Proper Case

Question

Level 1

82 points

Proper Case

I cannot figure out how to change a huge column of uppercase text to "Proper". I've been given this XLS spreadsheet that has the entire text of one column entered in uppercase and I want to convert this to proper text convention of Upper (first letter of word) to Lower (subsequent letter of word) for inclusion in ID3 tags labels within iTunes.

Could anyone reading this who knows how to do this explain it in easy steps. It shouldn't be difficult but I simply can't get this function to work in Numbers...At least I can't seem to change an existing column of Uppercase to proper. Numbers really should have this built in as a standard Text Font formatting menu option.

Thanks.

Many different Macs since 1984, Mac OS X (10.5.4)

Posted on Aug 27, 2008 9:12 AM

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Answer 1

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Aug 27, 2008 9:24 AM in response to Neal Jackson

Searching in the Help is often helpful.
The page entitled "Changing Text Capitalization Using the Menus" gives the response.

But I'm not sure that the result will fit your needs.

"Title" is a style. It doesn' change the stored text itself so, I don't know if it will be passed to tags labels.

I wish to add that what you name a "text convention" is one in English but is rejected in correct typography for several other languages.

Numbers really should have this built in as a standard Text Font formatting menu option.

It really have it … but it doesn't name it "proper" 😉

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Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE mercredi 27 août 2008 18:18:53)

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Answer 2

Neal Jackson Author

Level 1

82 points

Aug 27, 2008 10:09 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Hello,

Before posting here I ran through all the options in Numbers Help as well as using the conventional Menu>Font>Format>Capitalisation route... None of this helped. The letters still stay as uppercase whether I choose None, Title, etc. Nothing will change the letters from upper to lower case or title they just stay stuck at uppercase whether I choose to select all text within a cell or if I choose the whole column of cells. So, I thought a function may help...However, I can't get it to work.

I'm sure other languages have different capitalisation conventions for cataloguing, but all of my CD's, and albums are in English... as is Gracenote CDDB (as far as I know...certainly true when it picks up on CD's I import into iTunes).

Thanks, anyway.

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Answer 3

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Aug 27, 2008 10:23 AM in response to Neal Jackson

Format > Font > Format > Capitalisation > Title

works flawlessly on my machine for lowercase text alas, it changes nothing to UPPERCASED ones.

assuming that your strings are in column B
insert an auxiliary column
insert the formula
=PROPER(B)

It's clear that you never searched for PROPER in the Help or in the PDF User Guide.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE mercredi 27 août 2008 19:23:40)

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Answer 4

Neal Jackson Author

Level 1

82 points

Aug 27, 2008 10:40 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Of course I had previously searched for and explored using PROPER in Text functions before posting my request.

I've a feeling it has something to do with the way it was formatted in MS Excel as even correcting capitalisation on import in Numbers Auto-Correction preferences has no effect.

Anyway, I found an old copy of MS Office I'd discarded long ago and I've been able to change the capitalisation in Excel. I presume Numbers has a bug/limitation as it should be a simple matter to correct the text any which way in each and every cell as I can in Excel.

I've also just done it in Appleworks!

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Answer 5

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Aug 27, 2008 10:47 AM in response to Neal Jackson

It's not a bug but a feature.

The font menu don't change the stored characters.
When we apply the style "Title", it just apply the style "Uppercase" to the first letter of every selected word.

But as there is no "lowercase" style, the rest of the words remains unmodified.

I will file a "feature requirement"

I assumes that using the PROPER() function was more efficient than a travel to an other program.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE mercredi 27 août 2008 19:47:40)

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Answer 6

Neal Jackson Author

Level 1

82 points

Aug 27, 2008 11:25 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Prior to posting my original question, creating an ancillary cell and pointing it to cell X with the PROPER function attributable did not change the column to "Proper" format. I subsequently found I had to export the data as a CSV file and import it back into Numbers for PROPER to work. As I said it must have something to do with the original formatting of the Excel document that Numbers doesn't like.

It was easier to simply open the document in Excel and AppleWorks and make the changes there. Numbers will do a PROPER function after open>export>csv>open but not straight from the xls document sent to me.

The lack of ability to simply adjust fonts, words and sentences any way I choose in Numbers may be a "feature" to you... but it proved a "limitation" to me. Still, it isn't an Excel beater and thankfully I don't need to use spreadsheets often these days.

Cheers.

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Answer 7

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Aug 27, 2008 11:51 AM in response to Neal Jackson

Neal Jackson wrote:
Still, it isn't an Excel beater and thankfully I don't need to use spreadsheets often these days.

Numbers was not designed to be an "Excel beater".

Excel is the spreadsheet for professional numbers crunchers.
Numbers is for the rest of the users, which means a huge number of them.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE mercredi 27 août 2008 20:51:27)

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Answer 8

WWJD

Level 6

15,830 points

Aug 27, 2008 4:32 PM in response to Neal Jackson

Functions seem to work properly... but I may be missing something.

Regards,

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Answer 9

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,819 points

Aug 28, 2008 3:05 AM in response to WWJD

Hello WWJD

If I understood well, the OP wanted to be able to do the trick from the
Format > Font > Capitalisation > Title menu item.

It works if the original text is in lowercase but as it changes only the first letter of every words, when the original string is in uppercase (what he received) the result is useless.

bug hunters -> Bug Hunters
BUG HUNTERS -> BUG HUNTERS

I sent a request for:

a lowercase menu item
an enhanced code for the Title's code so that it uppercase the first letter AND lowercase the rest.

Just an idea: as the function is named PROPER(), maybe the menu item would be better named Proper.

Yvan KOENIG (from FRANCE jeudi 28 août 2008 12:05:17)

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