Excel converts fractions into dates. Make it stop.

[Guest]

Every time I enter a fraction into a cell, Excel automatically converts it
into a date. This is a pain when I am trying to paste a table with fractions,
because I have to go back and manually enter them all.

----------------
This post is a suggestion for Microsoft, and Microsoft responds to the
suggestions with the most votes. To vote for this suggestion, click the "I
Agree" button in the message pane. If you do not see the button, follow this
link to open the suggestion in the Microsoft Web-based Newsreader and then
click "I Agree" in the message pane.

http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...1-a1e36f3aa201&dg=microsoft.public.excel.misc

 

[Don Guillett]

pre-format as fraction.

 

[Guest]

Pre-formating only works if you are entering the data by hand or macro, what
if you are pasting a table from word that has fractions, it doesn't matter
what format the cells are in excel, in it's infinite stupidity, it reformats
it to a date, 'cause everyone knows 1/64 is a date. My biggest problem with
Excel/Word/Microsoft is it acting like it knows what you want it to do, I
hate automatic formatting in Excel/Word I can format it myself thank you, and
I will ALWAYS pick the proper format, the program has about a 50-60% rate in
my experience of doing something for me that I like without asking. I can't
stand that I have to resort to posting on a message board to solve a problem
this basic.

 

[rcsw]

Has anyone found a solution to this. This feature is annoying and wastes a
huge amount of time for somthing as simple as copying a table.

 

[Wayne Knazek via OfficeKB.com]

If you format the colums (or individual cell) to "text", you can enter a
fraction, if you just need it to "look" like a fraction.

If you format it to "fraction", it will be a numeric fraction. You can
format adjacent cells and perform math functions to the fraction columns,
like . . .


.. 1ST 2ND TOTAL
1/4 1/16 5/16

Has anyone found a solution to this. This feature is annoying and wastes a
huge amount of time for somthing as simple as copying a table.

Pre-formating only works if you are entering the data by hand or macro, what
if you are pasting a table from word that has fractions, it doesn't matter

[quoted text clipped - 23 lines]