Why does link show as a formula

[Victor Delta]

This is most odd. In one of my spreadsheets (using Excel 2002/XP) I have
links to copy numbers and text from another sheet. The number links work
fine.

However, whilst some of the text links work ok others do not and simply
appear as their formulae, for example:

='[Performance Report.xls]Performance'!$A$24

What is odd is that an absolutely identical link to the above does work ok
whereas two cells below it appears as above.

I have checked all the obvious things (e.g. that the 'show formulae' option
is not set) and copied the format of the 'working' cells to the 'unworking'
cells - all to no avail.

Has anyone any ideas what might be causing this and how to fix it please?

Thanks,

V

 

[T. Valko]

Try this:

Select the cell that is showing the formula
Goto the menu Format>Cells>Number tab>GENERAL>OK
Hit function key F2
Hit ENTER

 

[Dave Peterson]

If you're seeing the formula in just a few cells, try:

Select the cell
format it as general (or anything but text)
Hit F2 and then enter.

If you have lots of cells, select the range of offending cells
Format them all as General (or anything but text)
edit|replace
what: = (equal sign)
with: =
replace all

This is most odd. In one of my spreadsheets (using Excel 2002/XP) I have
links to copy numbers and text from another sheet. The number links work
fine.

However, whilst some of the text links work ok others do not and simply
appear as their formulae, for example:

='[Performance Report.xls]Performance'!$A$24

What is odd is that an absolutely identical link to the above does work ok
whereas two cells below it appears as above.

I have checked all the obvious things (e.g. that the 'show formulae' option
is not set) and copied the format of the 'working' cells to the 'unworking'
cells - all to no avail.

Has anyone any ideas what might be causing this and how to fix it please?

Thanks,

V

 

[Victor Delta]

If you're seeing the formula in just a few cells, try:

Select the cell
format it as general (or anything but text)
Hit F2 and then enter.

If you have lots of cells, select the range of offending cells
Format them all as General (or anything but text)
edit|replace
what: = (equal sign)
with: =
replace all

Biff and Dave

Many thanks - you are stars! Your suggestions sorted the problem pronto!

Although, having never had this problem before, I'd be interested to know
what I did wrong this time and how your F2 solution works.

Thanks again,

V

 

[Dave Peterson]

The F2 tells excel that you want to edit the cell. Hitting enter tells excel
that you're done with the entry. You can do it this way for lots of cells, but
using the edit|replace technique tells excel that you want it to reevaluate your
entry.


Something changed the format of that cell--if it wasn't you, it was excel trying
to be helpful.

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.

 

[David Biddulph]

The significant bit isn't the F2 as such; the important bit is changing the
cell format to anything but Text. F2 merely puts you in edit mode to let
you enter the formula again after you've got the cell format right.

 

[Victor Delta]

The significant bit isn't the F2 as such; the important bit is changing
the cell format to anything but Text. F2 merely puts you in edit mode to
let you enter the formula again after you've got the cell format right.

Dave and David

Many thanks. One's always learning!

V

 

[Dave Peterson]

But making a change (or pretending to make a change via F2, then enter) is very
important.

Just changing the format of the cell from Text to General isn't enough to alter
the value in the cell.