Why does the word typed "true" automatically turn to ALL CAPS?
Because it's a special value. The same thing will happen when you type in
"false". They will not only be in all caps but they will also be
automatically centered in the cell.
These are called boolean or logical values.
To enter the TEXT value: true
Either preformat the cell as TEXT or precede the entry with an apostrophe:
'true.
Here's an obscure bit of info:
If you need to count the number of TEXT entries of "true":
=COUNTIF(A1:A10,"*true")
A TEXT entry of true will not be counted in:
=COUNTIF(A1:A10,"true")
Because Excel thinks it's a boolean but at the same time:
=COUNTIF(A1:A10,TRUE)
Will also not count the TEXT value "true".
Kind of strange!
Using the wildcard coerces the argument to be evaluated as TEXT and not a
boolean.
Biff