Cannot get formulas to calculate

[DJ7]

OK, I have spent at least an hour and I have tried every possible way to get this to work.
I have tried everything I can find on the web (and when I toggle "show formulas" really
bizarre formatting issues happen).

Here are the cell contents:

='1-Intro'!B5:M5

This cell is currently defined as General (and I have tried text)

The target cells (B5:M5) are are defined as General also.

The part that is really confusing is that other sheets in this file work fine (for ='1-Intro'!B5:M5)

I'm ready to blow my brains out,...... help.

[scott.s.fower]

what is the formula trying to accomplish? if you have it in that format it will only show the contents of B5, also you dont need the initial ' it should be =1-Intro'!B5:M5, if you want the sum it should be =1-Intro'!Sum(B5:M5)

[DJ7]

It is simply a reference to a text string.

[nemo74]

What does that formula show when it does work correctly?

[DJ7]

All,

I cannot explain why other sheets did *not* have problems with the formula/reference but I did find a fix.

The sheet "1-Intro" had a text string that I wanted to show in other sheets. The text block was actually
a set of merged cells (B5:M5).

So when I was in sheet "2-Topics", the formula bar autogenerated " ='1-Intro'!B5:M5 " (by clicking on that merged set of cells from 1-Intro).

When I changed '1-Intro'!B5:M5' to '1-Intro'!B5'............... Bada-Bing Bada Boom,...... everything worked.

MS, it's a love-hate thing.