XL97: Odd Behavior Using Format Painter and Merged Cells

ID: Q157204

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, if you use the Format Painter tool to apply the "merged cells" format to a range of cells, values within that range may disappear suddenly and without warning.

CAUSE

This will occur if all the following conditions are true:

You merged a group of cells within a worksheet.
```
    -and-
```
You then selected another cell within the worksheet and clicked the Format Painter tool.
```
    -and-
```
Cells to the right of and/or below the selected cell contained values.

WORKAROUND

If this problem occurs, you can either

Click Undo Paste Special on the Edit menu.
```
    -or-
```
Follow these steps:
1. Click the Merge And Center tool on the Formatting toolbar.
2. Click OK. Then, click Cancel twice.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

Microsoft Excel 97 includes a new feature that allows you to merge a group of cells into a single cell. To merge a group of cells:

1. Select the cells that you want to merge.

2. On the Format menu, click Cells. Click the Alignment tab.

3. Select the Merge Cells check box, and then click OK.

Normally, when you merge a group of cells, if more than one of the cells being merged contains values, you receive the following error message:

   The selection contains multiple data values. Merging into one cell
   will keep the upper-left most data only.

If you merge a group of cells, click the Format Painter tool, and then click another cell, a similarly-sized group of cells, starting at the selected cell, are merged. You do not receive the error message shown above. Important: Values in those cells are lost unless you Undo the Paste Special.

REFERENCES

For more information about merging cells in Microsoft Excel, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

   merging, cells

click Display, click "Merge cells to span several columns or rows", and then click Display.

Additional query words: XL97

Keywords          : kberrmsg xlui xlformat 
Version           : WINDOWS:97
Platform          : WINDOWS
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: November 5, 1998