Microsoft Office

Part IV
Using Advanced Excel Features
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Time: Enables you to choose from a number of time formats and select the locale for your time
formats.
Percentage: Enables you to choose the number of decimal places; always displays a percent sign.
Fraction: Enables you to choose from among nine fraction formats.
n Scientific: Displays numbers in exponential notation (with an E): 2.00E+05 = 200,000.
2.05E+05 = 205,000. You can choose the number of decimal places to display to the left of E.
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Text: When applied to a value, causes Excel to treat the value as text (even if it looks like a value).
This feature is useful for such items as numerical part numbers and credit-card numbers.
Special: Contains additional number formats. The list varies, depending on the Locale you
choose. For the English (United States) locale, the formatting options are Zip Code, Zip Code +4,
Phone Number, and Social Security Number.
Custom: Enables you to define custom number formats not included in any of the other
categories.
If the cell displays a series of hash marks after you apply a number format (such as
#########), it usually means that the column isn’t wide enough to display the value by using
the number format that you selected. Either make the column wider (by dragging the right border of the column
header) or change the number format. A series of hash marks also can mean that the cell contains an
invalid date or time.
NOTE
Creating a Custom Number Format
The Custom category on the Number tab in the Format Cells dialog box (see Figure 24.1) enables you to
create number formats not included in any of the other categories. Excel gives you a great deal of flexibility
in creating custom number formats.
FIGURE 24.1
The Number tab in the Format Cells dialog box.
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