XL97: ;;; Number Format Fails to Hide Cell Contents

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 97, when you format a cell with the following number format:

   ;;;

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the cell contains more than 1024 characters.

WORKAROUND

To hide the contents of a cell that contains more than 1024 characters, use the following steps:

1. Select the cell that contains characters you want to hide.

2. On the Format menu, click Conditional Formatting.

3. In the Condition box, click Formula Is. Then, in the formula box, type "=ISERROR(VALUE(<address>))" (without the quotation marks) where <address> is the address of the active cell (for example, A1).

4. Click Format. Click the Font tab. Then, in the Color list box, click white (or the color of the cell's background), and click OK.

5. Click OK.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

MORE INFORMATION

In Microsoft Excel, you can hide the contents of a cell by applying the ;;; number format to the cell. To do this in Microsoft Excel 97, use the following steps:

1. Select the cell(s) you want to format.

2. On the Format menu, click Cells. Then, click the Number tab.

3. In the Category list, click Custom. Then, in the Type box, type ";;;" (without the quotation marks), and click OK.