barcode scan changes last 2 digits in excel 2003

[Guest]

I have been busy scanning comics in for my shop and i just found out as i
have been pluging in the barcode scan it changes the last 2 digits from 11 to
00. this only happens on the periodicals that end in 11. i have tried
changing the format from number with no decimels. and it still does it. i
type in the last 11 and yet it changes to zeros when i switch feilds.

 

[Peo Sjoblom]

How many digits? Excek has 15 digits precision so anything beyond that will
be truncated to zeros

 

[Guest]

ah yep for the periodicals it is 17 digits. so excel cant handle more?

 

[Niek Otten]

It can, but not as a number. Format the cell as text before entering the
number, or precede the number with a single quote (which will not show)

 

[Guest]

Pre-format the cells as text. Excel will retain all 17 digits in that case

Disclosure - don't have experience with Excel input via barcode scanners, so
no guarantees

 

[Gord Dibben]

Patrick

Excel recognizes only 15 significant digits.

Any number more that 15 digits will have the extra digits turned to zeros.

Perhaps only those numbers ending in 11 are more than 15 digits?

Preface the numbers with an apostrophe to enter them as text.

For scanning I would suggest you format the cells as Text before scanning in.

Can you perhaps scan to a *.txt file then use the Data>Text to Columns Import
Wizard?


Gord Dibben Excel MVP

 

[Niek Otten]

Of course! Apostrophe! Keep these.