Auto fill alphabet (ABC...)?

[doopie]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Ok, I've been searching for an answer, but apparently no one else has this problem:

I'd like to fill in the alphabet with the autofill function (entering a value and then dragging it into other cells). This works perfectly with numbers, months, etc. but not with the alphabet:
Instead of A B C, it just keeps copying "A" into the other fields. What am I doing wrong?

Thanks for any help.

 

[John McGhie]

Yeah, it's a pain, isn't it? Excel won't do Alpha "numbers".

Try this:

=CHAR(G9+64)

Where cell G9 to G35 contain the numbers 1 to 26, that formula will return A
to Z. So you need two columns. One contains arabic numbers you can fill
down, the other contains the formula that treats the arabic number as a
character code.

If you want to do it in a single column, use:
=CHAR(ROW(L1)+64)

Where L1 contains the first formula. That works the same way, except that
it returns the row number of the cell the formula is in as the character
number.

Cheers

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Ok, I've been searching for an answer, but apparently no one else has this
problem:

I'd like to fill in the alphabet with the autofill function (entering a value
and then dragging it into other cells). This works perfectly with numbers,
months, etc. but not with the alphabet:
Instead of A B C, it just keeps copying "A" into the other fields. What am I
doing wrong?

Thanks for any help.

--

This email is my business email -- Please do not email me about forum
matters unless you intend to pay!

John McGhie, Microsoft MVP (Word, Mac Word), Consultant Technical Writer,
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
Sydney, Australia. | Ph: +61 (0)4 1209 1410
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Version: 2008
Operating System: Mac OS X 10.5 (Leopard)
Processor: Intel

Ok, I've been searching for an answer, but apparently no one else has this
problem:

I'd like to fill in the alphabet with the autofill function (entering a value
and then dragging it into other cells). This works perfectly with numbers,
months, etc. but not with the alphabet:
Instead of A B C, it just keeps copying "A" into the other fields. What am I
doing wrong?

The easiest way to do to do this is to enter the alphabet as a Custom
List (Preferences/Custom Lists). Type

A,B,C,...,Z

into the ist Entries box and click Add. Now you'll be able to enter A
into a cell and drag down.

 

[CyberTaz]

Just to clarify: I'm sure John meant that you do need to type all 26 letters
of the alphabet when you create the Custom List

Regards |:>)
Bob Jones
[MVP] Office:Mac

 

[doopie]

Thanks a lot for your help, guys!

Weird that Microsoft hasn't integrated this by default into the auto fill-function.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Just to clarify: I'm sure John meant that you do need to type all 26 letters
of the alphabet when you create the Custom List

There I go assuming that ellipses are self-explanatory again...

Sigh...

....