XL98: Format Is Not Applied to Grouped Sheets with Merged Cells

• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you select multiple sheets, enter data in a cell, and then format the data, the formatting is not applied to the cells in other grouped sheets.

CAUSE

This problem may occur when you merge cells on a worksheet, group the worksheet with another worksheet, and then attempt to apply formatting to the merged cells by applying the formatting to a corresponding component cell on the other worksheet.

When you merge cells on one worksheet, you can select the cells that are included as component cells by the merged cells on the other worksheets. When you group sheets, Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition does not apply formatting from any corresponding unmerged cell on one worksheet to the merged cell on the other worksheet unless the unmerged cell corresponds to the upper-left cell of the range of cells you merged.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, apply the formatting manually.

STATUS

This behavior is by design of Microsoft Excel 98.

MORE INFORMATION

The address of a merged cell range is the upper-left cell in the range of cells you merged. When you apply formatting to the merged cell's component cells on other sheets, the formatting is not applied to the merged cell unless the cell you selected on the other sheets is the upper-left cell of the merged cell range.

REFERENCES

For more information about merging cells, click Contents and Index on the Help menu. Click the Index button, and type the following text:

   merging