conditional format: affected by cell size

I have used conditional formatting to highlight when text in two adjacent
cells differ. Simple. Therefore, when text in cell B1 differs from that in
A1, B1 goes green. UNLESS the text in A1 is longer than 255 characters. How
can I get round this?

How about a couple of ways to cheat?

If you have up to 511 characters per cell:
=OR(MID(A1,1,255)<>MID(B1,1,255),MID(A1,256,255)<>MID(B1,256,255))
(just breaking it down into groups of 255--add more if you need them)

Or use another cell that looks like:
=a1<>b1
and use that cell as the conditional formatting rule.

Hugh Murfitt wrote:
>
> I have used conditional formatting to highlight when text in two adjacent
> cells differ. Simple. Therefore, when text in cell B1 differs from that in
> A1, B1 goes green. UNLESS the text in A1 is longer than 255 characters. How
> can I get round this?

--

Dave Peterson

I *cannot* duplicate your problem using this formula in Column B:

=AND(A1<>"",B1<>"",A1<>B1)

Exactly what formula are you using?
--

Regards,

RD
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"Hugh Murfitt" <HughMurfitt@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:75A2B464-B446-40B4-8FFE-C0676B12D4C5@microsoft.com...
I have used conditional formatting to highlight when text in two adjacent
cells differ. Simple. Therefore, when text in cell B1 differs from that in
A1, B1 goes green. UNLESS the text in A1 is longer than 255 characters.
How
can I get round this?

Change the value in the condition1 is to "formula is" from "cell value is"

Then try the following formula in the conditional format
=AND(b1<>a1,LEN(a1)>255)



"Hugh Murfitt" wrote:

> I have used conditional formatting to highlight when text in two adjacent
> cells differ. Simple. Therefore, when text in cell B1 differs from that in
> A1, B1 goes green. UNLESS the text in A1 is longer than 255 characters. How
> can I get round this?

Thanks a million for your help.

I used your suggestion of =a1<>b1, but as the Conditional Formatting
"Formula is" in cell b1. The Conditional Formatting Formula doesn't seem to
affected by cell size.

(My largest cell was 866 characters)

Best regards

Hugh

"Dave Peterson" wrote:

> How about a couple of ways to cheat?
>
> If you have up to 511 characters per cell:
> =OR(MID(A1,1,255)<>MID(B1,1,255),MID(A1,256,255)<>MID(B1,256,255))
> (just breaking it down into groups of 255--add more if you need them)
>
> Or use another cell that looks like:
> =a1<>b1
> and use that cell as the conditional formatting rule.
>
> Hugh Murfitt wrote:
> >
> > I have used conditional formatting to highlight when text in two adjacent
> > cells differ. Simple. Therefore, when text in cell B1 differs from that in
> > A1, B1 goes green. UNLESS the text in A1 is longer than 255 characters. How
> > can I get round this?
>
> --
>
> Dave Peterson
>

Thank you Peter, and RagDyeR.

Got a result!

"Peter Ellis" wrote:

> Change the value in the condition1 is to "formula is" from "cell value is"
>
> Then try the following formula in the conditional format
> =AND(b1<>a1,LEN(a1)>255)
>
>
>
> "Hugh Murfitt" wrote:
>
> > I have used conditional formatting to highlight when text in two adjacent
> > cells differ. Simple. Therefore, when text in cell B1 differs from that in
> > A1, B1 goes green. UNLESS the text in A1 is longer than 255 characters. How
> > can I get round this?