Importing HTML 'blank' [cells] to a spreadsheet

Hi,
I've this spreadsheet that solves Sudoku puzzles, or helps the user to solve them. I would like to copy Sudoku's from websites to the spreadsheet but, when there are blanks, and there will be blanks, they copy over as something or other different (to a blank) in excel; excel thinks the 'blank' cells have 'something' in them. It is not a space character, but the counta function thinks there is something. I have some conditional formatting in the 81 cells saying: if all cells are full [and another test to emphasize that they must be validly full], then colour up all the 81 cells; otherwise don't. But all the blanks. copied in from the website, are getting counted up as well.
So: how do I convert these 'apparent blanks', pasted in from a website, to actual blanks, in excel?
I have tried the trim formula, plus another one to say: if it's a number, fine, otherwise, make it a "". No effect.
Thanks for any help.

Richard, I only saw your reply now, it looks very promising. Could I send you a sample workbook of the problem if need be . . .? (How do I do that?) Thanks,
Lotusman

Actually, no need, Richard, to send you the s'sheet I was having trouble with ('blank' cells etc); your solution was 100% what I was looking for. Thanks again.
LotusMan...

Originally Posted by lotusman

I would like to copy Sudoku's from websites to the spreadsheet but, when there are blanks, and there will be blanks, they copy over as something or other different (to a blank) in excel; excel thinks the 'blank' cells have 'something' in them.

They probably contain nonbreaking spaces (HTML nbsp; ASCII 160). No need for a VBA solution, unless you want to automate the following steps.

If the Sudoku is in A1:I9, enter the following formula into K1:

=SUBSTITUTE(A1,CHAR(160),"")

Copy K1 into K1:S9, then copy K1:S9 and paste-special-value into A1:I9.

You might keep the formulas in K1:S9 to save some steps the next time that you paste a Sudoku puzzle from HTML into the Excel file.