Automatically converting to Text formatting

[teebruin]

Is there a way to prevent this? On my computer at work, whenever Excel thinks that your data should be Text, it adds an apostrophe to the beginning of the cell, causing it to be seen as text no matter what type of formatting you actually select for it. So, if I need a column to be numbers, I basically have to insert a new cell, use the VALUE function and copy paste values.

I need to know if there is something I can do to prevent Excel from trying to guess what data type I want and stop putting the apostrophe at the beginning of the line?

[daleyman]

are you importing from a text file? if so the import mechanism should allow you to specify the data types.

[teebruin]

No, that's what's weird to me. If I type something on a line it looks normal. But if I go to another cell and come back to the cell I typed in, the apostrophe is there. I have never encountered this on my Excel at home or at any other job. That's why I thought that it was some sort of option, but I can't figure out what.

[Mark W.]

It's probably a combination of factors...

1. Choose the Tools | Options... menu command and uncheck the "Transition navigation keys" setting on the Transition tab.

2. Change the cell(s) or column formatting to something other than Text (such as General).

Also, once you made these changes there's an easier way to convert your values back to numbers. Just select 'em, choose the Data | Text to Columns... menu command, and press [ Finish ].

[ This Message was edited by: Mark W. on 2002-04-04 15:21 ]

[teebruin]

Thanks!!!!

Unchecking the transition navigation keys option cured my problem.