Problem with SUM()

[Bernard Liengme]

This is Excel trying to be helpful with automatic formula extension
Use Tool | Options ; open the Edit tab; deselect Extend Data Range Formats &
Formulas

Is that the Norfolk where 'broads' needs bodies of water or the one where it
means females? Ah, but your email address contains UK so I guess its the
former.

You should learn how to set up you newsgroup reader (Outlook maybe) to give
a false email address if you want to avoid lots of spam - there are 'bots'
(computer programs) which gather email address from newsgroups.
best wishes

 

[Bernard Liengme]

Alternative:
place formula in another column

 

[Richard Wrigley]

Greetings from Norfolk

This may be a silly question!
I set up SUM(D510) and put the result in D15.
When trying out the sheet I made entries (numeric) in D5, D6...D10 all OK.
I then made entries in D11, D12, D13 and D14; The formulae in D15 modified
itself (!!??) to include these values in the Summation. i.e. the answer was
progressively D5 to D10, D5 to D11, D5 to D12 etc.
Can anybody explain and assist in preventing this occuring again. Ilooked
through the various settings for Excel, but could not find any that appear
relevant !

--
Richard.

"I have yet to see any problem, however complicated, which when looked at in
the right way, did not become still more complicated"
Poul Anderson

 

[hot dogs]

If you click on the formula cell and put the cursor in the range, the range
should be shown by a coloured rectangle around the cells used within the
range. You can alter the size of this rectangle to only cover the cells you
require by moving one of the handles on one of the corners of the rectangle.

 

[CyberTaz]

Alternatively to Bernard's original and "alternative" - if you *don't* want
to disable the Extend feature (which does prove useful) - you can edit your
formula to read as:

SUM($D$5:$D$10)

This makes the range reference absolute and prevents the function from
automatically including the new entries in the column.