keeping cell format with formula

I am working with this formula:
=INDEX(TRIM(TEST1!$A$2:$A$252),MATCH(TRIM(TEST2!B2),TRIM(TEST1!$B$2:$B$252),0),1)

The dates that I am pulling from TEST1! are formatted "mm/dd/yyyy", and it
appears that way in the cells, but when I pull the info from TEST1! and it
goes into TEST2!, all the data changes in TEST2!, due to a format issue I
think. I have tried formatting the cells in TEST2!$A$2:$A$252 by manually
highlighting and changing the format from the format menu, but it doesn't
seem to work.... Again, my question is how do I get the newly calculated
material (from TEST1!) to keep the same format as "mm/dd/yyyy" in TEST2!

One way of doing it with formulas is adding the TEXT formula to the result,
something like:
=TEXT(A1,"mm/dd/yyyy")
Instead of A1, you can insert there the formula you use to transfer the data
from one sheet to the other, and that will ensure that the data is formated
in the mm/dd/yyyy format.

Hope this helps,
Miguel.

"JAB" wrote:

> I am working with this formula:
> =INDEX(TRIM(TEST1!$A$2:$A$252),MATCH(TRIM(TEST2!B2),TRIM(TEST1!$B$2:$B$252),0),1)
>
> The dates that I am pulling from TEST1! are formatted "mm/dd/yyyy", and it
> appears that way in the cells, but when I pull the info from TEST1! and it
> goes into TEST2!, all the data changes in TEST2!, due to a format issue I
> think. I have tried formatting the cells in TEST2!$A$2:$A$252 by manually
> highlighting and changing the format from the format menu, but it doesn't
> seem to work.... Again, my question is how do I get the newly calculated
> material (from TEST1!) to keep the same format as "mm/dd/yyyy" in TEST2!

Thank you very much, that did the trick!

JAB

"Miguel Zapico" wrote:

> One way of doing it with formulas is adding the TEXT formula to the result,
> something like:
> =TEXT(A1,"mm/dd/yyyy")
> Instead of A1, you can insert there the formula you use to transfer the data
> from one sheet to the other, and that will ensure that the data is formated
> in the mm/dd/yyyy format.
>
> Hope this helps,
> Miguel.
>
> "JAB" wrote:
>
> > I am working with this formula:
> > =INDEX(TRIM(TEST1!$A$2:$A$252),MATCH(TRIM(TEST2!B2),TRIM(TEST1!$B$2:$B$252),0),1)
> >
> > The dates that I am pulling from TEST1! are formatted "mm/dd/yyyy", and it
> > appears that way in the cells, but when I pull the info from TEST1! and it
> > goes into TEST2!, all the data changes in TEST2!, due to a format issue I
> > think. I have tried formatting the cells in TEST2!$A$2:$A$252 by manually
> > highlighting and changing the format from the format menu, but it doesn't
> > seem to work.... Again, my question is how do I get the newly calculated
> > material (from TEST1!) to keep the same format as "mm/dd/yyyy" in TEST2!