Stop Auto-Formating

[Pauleyb]

Easy description:

Select cell D3
type Ctrl-B (to make it bold) and some text then enter
type some text in cell D4 then enter
type Ctrl-B and some text (now cell D5) then enter
type some text (now cell D6) then enter
type some text (now cell D7) then enter

The text in cell D7 is now bold. Excel noticed a pattern and 'auto-bolds' the text in D7. I don't want it to do this. Interestingly, if you were to start in cell A1 and follow a similar process as above, the auto-bold does not occur and A5 stays non-bold. Why the discrpenecy?

Regardless, I want Excel to stop the auto-bold. Unfortunately, when you type in the text, the cell is not identified as bold. The bold is added once you hit enter, so it is not like I can make the cell unbold and then add the text, because the cell is already not bold as you are adding the text. Looking through the auto-correct and auto-format options, I don't see anything relevant.

In depth description:
I am writing some macros which track action items. The first macro creates a header row to track the open date, owner, and description with all the cells in that row set to bold; it then sets the next row to an outline level of 2 (groups, with 'summary rows below details' unchecked for its settings) to track comments and the comment date (with this row not being in bold). Thus a header row and a comment row are created in one macro.

Another macro will insert another comment row within the current action item. It is smart enough to always add a comment row at the end of the current action item comment list. This row is not bold.

This is an example:
Action item 1 row (in bold)
Comment row 1 of action item 1
Comment row 2 of action item 1
Comment row 3 of action item 1
Action item 2 row (in bold)
Comment row 1 of action item 2
Action item 3 row (in bold)
Comment row 1 of action item 3

When I run my 'add comment' macro for Action item 3, the comment row is added, but when I type in the text, it is bold (because Excel seems to have picked up on the bold, not bold, bold, not bold, pattern of the rows above it). Oddly, and this may be a different issue, only some of the cells in that comment row get auto-bolded, some don't. This hints that there is something I can control, but I can't find it.

What I want is that the comment rows are always not bold (unless the user wants them to be). This auto formatting is ruining my list formatting. Any ideas?

Paul

[Colin Legg]

Hi Paul,

Click on the orb > Excel options > Advanced > Untick the "Extend data range formats and formulas" option in the Editing Options section.

[Pauleyb]

Thank you, Colin, that was it. Missed that one.

Still strage how Excel sometimes extends the formatting and sometimes does not.

Pauley