Sorting will not work

[ja808]

Hello,

Newbie here. Hello to all.

This is my issue.

I try to sort and I receive this message:

"The operation requires the merged cells to be identically sized."

How do I fix this?

Do I unmerge all the merged cells to see if they are identically sized;
then somehow redesign my Excel list?

I look forward to the answer(s).

 

[CyberTaz]

What the message is telling you has nothing to do with the size of
individual cells - it is indicating that the data range includes *some*
cells that are merged & some that are not so XL can't sort the range.

My personal philosophy is that a data range should not include *any* merged
cells (as well as ertainother no-no's) for exactly this and associated
reasons... Bottom line is that it at least complicates & perhaps eliminates
a number of data management tools. Keep your main list of records as clean
as you can:

Field Names at the top of consecutive Columns,
Separate field (column) for each data item,
Consecutive rows of records beginning on the row immediately below the field
names,
No subtotal rows or blank rows or duplication of field names among the
records.

Anything necessary to analyze, compute, print & display subsets of records
can be handled in other areas of the workbook easily enough by using
references to the main list and using features that work with the list
without permanently modifying its structure.

 

[Jay]

CyberTaz, I'm in total agreement regarding merged cells. I've always
thought of it as bad design. Because of this I'd be interested in what
you consider "certain other no-no's" as mentioned in your post, as I'd
value your opinion on this.

TIA

Jason

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Jay -

Thanks for the vote of confidence, but there are a number of others whose
opinions & experience are even more worthy

The majority of the no-no's are pretty much covered in the list toward the
end of that reply. The only thng I would add right off the top of my head is
that I typically avoid hiding rows/columns manually within the data range -
I'm just too forgetfull to unhide them when I should. If the hiding is a
part of a filter's operation it's no problem.

Also, I'm not at all down on Merging cells... just not in a data range.
There are any number of advantages to being able to merge cells (setting up
print areas for example), but the only motivation I can conceive of to merge
cells in the primary data range is to include design effects that shouldn't
be there in the first place - like subcaptions or labeling for subtotal
rows.