Excel's Formula - sisman

Appendix B: Using Custom Number Formats 747
Displaying a negative sign on the right
The following format string displays negative values with the negative sign to the right of the
number. Positive values have an additional space on the right, so both positive and negative
numbers align properly on the right.
0.00_-;0.00-
Testing custom number formats
When you create a custom number format, don’t overlook the Sample box in the Number tab of
the Format Cells dialog box. This box displays the value in the active cell using the format string
in the Type box.
It’s a good idea to test your custom number formats by using the following data: a positive
value, a negative value, a zero value, and text. Often, creating a custom number format takes
several attempts. Each time you edit a format string, it is added to the list. When you finally get
the correct format string, access the Format Cells dialog box one more time and delete your
previous attempts.
To make the negative numbers more prominent, you can add a color code to the negative part of
the number format string:
0.00_-;[Red]0.00-
Conditional number formatting
Conditional formatting refers to formatting that is applied based on the contents of a cell. Excel’s
Conditional Formatting feature provides the most efficient way to perform conditional formatting
of numbers, but you also can use custom number formats.
A conditional number formatting string is limited to three conditions: Two of them are
explicit, and the third one is implied (that is, everything else). The conditions are
enclosed in square brackets and must be simple numeric comparisons.
The following format string displays different text (no value), depending on the value in the cell.
This format string essentially separates the numbers into three groups: less than or equal to 4,
greater than or equal to 8, and other.
[=8]”High”* 0;”Medium”* 0