trying to edit formula causes it to become text

[Keith C]

I have created formulas in excel 2000 that work. When I try to edit them,
however, by clicking in the formula bar they become text. In other words
the formula shows up in the cell instead of the value. No matter what I do
I can't get the value to show up even though the "=" sign is present at the
beginning. So once I create a formula using the function dialogs, I can
edit anything or even click in the formula bar without messing it up.

example:
This formula works, but if I try to change C5 to C6 then the formula shows
up in the cell instead of the value. NOTHING else is changed... In fact, if
I even click on the formula bar without typing anything, the same thing
happens???

=Saturday!C5


Thanks

 

[Guest]

Check two things:

1. Make sure its not a display setting: Press CTRL + ` (grave accent)
2. Make sure the cells are not formatted as TEXT

 

[Dave Peterson]

Saved from a previous post...

Excel likes to help.

Try this on a test worksheet.
Select A1 and hit ctrl-; (to put the date in the cell)
now select B1 and type: =a1

Notice that excel changed the format of B1 to match the format in A1.

Now format D1 as Text.
put ASDF in D1
put =D1 in E1
You see ASDF.

With E1 selected, hit the F2 key and then enter (to pretend that you're changing
the formula).

Excel has "helped" you by changing that cell's format to text.

I don't know of any way of changing this behavior.

I just select the cell, and reformat it to General (or whatever I wanted). I
hit F2 and then enter (to reenter that formula).

Sometimes this feature is nice, sometimes it ain't.

 

[Keith C]

no luck,

1) toggeling between show formulas (Ctrl `) and back does not help.
2) the cells that are working are formatted as text. I have tried all
kinds of formats without success.

thanks

 

[Keith C]

That's it! Thanks. I need to figure out how to make a formula always be a
formula... When you have an equal sign at the beginning it ought to be a
formula unless in quotes I should think???

 

[Dave Peterson]

What you think and what excel does to help ain't necessarily the same thing.
<vbg>