Microsoft KB Archive/106338

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

XL: Can't Use Varied Formats When Text Box Is Linked to Cell
Last reviewed: March 27, 1997

Article ID: Q106338

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WINDOWS  | MACINTOSH kbusage kbtlc

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, version 5.0
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0

SUMMARY
In Microsoft Excel, when you format text that is contained in a text box that is linked to a worksheet cell, note the following rules:

 The text cannot be formatted in the text box itself. Instead, you must format the cell where the text originates. -and- The text box will use only the formatting applied to the first character in the cell. Formatting applied to subsequent characters does not affect the text in the text box.

MORE INFORMATION
In Microsoft Excel, you can create a link between a text box and a cell in a worksheet. When you do this, the text in the cell will also appear in the text box.

When you create a link this way, you cannot directly format the text in the text box. Instead, you must format the text in the cell that the text box is linked to. Because the text only uses the formatting of the first character in the cell, it is not possible to apply different formats to different parts of the text box when there is a link.

When you create a text box that is not linked to a cell in a worksheet, you can apply any desired formats to any characters in the text box.

Steps to Reproduce Behavior
  In cell A1 of a new worksheet, type the following: Alpha Bravo Charlie Delta  Click the Text Box tool and create a text box on the worksheet. Select the text box and click the Formula bar. In the Formula bar, type "=A1" (without the quotation marks) and press ENTER to create a link.

The text box will now contain the same text as the text that is in cell A1.


 * 1) Double-click cell A1 to edit the text directly in the cell.
 * 2) Select the first A in Alpha.
 * 3) From the Format menu, choose Cells.
 * 4) Change the Font Size to 20 and select Bold Italic from the Font Style list box. Choose OK to accept the change.
 * 5) Press ENTER.

In cell A1, only the capital A in "Alpha" will have changed. However, all the text in the text box will change to 20-point bold italic text.