Calculations adding Text formats

[Barb]

I am new at this so please bear with me.

I am using Excel XP. In my column I have a list of
numbers. Some are formatted as text and some are
formatted at numeric.

When I insert by formula it seems to be calculating the
entire column, even the text formatted cells.

What am I doing wrong.

Example

Cell A1 = 5 - numeric
Cell A2 = 5 - text format
Cell A3 = 5 - text format
Cell A4 = 5 - numeric format

formula states =sum(a1:a4) the total should be 10 not 20.
Correct?

 

[JE McGimpsey]

You're not doing anything wrong, per se.

Changing formats cannot change numbers into text values or text values
into numbers. If, after formatting A2:A3 as Text, you reenter the
values, they'll be stored as Text values, and your result will be 10.

 

[csu]

My problem is opposite of what Barb has!

I copy/past contents of a table from Internet Explorer into Excel worksheet. Although the cell contents appear numeric, they are text in nature. The formula I set up ignores all of them.

Is there a way I can change cell contents from text to numeric without re-typing each? Formatting did not work, as has been stated in meesages here.

If Excel itself can't help, would any exporting/importing to and from ofther applications do the trick?

Thanks for all helps you can give!

csu

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Select an empty cell. Copy it. Select your "numbers". Choose Edit/Paste
Special, selecting the Values and Add radio buttons. Click OK.


This will coerce text numbers to real numbers.