Why does ##### happens?

[Turquoise_dax]

Sometimes, when I copy / paste a long string of text (about 250 symbols) in a single cell, Excel shows a single line of ###### instead of the text. However, if I select the cell, the formula bar shows me the text as it should be.

I would like to know what causes this, so that I can correct it.

I know this must have something to do with the cell settings, but I couldn't pinpoint what it was...

Thanx

[Krizhek]

This simply means that the cell is too small to show all the text. Just
expand the cell size.

"Turquoise_dax" wrote:

>
> Sometimes, when I copy / paste a long string of text (about 250 symbols)
> in a single cell, Excel shows a single line of ###### instead of the
> text. However, if I select the cell, the formula bar shows me the text
> as it should be.
>
> I would like to know what causes this, so that I can correct it.
>
> I know this must have something to do with the cell settings, but I
> couldn't pinpoint what it was...
>
> Thanx
>
>
> --
> Turquoise_dax
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Turquoise_dax's Profile: http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=35185
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=557883
>
>

[Turquoise_dax]

Maybe I should have precised that I already tried this, and it doesn't work...!

[Dave Peterson]

It could mean a few things.

1. The columnwidth is too narrow to show the number.

Widen the column or change the font size of that cell. Or change the
numberformat to General.

2. You have a date/time in that cell and it's negative

Don't use negative dates. If excel was helping you, it may have
changed the format to a date. Change it back to General (or some
other number format).

If you need to see negative date/times:
Tools|options|Calculation Tab|and check 1904 date system
(but this can cause trouble--watch what happens to your dates
and watch what happens when you copy|paste dates to a different
workbook that doesn't use this setting)

3. You have a lot of text in the cell, the cell is formatted as Text.

Format the cell as general.

4. You really have ###'s in that cell.

Clean up that cell.

5. You have # in a cell, but it's format is set to Fill.

Change the format
(format|cells|alignment tab|horizontal box, change it to General.

=====
I'm guessing #3 for you.

Turquoise_dax wrote:
>
> Sometimes, when I copy / paste a long string of text (about 250 symbols)
> in a single cell, Excel shows a single line of ###### instead of the
> text. However, if I select the cell, the formula bar shows me the text
> as it should be.
>
> I would like to know what causes this, so that I can correct it.
>
> I know this must have something to do with the cell settings, but I
> couldn't pinpoint what it was...
>
> Thanx
>
> --
> Turquoise_dax
> ------------------------------------------------------------------------
> Turquoise_dax's Profile: http://www.excelforum.com/member.php...o&userid=35185
> View this thread: http://www.excelforum.com/showthread...hreadid=557883

--

Dave Peterson

[Turquoise_dax]

I found how to correct the display, but I don't get why the previous setting is not working... (If someone know, please tell me...)

The "Format Cells / Number" tab has to be set to GENERAL and not TEXT.

[Turquoise_dax]

Thanx Dave, was Really 3.. (But saw your msg after finding it...:P)

[Turquoise_dax]

Thanx Dave, was Really 3.. (But saw your msg after finding it...:P)

[Dann Pedersen]

"Turquoise_dax" <[email protected]>
wrote in message
news:[email protected]...
>
> Sometimes, when I copy / paste a long string of text (about 250 symbols)
> in a single cell, Excel shows a single line of ###### instead of the
> text. However, if I select the cell, the formula bar shows me the text
> as it should be.

This happens when the information you have in a cell can't fit to the screen
property (colum with) you have allocated to the cell. The solution is to
either rezise the colum manually or you could dobbleclick on the "border" at
the top right side of your colum. This will auto-resize your colum to fit
the data.

Please note that this will also happen if a formula results in "to long" a
result.

regards
Dann

[Gord Dibben]

Excel has a problem with text-formatted cells when number of characters is
between 255 and 1024.

Don't know why, just is.

As you have discovered, formatting to General allows the chars to show.


Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP


On Mon, 3 Jul 2006 13:06:48 -0500, Turquoise_dax
<[email protected]> wrote:

>
>Thanx Dave, was Really 3.. (But saw your msg after finding it...:P)