Table

[Guest]

Excel is better if you're doing complicated calculations,
but Word is easy & quick to use for doing simple totals,
e.g., Sum(Above).

-----Original Message-----
Hello everyone.
I am kinda new to Office and I had a question.Are there

any good reasons that I would use a Word table to make
calculations instead of just using Excel??

 

[Derick Chapman]

I have a problem with Sum(Above) in a table - however hard I try, the 'Sum' just returns the message '!Invalid Character Setting'. Does anyone know what is going wrong?

 

[Kathleen]

-----Original Message-----

I have a problem with Sum(Above) in a table - however

hard I try, the 'Sum' just returns the message '!Invalid
Character Setting'. Does anyone know what is going wrong?
(a) Did you insert it by using Table > Formula or Insert

Field > Formula? (you can't just type in the text)

(b) Is it a complicated table? I think Sum(Above) only
works well if none of the cells are [or were ever]
merged.
(c) Try creating a very simple 1 column, 3 row table with
no formatting. In the first row type 2. In the cell
below, type 2. In the cell below do Table > Formula > Sum
(Above) and click OK. the value in row 3 should be 4.

 

[Kathleen]

-----Original Message-----
I have a problem with Sum(Above) in a table - however

hard I try, the 'Sum' just returns the message '!Invalid
Character Setting'. Does anyone know what is going wrong?

Sorry just read your original question again. Are you
using ordinary text & fonts (not graphics or symbols) in
the cells you're trying to sum up?

For example, if the font is a symbol font or something
like Wingdings, Webdings or Monotype Sorts, a character
might look like a number but actually be another
character entirely, like a, x or %.

 

[Derick Chapman]

Kathleen, thanks for the reply. Unfortunately, I've even tried creating a 'test' table of only a few rows and columns with all set to Times New Roman. Still get the same error message
--
Derick in Essex UK

-----Original Message-----
I have a problem with Sum(Above) in a table - however

hard I try, the 'Sum' just returns the message '!Invalid
Character Setting'. Does anyone know what is going wrong?

Sorry just read your original question again. Are you
using ordinary text & fonts (not graphics or symbols) in
the cells you're trying to sum up?

For example, if the font is a symbol font or something
like Wingdings, Webdings or Monotype Sorts, a character
might look like a number but actually be another
character entirely, like a, x or %.

 

[garfield-n-odie]

Hi, Derick. The problem could be that in your computer, the decimal symbol and the list separator are both the same character (for example, a comma), in which case Word cannot successfully parse an expression. For example, Word cannot determine whether "100,2" represents 100.2 or 100 and 2. To work around this problem, change the list separator under the regional options to a semicolon. To do this, follow these steps:
1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click the Regional Settings icon (Microsoft Windows NT or Microsoft Windows 98) or the Regional Options icon (Microsoft Windows 2000).
3. On the Numbers tab (Windows NT) or the Number tab (Windows 2000 or Windows 98) in the List separator box, type a semicolon ( and then click OK.

 

[Derick Chapman]

Thanks for the suggestion 'garfield-n-odie'. I've amended as suggested, but still get the same error message! I'm using "." for decimal, "," to break thousands and now ";" as the list separator. Any other ideas?