Article ID: 123577
Article Last Modified on 8/15/2005
APPLIES TO
- Microsoft Excel 97 Standard Edition
- Microsoft Excel 95 Standard Edition
This article was previously published under Q123577
SYMPTOMS
If you open a file with a name that contains brackets ("["
and "]"), the brackets are converted to parentheses for as long as the file is
open in Microsoft Excel. This behavior may produce unexpected results when you
create a link to the file or when you attempt to save it.
Note Microsoft does not recommend using brackets or other special
characters in paths or filenames.
CAUSE
Microsoft Excel uses brackets to signify a workbook file
name in a reference. For example, in the following formula
=[TestWorkbook]Sheet1!$A$1
the brackets surround the name of the workbook (TestWorkbook).
The remainder of the formula to the left of the exclamation point is the name
of the worksheet in the workbook.
If you open a file with a name
that contains brackets, the brackets are converted to parentheses. For example,
if you open a file with this name
the file name appears as
in the title bar. Also, if you create a formula in another
workbook that refers to the workbook, the formula resembles the following:
='[This(IsA)Test]Sheet1'!$A$1
This reference will work as long as the "This[IsA]Test" workbook
is open. However, if the "This[IsA]Test" workbook is closed, the links to that
workbook will not function correctly, because Excel will not recognize the file
name.
WORKAROUND
To work around this problem, do not use brackets in your
workbook file names and do not rename Microsoft Excel files in the Macintosh
Finder, Windows File Manager or Windows Explorer, so that they contain
brackets.
MORE INFORMATION
Note that when you save a new file in Microsoft Excel 5.0,
you cannot include brackets in the file name. The only way that brackets appear
in the file name is if the file was originally created either in an earlier
version of Microsoft Excel or in another program, or if the file was renamed in
the Macintosh Finder, the Windows File Manager or Windows Explorer.
This problem no longer occurs in Microsoft Excel 2000.
Additional query words: XL
Keywords: kbprb KB123577