Sort columns

[vwdrv1]

5 column spreadsheet...Want to sort by col A while keeping B-E attached to
original col A...
I originally set this up a few years ago, and thought I was doing the right
thing when formatting each cell....
Col A=5 digit number; Col B= 5 digit number with a hyphen; Col C= Date
(month & year-ie 8/05); Col D= Date (month, day, year-ie 9/01/05) Col
D=occasional special note/mostly blank)
I currently have 126 rows of info.....When I "sort" , the list sorts
correctly down through row #89......Row #90 starts a new sequence down
through Row #126....
I've tried changing cell format .....That seems to work --but---when I
change all columns to a Text Format, the date in column D changes to a random
5 digit number...
I'm at a loss on what to do....Please help....Thanx

 

[Mike H]

Hi,

I don't understand when you say that

correctly down through row #89......Row #90 starts a new sequence down

through Row #126....

What appears in row 90 and what do you expect to appear.

The date bit is because Excel dates are actually numbers. 1/1/1900 is 1 and
today is 39481. We only see them as dates because of an applied format.

Mike

 

[vwdrv1]

Hi Mike.....Row 1 though 89 shows #s 890830 through 932168.....then Row 90
through 126 shows #s 890830 through 944653.....
The fact that 890830 (and a few other numbers are entered more than once (on
different rows) is correct.....But--
I should have one list of numbers 890830 through 944653....

 

[Mike H]

Another though.

Are you sure all your data in Column A are actually numbers and that some
aren't text?

Mike

 

[Mike H]

See my other reply, it looks like i'ts sorting text and numbers seperately.

Put this in Column F and drag down
=ISNUMBER(A1)

If it's a number in A1 it will return TRUE or False for text.

Mike

 

[vwdrv1]

Yes---Col A = Number

 

[vwdrv1]

Hi Mike......OMG--Using your suggestion about col F returns True in
1-89...and False in 90-126......Just as you probably suspected.....BUT---when
I check each cell separately each one comes up as "number"....

 

[Gord Dibben]

Just because the cell is formatted to number does not mean you have a number.

Format an empty cell to General.

Copy that cell.

Select 90-126 range and paste special>add>ok>esc.

Should now be numbers.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

 

[vwdrv1]

Thanx so much....