clearing a cell and keeping the formula

[genevieveg]

hi Im new to excel I seem to lose my formula's everytime I go back to enter some data that I may enter wrong for example I have put the formula in and go back and put a number in the cell and find it's the wrong # so I backspace or hit delete and I lose my formula and clear the cell what am I doing wrong??

[Chip Pearson]

A cell can contain either a formula or a constant value, not
both. There is no way to "clear a cell and keep the formula".


--
Cordially,
Chip Pearson
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Pearson Software Consulting, LLC
www.cpearson.com


"genevieveg"
<[email protected]> wrote
in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> hi Im new to excel I seem to lose my formula's everytime I go
> back to
> enter some data that I may enter wrong for example I have put
> the
> formula in and go back and put a number in the cell and find
> it's the
> wrong # so I backspace or hit delete and I lose my formula and
> clear
> the cell what am I doing wrong??
>
>
> --
> genevieveg
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> genevieveg's Profile:
> http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=30333
> View this thread:
> http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=499995
>

[genevieveg]

I don't understand??? I make a spreadsheet with formula's on it and than go back to use it and put numbers in that cell and put the wrong number so I clear it I lose the formula why dose it work with the numbers in it when I dont go back and clear it???

[Gord Dibben]

gg

Show us one of your formulas before you clear it.

Then tell us what you are doing to "clear it"

An example of a formula................entered in A1

=1+2+3 would equal 6

Do you want to edit this so you get 8 instead of 6?

Hit F2 key and change just the 1 to 3 and <ENTER> to get 8

Formulas usually collect data from other cells like...........

in A1 you have =B1*C1

As you change the data in B1 or C1 then A1 will show those changes.

If you type directly into A1 you will lose the formula.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP


On Tue, 10 Jan 2006 19:17:56 -0600, genevieveg
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>I don't understand??? I make a spreadsheet with formula's on it and than
>go back to use it and put numbers in that cell and put the wrong number
>so I clear it I lose the formula why dose it work with the numbers in
>it when I dont go back and clear it???

[Chris Hoagland]

protect the worksheet so the formulas stay in it . then you can change or
delete the data and the formula stays..
"genevieveg" <[email protected]> wrote
in message news:[email protected]...
>
> hi Im new to excel I seem to lose my formula's everytime I go back to
> enter some data that I may enter wrong for example I have put the
> formula in and go back and put a number in the cell and find it's the
> wrong # so I backspace or hit delete and I lose my formula and clear
> the cell what am I doing wrong??
>
>
> --
> genevieveg
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> genevieveg's Profile:
http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=30333
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=499995
>

[Ron Coderre]

Let's see if I stumbled onto what you're looking for.....

1)You have a formula in a cell
2)You type some value in that cell and press [Enter]
(obiliterating the formula and replacing it with your new entry)

3)You realize you made a mistake and you want your formula back

If that is your situation.....
Edit>Undo
That will reverse your input and restore the formula.

Also, each time you Edit>Undo....Excel will back up another step (up to 10
times)

(A short cut for Edit>Undo is to Hold down the [Ctrl] key and press Z )

Does that help?

***********
Regards,
Ron

XL2002, WinXP-Pro


"genevieveg" wrote:

>
> hi Im new to excel I seem to lose my formula's everytime I go back to
> enter some data that I may enter wrong for example I have put the
> formula in and go back and put a number in the cell and find it's the
> wrong # so I backspace or hit delete and I lose my formula and clear
> the cell what am I doing wrong??
>
>
> --
> genevieveg
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> genevieveg's Profile: http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=30333
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=499995
>
>