Microsoft KB Archive/214273

= XL2000: Custom Scientific Number Format Is Displayed Incorrectly =

Article ID: 214273

Article Last Modified on 9/27/2003

-

APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

-



This article was previously published under Q214273





SYMPTOMS
In Microsoft Excel 2000, when you create custom scientific number formats, you may experience unexpected results.



STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed that this is a problem in the Microsoft products that are listed at the beginning of this article.



MORE INFORMATION
The default scientific number format included in Microsoft Excel is as follows:

0.00E+00

This format shows one number before the decimal point and two numbers after. If you create a custom scientific number format that has more than one place indicator before the decimal point, the numbers before the decimal point may not appear as you would expect.

For example, the following table shows a number, how the number is displayed in Microsoft Excel with the 0.00E+00 format code, how the number is displayed with the 00.00E+00 format code, and how you might expect it to be displayed with the 00.00E+00 format code.                   0.00E+00      00.00E+00     00.00E+00 Number         Actual        Actual        Expected ---  0.00000245      2.45E-06      02.45E-06      24.5E-07 Versions of Microsoft Excel earlier than Microsoft Excel version 5.0 display the number as shown in the "Expected" column. Depending on the number in the cell and the number of significant digits before the decimal point in the custom format code, Microsoft Excel 2000 may or may not show the number as expected.

