Excel shouldn't ***** about a "date format" when formatted as txt

So, when I want a date to display as, say, 7/15 and the over aggressive
autoformat kicks in, I change the cell format to Text, which is supposed to
'displays exactly as typed.'

Bingo, perfect. But then when I type in "7/15" I still get a formula error
message.

That's stupid. Make it stop.

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Try '7/15

OR pre-format the cells to Text.


Gord Dibben Excel MVP


On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:48:02 -0700, Ibbits <Ibbits@discussions.microsoft.com>
wrote:

>So, when I want a date to display as, say, 7/15 and the over aggressive
>autoformat kicks in, I change the cell format to Text, which is supposed to
>'displays exactly as typed.'
>
>Bingo, perfect. But then when I type in "7/15" I still get a formula error
>message.
>
>That's stupid. Make it stop.
>
>----------------
>This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
>suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
>Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
>link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
>click "I Agree" in the message pane.
>
>http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...lic.excel.misc

It IS preformatted to text, and still complains - that's the point of the post.

"Gord Dibben" wrote:

> Try '7/15
>
> OR pre-format the cells to Text.
>
>
> Gord Dibben Excel MVP
>
>
> On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:48:02 -0700, Ibbits <Ibbits@discussions.microsoft.com>
> wrote:
>
> >So, when I want a date to display as, say, 7/15 and the over aggressive
> >autoformat kicks in, I change the cell format to Text, which is supposed to
> >'displays exactly as typed.'
> >
> >Bingo, perfect. But then when I type in "7/15" I still get a formula error
> >message.
> >
> >That's stupid. Make it stop.
> >
> >----------------
> >This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
> >suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
> >Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
> >link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
> >click "I Agree" in the message pane.
> >
> >http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...lic.excel.misc
>
>

What happens if you prefix it with an apostrophe, instead of actually
formatting the cell as text?
Does that work any better?

Another option ... that I use when entering yarn sizes in formulas:
20/1, 36/1, 2/14
I use the *backslash*:
20\1, 36\1, 2\14

With no calculations involved, it serves it's purpose, without the necessity
of having to use extra keystrokes, or having to pre-format any ranges.
--
HTH,

RD
==============================================
Please keep all correspondence within the Group, so all may benefit!
==============================================


"Ibbits" <Ibbits@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:85629F93-248C-43AD-88C0-638F76A8AE7E@microsoft.com...
> It IS preformatted to text, and still complains - that's the point of the
post.
>
> "Gord Dibben" wrote:
>
> > Try '7/15
> >
> > OR pre-format the cells to Text.
> >
> >
> > Gord Dibben Excel MVP
> >
> >
> > On Thu, 14 Jul 2005 10:48:02 -0700, Ibbits
<Ibbits@discussions.microsoft.com>
> > wrote:
> >
> > >So, when I want a date to display as, say, 7/15 and the over aggressive
> > >autoformat kicks in, I change the cell format to Text, which is
supposed to
> > >'displays exactly as typed.'
> > >
> > >Bingo, perfect. But then when I type in "7/15" I still get a formula
error
> > >message.
> > >
> > >That's stupid. Make it stop.
> > >
> > >----------------
> > >This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
> > >suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the
"I
> > >Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow
this
> > >link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and
then
> > >click "I Agree" in the message pane.
> > >
> >
>http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...mid=bbeb4c40-e
acb-4509-8683-5e051163044a&dg=microsoft.public.excel.misc
> >
> >

Why not just apply the *appropriate* Date formatting to the cell?

Just curious |:>)

"Ibbits" wrote:

> So, when I want a date to display as, say, 7/15 and the over aggressive
> autoformat kicks in, I change the cell format to Text, which is supposed to
> 'displays exactly as typed.'
>
> Bingo, perfect. But then when I type in "7/15" I still get a formula error
> message.
>
> That's stupid. Make it stop.
>
> ----------------
> This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
> suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
> Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
> link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
> click "I Agree" in the message pane.
>
> http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...lic.excel.misc

Yeah, that would be ideal, but the format i need to use isn't an option: 7/15
as July 15. My boss uses excel to track projects. The spreadsheets can become
massive, so the m/dd format works best because it's compact. (these often
get pasted [as pictures] into ppt for distribution to clients, so size does
matter)

I like the idea of using "\" ... but (and yes, this is pathetic), the
engineers who make up the audience for the ppt's are incredibly
obsessive/compulsive about consistency, and if the dates in the e-mail or
other documents that accompany the schedules look different (either by using
dashes, alternate formats or back slashes in place of front slashes), the
meetings for which these materials are created get de-railed
by these brilliant morons' obsession with finding "nits" - and then it
becomes a competition to see who can find the most nits - and then the
chairman spends the rest of the meeting trying to keep the fellas focused on
the topic. I really wish I was exaggerating.


"CyberTaz" wrote:

> Why not just apply the *appropriate* Date formatting to the cell?
>
> Just curious |:>)
>
> "Ibbits" wrote:
>
> > So, when I want a date to display as, say, 7/15 and the over aggressive
> > autoformat kicks in, I change the cell format to Text, which is supposed to
> > 'displays exactly as typed.'
> >
> > Bingo, perfect. But then when I type in "7/15" I still get a formula error
> > message.
> >
> > That's stupid. Make it stop.
> >
> > ----------------
> > This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
> > suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
> > Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
> > link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
> > click "I Agree" in the message pane.
> >
> > http://www.microsoft.com/office/comm...lic.excel.misc