Excel column widths

I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
people's systems?

I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?

one thing that sometimes happens is that they don't have the same sets of
fonts on their machines. Check that you have a common font set.

"Rachael" wrote:

> I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
> is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
> resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
> stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
> people's systems?
>
> I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
> it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?

Well, it's done in the standard Arial font that excel opens with, so it
should be the same.

Does it matter that it was created in excel 97?

"bj" wrote:

> one thing that sometimes happens is that they don't have the same sets of
> fonts on their machines. Check that you have a common font set.
>
> "Rachael" wrote:
>
> > I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
> > is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
> > resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
> > stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
> > people's systems?
> >
> > I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
> > it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?

I do not know if 97 has anything to do with it.
I would try one of two things.
Change the font (I have had Fonts that were supposed to be identical which
weren't)
put a header in that is wider than the date
I

"Rachael" wrote:

> Well, it's done in the standard Arial font that excel opens with, so it
> should be the same.
>
> Does it matter that it was created in excel 97?
>
> "bj" wrote:
>
> > one thing that sometimes happens is that they don't have the same sets of
> > fonts on their machines. Check that you have a common font set.
> >
> > "Rachael" wrote:
> >
> > > I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
> > > is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
> > > resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
> > > stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
> > > people's systems?
> > >
> > > I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
> > > it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?

I bet you and the recipient have different windows settings for the short date
format.

My bet is you use something like:
mm/dd/yy
and the recipient uses
mm/dd/yyyy

When you do Format|cells|Number tab and look at that cell's format, I'm betting
you see something like:

*03/14/2001

That asterisk means that you chose a short date format that is picked up from
the Windows Regional settings (Date tab).

xl2002+ is more honest with the way it deals with dates.

At the bottom of that dialog (xl2002+):

Date formats display date and time serial numbers as date values. Except for
items that have an asterisk (*), applied formats do not switch date orders with
the operating system.

Since yours is marked with an asterisk, your date will switch formats with the
setting in the OS.

==========
So you have a couple of choices--use a different format that isn't picked up
from the windows regional settings, widen the column, change the font size (or
change format|cells|alignment tab|check shrink to fit), or change your short
date format to be the longest it can be (I like mm/dd/yyyy).

Rachael wrote:
>
> I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
> is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
> resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
> stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
> people's systems?
>
> I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
> it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?

--

Dave Peterson

I checked and there is no * in front of my data, and it's the same
(dd/mm/yyyy) on all the computers I have tried. And all computers are opening
it as Ariel size 10, yet on my computer it's fine, but on others, I get #####

"Dave Peterson" wrote:

> I bet you and the recipient have different windows settings for the short date
> format.
>
> My bet is you use something like:
> mm/dd/yy
> and the recipient uses
> mm/dd/yyyy
>
> When you do Format|cells|Number tab and look at that cell's format, I'm betting
> you see something like:
>
> *03/14/2001
>
> That asterisk means that you chose a short date format that is picked up from
> the Windows Regional settings (Date tab).
>
> xl2002+ is more honest with the way it deals with dates.
>
> At the bottom of that dialog (xl2002+):
>
> Date formats display date and time serial numbers as date values. Except for
> items that have an asterisk (*), applied formats do not switch date orders with
> the operating system.
>
> Since yours is marked with an asterisk, your date will switch formats with the
> setting in the OS.
>
> ==========
> So you have a couple of choices--use a different format that isn't picked up
> from the windows regional settings, widen the column, change the font size (or
> change format|cells|alignment tab|check shrink to fit), or change your short
> date format to be the longest it can be (I like mm/dd/yyyy).
>
> Rachael wrote:
> >
> > I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
> > is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
> > resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
> > stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
> > people's systems?
> >
> > I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
> > it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?
>
> --
>
> Dave Peterson
>

The asterisk doesn't appear in the cell. It's in the Format|Cells dialog.

If you widen the column, do you see the date?

If yes, do you see the date with a 4 digit year?

And do your co-workers see that same date with a 2 digit year?

If all three of those are true, then it's the window setting for your short date
that's different from your co-worker's setting.



Rachael wrote:
>
> I checked and there is no * in front of my data, and it's the same
> (dd/mm/yyyy) on all the computers I have tried. And all computers are opening
> it as Ariel size 10, yet on my computer it's fine, but on others, I get #####
>
> "Dave Peterson" wrote:
>
> > I bet you and the recipient have different windows settings for the short date
> > format.
> >
> > My bet is you use something like:
> > mm/dd/yy
> > and the recipient uses
> > mm/dd/yyyy
> >
> > When you do Format|cells|Number tab and look at that cell's format, I'm betting
> > you see something like:
> >
> > *03/14/2001
> >
> > That asterisk means that you chose a short date format that is picked up from
> > the Windows Regional settings (Date tab).
> >
> > xl2002+ is more honest with the way it deals with dates.
> >
> > At the bottom of that dialog (xl2002+):
> >
> > Date formats display date and time serial numbers as date values. Except for
> > items that have an asterisk (*), applied formats do not switch date orders with
> > the operating system.
> >
> > Since yours is marked with an asterisk, your date will switch formats with the
> > setting in the OS.
> >
> > ==========
> > So you have a couple of choices--use a different format that isn't picked up
> > from the windows regional settings, widen the column, change the font size (or
> > change format|cells|alignment tab|check shrink to fit), or change your short
> > date format to be the longest it can be (I like mm/dd/yyyy).
> >
> > Rachael wrote:
> > >
> > > I created an excel sheet to track information. It's rather large. The sheet
> > > is being sent once a week to a client, and when they get it, the columns
> > > resize and some of the dates turn into #####. Why is that? What can I do to
> > > stop it? The data is fine on my computer, why is it showing larger on other
> > > people's systems?
> > >
> > > I have all the columns "autofit" so that I can fit more data into a page, so
> > > it's a tight fit. Will I just have to enlarge the columns?
> >
> > --
> >
> > Dave Peterson
> >

--

Dave Peterson