Too many different cell formats.

[ToOfWe]

Hello,

Is there a way to suppress or stop this message?

I'm using Excel 2003 with XP.

I am unwilling to break my spreadsheet apart to satisfy the 4,000 format
limit.

Any help?

Thank you,

ToOfWe.

 

[Dave Peterson]

How about removing some of the formatting?

Hello,

Is there a way to suppress or stop this message?

I'm using Excel 2003 with XP.

I am unwilling to break my spreadsheet apart to satisfy the 4,000 format
limit.

Any help?

Thank you,

ToOfWe.

 

[ToOfWe]

How about removing some of the formatting?

Dave Peterson

Thank you fr responding.

I've done that a few times but I doesn't seem to help for very long - maybe
a few weeks. The spreadsheet is quite old and perhaps there are formats that
I don't see.

Is there a tool that can identify the different formats, then I can get rid
of the ones I don't need, or want.

Thanks.

 

[Dave Peterson]

I've never seen anything like that.

Maybe you could just reapply the formatting you want--to whole columns/rows.
And try to stay away from using too many of them.

Maybe even clearing the formats (watch out for Conditional formatting if you use
that) would help.

 

[ToOfWe]

Every so often I delete existing tabs and then create blank ones and copy the
data back and manually format the cells with what already exists on other
tabs. Like other fixes, this doesn't work for too long.

I'll keep fighting with the spreadsheet.

I'm pretty sure I'm not at 4,000 different formats, but even if I was
perhaps Microsoft could just remove the 4,000 limit.


Just a thought.

Thanks for replying,

ToOfWe

 

[RobN]

Dave,

I hope you don't mind me butting in here, but I believe formatting to whole
columns/rows can increase the file size, as Excel may consider the last
cells, (in this case the last formatted cell), as the last used cell,
thereby creating further problems, such as slow to open/save, etc.

Rob

 

[Dave Peterson]

It may be the type of formatting that's applied.

If I start a new worksheet and apply a fill color to column F, then hit
ctrl-end, I am taken to F1.

If I start a new workbook and do nothing but save it, I see a file size of 13k.

If I save that workbook (xl2003) with column F shaded, I see a filesize of about
13k.

 

[Gord Dibben]

Rob

Have you experimented with this theory?

Open a new workbook.

Save then check File>Properties for size.

Format a great bunch of rows and columns.

Save then check File>Properties for size.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

Dave,

I hope you don't mind me butting in here, but I believe formatting to whole
columns/rows can increase the file size, as Excel may consider the last
cells, (in this case the last formatted cell), as the last used cell,
thereby creating further problems, such as slow to open/save, etc.

Rob

 

[RobN]

Gord & Dave,

Not experimented, but my input was based on what I've gleaned from other
replies from learned Excel users as yourselves, as well as seeing it written
on someone's website, albeit not one I can remember.

I didn't think that simply doing what you've suggested would on its own
increase the size, etc., but I'm not convinced that it doesn't have some
part to play when files become troublesome.

Rob

Rob

Have you experimented with this theory?

Open a new workbook.

Save then check File>Properties for size.

Format a great bunch of rows and columns.

Save then check File>Properties for size.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP