Mac Works: Text Converted to Time, Date, or Exponential Value
  
PSS ID Number: Q103767
Article last modified on 10-22-1998
 
3.0 4.0
 
MACINTOSH
 

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The information in this article applies to:
 
 - Microsoft Works for the Macintosh, version 3.0 and 4.0
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SUMMARY
=======
 
In a Microsoft Works spreadsheet, when you enter a date, time, number
with a slash, or a number with an alpha character (such as "E", "AM"
or "PM"), in uppercase or lowercase (for example, 10e5, 3 PM, 5 am),
Microsoft Works converts the number to a standard date, time, or
exponential value. For example, 10e5 will be converted to 1.00E+6, 3
pm will be converted to 3:00 PM, and 1/2 will be converted to 2-Jan.
 
When you import a text file into Microsoft Works, these same
conversions will occur if your file contains entries similar to the
above formats.
 
MORE INFORMATION
================
 
When Microsoft Works encounters a number between 1 and 12 followed by
a space and the letters pm, pm is interpreted as PM. If the space is
followed by the letters am, am interpreted as AM. Both types of
numbers will be evaluated as time values. Similarly, when Microsoft
Works encounters a slash separating values that can be interpreted as
a month, day, and/or year, the entry will be formatted as a date.
Finally, when Microsoft Works encounters an e between two numbers
where e is not the first or the last character, the entry will be
converted to an exponential value.
 
If you want to enter a value such as 10e5, 1 pm, or 1/2 into a cell,
and you do not want the value to be converted to a number format,
enter the number as a text value. To enter a number as a text value,
enter a quotation mark in front of the entry. For example, the
following
 
   "1/2
 
will be displayed as 1/2, not as a date.
Please refer to page 173 of the Works 3 User's Guide for more
information.
 
KBCategory: kbother
KBSubcategory: macworkskb
 
Additional reference words: 3.00 mac m_eXcel mwksss
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Version           : 3.0 4.0
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbinfo
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Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1998.