can not drag formula

Question

Level 1

20 points

can not drag formula

hey guys, i have a cell(call it, E10) with a really simple formula(all references are in the "10" row), very simple. When i try to drag the formula down to (E11) from (E10) it just wont work. I don't get an error, its just like it wont let me drag it down, i don't know why, it works else where on the sheet. Have any idea how to fix it?? Thanks

Posted on Jan 30, 2011 10:02 PM

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Answer 1

Barry

Level 9

59,861 points

Jan 30, 2011 11:36 PM in response to J Williams

Hi J,

Is Row 11 a footer row? You can't fill a cell across a header-body boundary or a body-footer boundary.

Can you copy E10 and Paste into E11?

If you enter the formula (from the keyboard) into E11, can you then fill it down using the Fill Handle?

Regards,
Barry

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Answer 2

J Williams Author

Level 1

20 points

Jan 30, 2011 11:47 PM in response to Barry

Hey Barry,
It's is definitely not a footer row and i can copy and paste and it works just fine. Other cells in the row are able to be dragged down through the other cells in the columns however, this column(probably the least complex of formulas) wont work. Cells to the right and left will drag via handle but this one will not...its weird. Any ideas> Thanks.

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Answer 3

Barry

Level 9

59,861 points

Jan 30, 2011 11:58 PM in response to J Williams

Can't even hazard a guess at this point. Does the formula exist in rows above row 10?
If so, what happens when you try filling the top cell containing the formula down through E10 to E11 (and beyond)?
If not, what happens if you try to fill it into E9, D10 or F10 (by dragging the fill handle)?

Regards,
Barry

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Answer 4

J Williams Author

Level 1

20 points

Jan 31, 2011 12:22 AM in response to Barry

yes, the formula exists above and it still cant be dragged through. And its very simple like A10 + B10. Something is telling the sheet that that formula can not be reproduced, maybe its just a glitch or something, it has to be, i can overstate the simplicity of the formula. And the fact that others around work, that's whats really throwing me off..

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Answer 5

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Jan 31, 2011 1:21 AM in response to J Williams

May you check that the cells A11 and B11 exist. Maybe they are merged with an other cell.

You may also send an example file to my mailbox so I would be able to search more easily what is wrong.

Click my blue name to get my address.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 31 janvier 2011 10:21:30

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Answer 6

J Williams Author

Level 1

20 points

Jan 31, 2011 9:26 AM in response to J Williams

Thanks guys, Yvan, i sent you an email with the file.

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Answer 7

KOENIG Yvan

Level 8

41,807 points

Jan 31, 2011 10:03 AM in response to J Williams

And I answered a few seconds after receiving the file.

To every users attention :

When fill down behaves wrongly, check if the column is a coherent one.
If the group of cells is not a true column but the result of a merge process applied upon the rows which you try to fill down, don't search more. The culprit is the fact that you merged.

Look at this first screenshot.

I started from a two rows table.
I merged D2 and E2
Then I dragged the bottom left handle to the bottom to create new rows.
I inserted a simple formula in the cell resulting of the merge process upon D2 and E2
Fill down doesn't apply.

Numbers is fair with us.
Look at this second screenshot.

I started from a two rows table.
I inserted a formula in D2
I merged D2 and E2
Then I dragged the bottom left handle to the bottom to create new rows.
The AutoFill feature applied but Numbers took care to un-merge the newly created cells.

Yvan KOENIG (VALLAURIS, France) lundi 31 janvier 2011 19:03:07

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Answer 8

J Williams Author

Level 1

20 points

Jan 31, 2011 3:11 PM in response to J Williams

Thanks for the help and answers, truly. I certainly do not think this is numbers functioning properly, there should be no reason on couldn't drag a formula down through other cells that are merged in the exact same way. I just can't accept that this makes sense, i think it is subpar. I though numbers is proud of each cell being an "independent" cell. Why then would cells way above the merged cell have anything to do with what's below. I think this is a flaw.

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Answer 9

Barry

Level 9

59,861 points

Feb 1, 2011 12:21 AM in response to J Williams

J Williams wrote:
I certainly do not think this is numbers functioning properly, there should be no reason one couldn't drag a formula down through other cells that are merged in the exact same way. I just can't accept that this makes sense, i think it is subpar...

Hi J,

Wrong forum for "should" messages. This is a user-to-user forum, and the people who'll respond to your messages here don't have any direct control over the way things 'should' work, or 'why' things work the way that they do.

If you want those thngs to change, you need to talk to Apple. The route for that is through the Application menu in most current Apple applications. That's the menu that appears immediately to the right of the blue Apple logo on the menu bar—in Numbers,it's the "Numbers menu.

Choose the "Provide Numbers Feedback" item, and use the form to state your request. Then cross your fingers and wait at least for the next version of Numbers.

Regards,
Barry

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Answer 10

bzabbia

Level 1

0 points

Nov 4, 2013 4:48 AM in response to KOENIG Yvan

Hi,

The table images for your reply Yvan have been removed from this thread.

I have a large table (Table A) with some drop boxes and a few simple formulas. The fill down using the drag handle stopped working when I copied data from a similarly structured table (Table B) into table A. I currently have about 700 rows. and don't really want to go back and re-enter data to make it a true column.

Is there a simple way to transform a merged column back into a true column again, apart from starting from scratch, or re-entering the copied data from Table B into Table A manually?

Regards

Ben

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Answer 11

Nov 15, 2015 12:04 PM in response to J Williams

I agree that it is a flaw: I have a spreadsheet where I can't drag the formulas but when I open it in Excel, it works fine.

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Answer 12

t quinn

Level 5

7,043 points

Nov 15, 2015 2:23 PM in response to African Queen

HI African Queen,

this a really old thread. Filling works well for me dragging the yellow dot.

quinn

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