Microsoft KB Archive/230584

= XL2000: Entering Data in List May Not Extend Formats as Expected =

Article ID: 230584

Article Last Modified on 9/25/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q230584



SYMPTOMS
Typing data in a cell to the right of or below a list with the same formats may not extend the format as expected.



CAUSE
This problem occurs when you type data as the next item in a list and that new data is not similar to the data previously entered. This may force Excel to apply a format different from the format in the list you are trying to extend. For example, this can occur if you type text when the list contains all numeric values.



WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, clear both the format and the data in the cell and then retype the data. On the Edit menu, click Clear, and then click All.

NOTE: The list format is not extended if you clear only the formats and retype the data.



MORE INFORMATION
In general, if you type data down a column or across a row and then format the cells, Excel extends that formatting to the next cell when you type data that is similar to the cells above or to the left and the following conditions are true:


 * Three of the five previous cells in the list are similar in data type and formatting.

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 * There is no custom formatting already applied to the cell in which you are entering data.

There may also be further limitations and conditions. For additional information about how auto-extended formatting works, click the article number below to view the article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

231002 XL2000: How Auto-Extend List Behavior Works

