Wrapping numbers and dates in columns

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Wrapping numbers and dates in columns

Is there a way to have formatted numbers and dates wrap in cells when the columns are too small to display all the data?

MacBook Pro, Mac OS X (10.5.8), 2.4GHz, 2GB RAM

Posted on Jul 14, 2010 2:45 AM

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Answer 1

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Jerrold Green1

Level 7

30,210 points

Jul 14, 2010 4:55 AM in response to runswithtwohorses

runswithtwohorses wrote:
Is there a way to have formatted numbers and dates wrap in cells when the columns are too small to display all the data?

r,

Yes, but I have only had success if I add an auxiliary cell/column for the transition to text.

For instance if I have the Date/Time January 1, 2010 10:10 AM in Cell A1 and format it as Friday, January 1, 2010 10:10 AM it doesn't wrap, but, let's say, it has the proper format. If in Cell B1 I write: =A1 & "" , and I set the wrap property in the Format Inspector for that cell, I will get the proper format and the wrap in B1.

So, the concatenation operator and the null string convert the date object to text. I have found no way to do this in a single cell, even with a more complex formula.

Jerry

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Answer 2

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Jul 14, 2010 5:10 AM in response to runswithtwohorses

runswithtwohorses wrote:
Is there a way to have formatted numbers and dates wrap in cells when the columns are too small to display all the data?

NO
but there is a workaround.
Assuming that dates are in column C
add a column wich would be D).
In this one insert the formula =""&C
Then,

(a) you will be able to hide column C
(b) as column D will contain text values, the wrap feature will apply.

Of course, calculations requiring dates would refer to column C.

Oops, as I left the machine for lunch, I finished the message and posted it before seing Luther's one.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) mercredi 14 juillet 2010 14:07:52

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Answer 3

Jul 14, 2010 6:05 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Seems silly that it's so complex. Maybe in the next version of Numbers...

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Answer 4

Jul 14, 2010 6:42 AM in response to runswithtwohorses

runswithtwohorses wrote:
Seems silly that it's so complex.

There is an easy way: make the cell wider. The solution of adding a column to convert the expression result to text is hardly what most users would call "complex", but I agree that it would be nice not to have to do that.

Feel free to submit feedback to Apple via the Numbers menu.

Jerry

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