Microsoft KB Archive/68501

Excel 3.0 Functionality Changes With Alternate Navigation Set PSS ID Number: Q68501 Article last modified on 02-26-1993 PSS database name: W_eXceL

3.00

WINDOWS

Summary:

Because the Alternate Navigation setting in Microsoft Excel changes the functionality of certain keys and key combinations as well as formula and text entry in cells, you may experience unexpected behavior when you select this option.

You can set Alternate Navigation by choosing Workspace from the Options menu and selecting the Alternate Navigation Keys option in the Workspace dialog box or, when installing Excel, by choosing Enable Lotus Help during the installation process. When Alternate Navigation is active, Excel follows the Lotus 1-2-3 keyboard functionality and data entry rules.

More Information:

The following is a list of things that change when Alternate Navigation is active:

  Keys used for moving around on a worksheet or macro sheet produce different results. These keys include: CTRL+LEFT ARROW, CTRL+RIGHT ARROW, HOME and END. For a complete list of these changes, see page 46 of the “Microsoft Excel User’s Guide.”   Characters can be aligned in cells using the standard Lotus alignment characters which include: ’, &quot;, ^,  (single quotation mark, double quotation mark, caret, and backslash).   You can start a formula with any of the following characters: @, ., +, -, (, 1-9, =, . (Note that the decimal is included in this list).   You will not be able to enter a text string that starts with a number. For example, if you typed “1T” into a cell without the quotation marks, you would receive the message “Error in formula.”  If you want to enter text, such as an address or phone number that starts with 0-9, a period, or parenthesis, you will need to use one of the characters listed in #2 above. 

To enter strings containing numbers and characters correctly into a cell without getting the alert message, do one of three things:

-or-

 If you are on a worksheet, you can start the string with a Lotus alignment character (see #2 above). For example, typing “^1T” (without quotation marks) would work.

Note: Microsoft Excel does not accept the Lotus alignment characters on a macro sheet. As a result, the above workaround will not work on a macro sheet.

-or-

 You can enter the string as a formula by placing double quotation marks and preceding it with an equal sign (for example, =“1T”).</li></ol>

Reference(s):

“Microsoft Excel User’s Guide,” version 3.0, pages 46-47

Additional reference words: 3.00

Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1993.