How do I force trailing zeros in an Excel cell?

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Tony C - 13 Sep 2006 20:55 GMT

My accounting people have set up an excel spread sheet. woth part numbers.
Many of them end in a "0". Ex; 2211.11520
and if you click on a cell with a number ending in 0 , the zero goes away on
the edit line.
When I copy and past this numeric column into other Excels or import into
other applications the Trailing 0 is gone. Any one out there know a way I can
convert or format or save this column and it will keep the trailing zeros,
Note: when I convert the column from a number to text the trailing zeros
drop off.
Help!

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Bernard Liengme - 13 Sep 2006 21:04 GMT

Gives these cells a Text format - the values are not numbers just a string
of digits.
best wishes

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> My accounting people have set up an excel spread sheet. woth part numbers.
> Many of them end in a "0". Ex; 2211.11520
[quoted text clipped - 8 lines]
> drop off.
> Help!

Reply to this Message

Tony C - 13 Sep 2006 21:16 GMT

I have done that already, and my message says that if I convert to text I
loose the trailing zero. I need to keep the trailing zero.. Any other thoughts

> Gives these cells a Text format - the values are not numbers just a string
> of digits.
[quoted text clipped - 11 lines]
> > drop off.
> > Help!

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Gord Dibben - 13 Sep 2006 22:21 GMT

Tony

Do not re-format after the fact.

Pre-format the receiving cells to Text prior to making the paste.

Gord Dibben MS Excel MVP

>I have done that already, and my message says that if I convert to text I
>loose the trailing zero. I need to keep the trailing zero.. Any other thoughts
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
>> > drop off.
>> > Help!

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gls858 - 13 Sep 2006 21:22 GMT

> My accounting people have set up an excel spread sheet. woth part numbers.
> Many of them end in a "0". Ex; 2211.11520
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> drop off.
> Help!

Are the number of digits after the . always the same? If so you could
format the field as number and set the decimal place to 5.

gls858

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Tony C - 13 Sep 2006 21:35 GMT

that is exactly how my accounting people created the numeric column by
setting the decimal place to 5,
and not all my part number will always end as
1234.00000
where I am having my problem is a part number like this in the excel
2201.11520, its being seen as 2201.1152 when I move it to another table
or import it into something..
I need it to really be 2201.11520 , so its always retains that trailing
zero...no matter if its in the 4th or 5th location of the decimal.
Any thoughts..
Not if I change the column format to text then instantly I loose that
trailing zero, so that does not work for me..
Hope you can help?

> > My accounting people have set up an excel spread sheet. woth part numbers.
> > Many of them end in a "0". Ex; 2211.11520
[quoted text clipped - 10 lines]
>
> gls858

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gls858 - 13 Sep 2006 22:30 GMT

> that is exactly how my accounting people created the numeric column by
> setting the decimal place to 5,
[quoted text clipped - 24 lines]
>>
>> gls858

I seem to recall that converting a numbers format to text doesn't actually
give the cell the same properties and having the cell formatted as text
before the value is entered. Try formatting the cells as text before
entering the data, if that's possible. Maybe someone else will help
explain this a little better. I know if I format the cell as text and
then enter 2211.11520 the trailing zero stays. If I format it as a number
and then reformat it to text, no trailing zero.

gls858

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SteveW - 14 Sep 2006 08:43 GMT

Why can't yuou have the new cell with the same .00000 format
ie, copy and paste (including format)
Anyway I blame the accountants

Steve

>> that is exactly how my accounting people created the numeric column by
>> setting the decimal place to 5, and not all my part number will always
[quoted text clipped - 35 lines]
> then enter 2211.11520 the trailing zero stays. If I format it as a number
> and then reformat it to text, no trailing zero.

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Dave Peterson - 13 Sep 2006 22:40 GMT

It's the preformatting of the cells that keeps the trailing (and leading 0's??).

But you could use a formula like this in a helper column of cells:
=text(a1,"0000.00000")
and copy down.

Then edit|copy
and edit|paste special|values over the original range
and then delete that helper column.

And I'd format that column as Text just so the next change doesn't screw things
up.

> My accounting people have set up an excel spread sheet. woth part numbers.
> Many of them end in a "0". Ex; 2211.11520
[quoted text clipped - 6 lines]
> drop off.
> Help!

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Dave Peterson

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