SUM Function

  • Thread starter Thread starter Sally
  • Start date Start date
S

Sally

A customer e-mailed an Excel file to me that consists of 3
columns of numbers. I copied the 1st column of numbers
and pasted the data into a new workbook - I want to sum up
the column of data, so I clicked on the cell below the
column of data and double-clicked the sum function. The
number in the cell should be 15,345 and it was zero. Then
I clicked on the formula in the customer's spreadsheet and
clicked "copy" then "paste special" and now I can see the
formula in the cell where 15,345 should be. It is
literally in the cell - NO result. I have never seen this
before. Has anyone ever encountered this before? If so,
how can I copy the raw data and be able to sum up the
numbers without the above mentioned problems?

Thank you
 
Sally

All too common.

The cells have been converted to Text and will not Sum.

To re-convert to numbers, select a blank cell then select the range of data
and Paste Special>Add>OK>Esc.

Try summing now.

Gord Dibben XL2002
 
Hi Sally,
If you reenter the formula F2 then Enter or hit F9
you might get the formula evaluated, but what you
really want is to have calculation turned on.

Tools, Options, Calculation (tab), Calculation: automatiic

If it had be set to manual which is what I think your problem is
-- it may have been turned off by playing with a macro and
the macro terminated without turning calcuation back on.
The same applies to an addin, but they are generally written
a little more carefully. I would suggest looking checking that
periodically so you can figure out the last thing you did before
it goes bad. I have a macro that you can run that that turns
calculation on and tells you if it had to be turned on.
 
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