Text automatically overrunning to adjacentcell -- did in 2004, doesn't in 2008

[youthherder]

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

I have searched throughout the mactopiaverse for my answer before posting my question, but couldn't find it anywhere....

Here's my frustration, when I used to type text into a cell in Excel 2004 (or any other version of Excel that I can remember), if my text was too long for that particular cell, it would automatically run over into the adjacent cell to its right (as long at there was no text in that particular cell). But in my newly acquired Excel 2008, any text that doesn't fit into the cell is cut off at the right border, and the only way that I have figured out how to solve the cut-off problem is by merging cells, which is very time-consuming.

Does anyone know of a better solution? Is there a setting or preference somewhere that I missed that will allow text to automatically overrun to an empty, adjacent cell?

Thanks for your help....

Kevin

 

[CyberTaz]

Hi Kevin -

Nothing has changed in the program. The only thing that prevent text
overrunning adjacent cells are:

1- if those cells have content of their own. That content need not be
visible - I drove myself crazy running down a similar situation only to find
that the user was under the impression that the 'correct' way to delete
content from a cell was to select the cell & press the *spacebar*, and

2- if the cell with the content is formatted to wrap text & the row height
of the row has been manually adjusted. In that case the text will not
overflow but the row height will not automatically adjust either so the text
will appear truncated.

Is this happening in a particular file? What happens if you create a new
workbook & just type some content?

I'd definitely avoid merging cells - you'll wind up with worse problems in
all probability. In the sheet where you next have the problem select the
cell the content should flow to, go to Edit> Clear> All or Edit> Delete &
see if that makes a difference. If it does it means that there *was* content
in the cell. [When you merge all you're doing is clearing existing content
form al but the leftmost cell, which is why it "appears" to resolve the
problem. However, merging cells is a likely source of corruption.]

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

 

[JE McGimpsey]

1- if those cells have content of their own. That content need not be
visible - I drove myself crazy running down a similar situation only to find
that the user was under the impression that the 'correct' way to delete
content from a cell was to select the cell & press the *spacebar*, and

2- if the cell with the content is formatted to wrap text & the row height
of the row has been manually adjusted. In that case the text will not
overflow but the row height will not automatically adjust either so the text
will appear truncated.

One more:

3- if the cell with the content is formatted with a Horizontal alignment
of "justified" and the row has been manually adjusted.