Microsoft KB Archive/74056

{| = Define Field Command Unavailable in Q+E =
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Last reviewed: November 2, 1994

Article ID: Q74056

SUMMARY
The Define Field command in the Layout menu in Q+E version 3.0 will be dimmed and unavailable if you are working with a text, Excel, or query file and the column that is selected has been sorted.

MORE INFORMATION
Q+E will not allow you to change the type of data in a field if it has been sorted because the sort criteria, and hence the sort order, would also change. For example, if you sort the following dates as text

11/2/89  1/2/90 the sorted order would be   1/2/90 11/2/89 whereas if they were sorted as dates, the order would be: 11/2/89  1/2/90 Note also that if you include a sorted field in a multiple field selection and then attempt to define the data type for the entire selection, you will find that unsorted fields are changed, but the sorted field maintains its original data type. You will not be warned that the change has not been made. The Define Field command will not be available if the first field in your selection has been sorted.