Article ID: 163231
Article Last Modified on 10/22/2000
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q163231
SYMPTOMS
The sample number that appears in the Format Cells dialog box may display 20 number signs (#) instead of an example of the selected number format.
CAUSE
This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:
- The selected cell contains more than 255 characters. -and-
- The selected category in the Format Cells dialog box is General, Accounting, or Text.
STATUS
This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows.
MORE INFORMATION
Several of the number formats also display number signs when the selected cell contains more than 255 characters. For example, number signs may appear when you use General, Accounting, or Text formats. When you reduce the total number of characters to less than 255 (after formatting), Microsoft Excel correctly displays the numbers.
Additional query words: pound sign text display number custom
Keywords: kbprb KB163231