Ten Minute Guide to Excel 97

Creating Your Own Custom Format

If you need to enter special numbers, such as account numbers, you might want to create your own number format and use it to format your account numbers. For example, suppose your account numbers look like this:

10-20190-109

You could create a format like this:

##-#####-###

Then when you enter the number, 9089212098, for example, Excel formats it for you, adding the hyphens where needed:

90-89212-098

Mixed Metaphors

Unfortunately, you can't create a format for a value that includes both text and numbers combined.

To create your own format, follow these steps:

1. Open the Formatmenu and select Cells.

2. Click the Numbertab.

3. In the Categorylist, select Custom.

4. Type your custom format in the Typebox and click OK.

When entering ...