Format Cells

Cell numbers, alignment, or background color can be formatted through the Format Cells dialog. To format a cell, select the cells to be formatted, then click the Data Tools | Format | Format Cells command. The Format Cells dialog opens.

The Format Cells dialog has three pages: Number, Alignment, and Background.

Number Page

Use the Number page to change the way numeric data is displayed in the worksheet. This includes setting the numeric format for numbers and the date/time entries.

Alignment Page

Use the Alignment page to set the cell alignment.

Background Page

Select cell background color on the Background page.

Text String

Number formatting has no effect on a numeric text string (numbers entered as text). A number with an apostrophe in front of it ('8123) is a text string. The apostrophe only shows in the active cell edit box. For example, an ASCII data file might contain the digits "8123" (digits surrounded by quotes), '8123 (digits preceded with an apostrophe), numbers with letters, or numbers with symbols (e.g. a blackslash "\"). These "numbers" are read as text and not as a number. The Data Tools | Data | Text to Number command can be used to convert numbers preceded by an apostrophe to numeric values, such as with the text '8123. In other cases, the quote marks, letters, or symbols may need to be removed before using the Text to Number command.

The Data Tools | Data | Transform command can also be used to perform a mathematical function, such as ATOI(X), to convert some text strings to integer values.

Preserve Cell Formatting