by Dhawk on 2002-11-07 21:46

 

[Kharyat]

Hi Dave:

You can use filter by selecting the row that has the headings and then go Data/Filter/Autofilter....you can customize which dates your want...

OR

You can select the entire data and go to Data/Sort/ and select which way you want to sort your data...

hope this helps..

K

 

[Dhawk]

Kharyat,

Thanks for the reply, but I can't get either of the options you suggested to work.

I am not sure I am using the data/filter/autofilter-custom option correctly.

When I try just sorting my date column, it sorts by the month with all the different years mixed in. It ends up looking like this:
01/02/00
01/10/01
01/19/02
02/16/99
02/22/02
03/01/01
Etc.

I need to be able to sort by month and year and I can only get it to use the month as the sort criteria.

Dave

 

[PaddyD]

in the sort options (data | sort | options) there are a number of "first key sort order" options for date sorting. My guess is that you don't have dates, but text. do =isnumber(A1) on one of the cells in question (change A1 as appropriate) - what do you get

paddy

 

[Dhawk]

PaddyD

When I type isnumber in the formula bar, it just changes the selected cell to say "isnumber".

The dates look like this: 11/07/02. Do I need to somehow change the format of the dates?

Sorry for the ignorance

Dave
This message was edited by Dhawk on 2002-11-07 23:09

 

[PaddyD]

1) look at the spreadsheet, find one of the cells in the range of cells you want to sort by date. Remember its address (e.g. a1)
2) in a spare cell, type the following formula

=isnumber(address)

where you replace address with the cell address you have remembered from the step above. What do you get? (it should either be true or false)

paddy

 

[Dhawk]

It said FALSE

 

[PaddyD]

right, so you don't have genuine dates in there, you've got things that look like dates but that are actually being held as text values. do the following:

select the entire column with the "dates", go to data | text to columns...
hit next twice
select MDY from the 'column data format' drop down
hit finish

the "dates" should now behave properly

paddy

 

[Dhawk]

PaddyD,

That did it . Thaks so much. Where do I send the check .

Dave