XL: Data Sort Using Incorrect Guess Range

ID: Q108484

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you select a single cell in a list and click Sort on the Data menu, an incorrect range of data may be selected.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the data in the second row of the first column in the list is typed entirely in capital letters and the data in the third row of the first column in the list is not typed entirely in capital letters.

When you sort data by selecting a single cell in a list and clicking Sort on the Data menu, Microsoft Excel detects the column labels in the list, excludes them from the data that is sorted, selects the data to be sorted, and then displays the Sort dialog box. However, if the data in the second row of the first column in the list is typed entirely in capital letters and the data in the third row of the first column in the list is not typed entirely in capital letters, Microsoft Excel treats the first two rows as column labels and does sort these rows.

Example

If you select a single cell in the following list

   A1: peach
   A2: APPLE
   A3: orange
   A4: banana

and click Sort on the Data menu, the items orange and banana are selected as the data to be sorted. Microsoft Excel treats the items peach and APPLE as column labels and excludes them.

WORKAROUND

To work around this behavior, select the entire list (including the column labels) before you click Sort on the Data menu, and select Has Header Row under "My list has" in the Sort dialog box.

REFERENCES

Excel 97

For more information about sorting, click the Office Assistant, type "sort," click Search, and then click to view "Sort a List."

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Microsoft Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   ARTICLE-ID: Q120802
   TITLE     : Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office
               Program or Component

Excel 5.0

For more information about sorting a list from top to bottom, click the Search button in Help and type:

   sorting

Additional query words: 5.00 7.00 8.00 97 XL97

Keywords          : kbdta xllist 
Version           : MACINTOSH:5.0,5.0a; WINDOWS:5.0,5.0c,7.0,7.0a,97
Platform          : MACINTOSH WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: January 8, 1999