| How-It Works | Why is it doing that? | How Can I get it to... | Cell Size Limits | Strange Behavior of "/" | Dollar Signs [$] in formulas | Circluar Reference Message |
Usage of Dollar signs in formulas
Q: I have noticed that sometimes formulas have dollar signs ($) in them and sometimes not. What is the difference?
A: In the usage of the one function there is not any difference. The dollar sign tells excel that when you copy or drag the formula to not change the part with the dollar sign in front of it. So if we start with a formula of "=$A$2+B2" and it is in B3, when we copy the formula down only the second part changes. So when we copy the formula to B4 then the formula reads "=$A$2+B3" and when we copy it to C4 it reads "=$A$2+C3".
Q: Is there a limit to the number of characters that will fit into an individual cell?
A: It depends on the version of excel you are running. The earlier versions 95 and before have a 256 character limit on cell contents. The newer versions can hold practically any amount of information. Limited by the size of the hard drive you are using.
Q: When I copy formulas I keep getting a "Circular Reference" error message. What does this mean?
A: A Circular Reference is when the destination cell (the cell containing the formula) is somehow included in the formula. This can be caused by the cell being referenced having unchanging references in them (see Dollar Sign question above) causing the referencing issue. Another way is when you have lots of formula's on a page and in a round about way the formula you are working on is involved in one of the other calculations which is being used in this case.
Q: When I enter a "/" at the beginning of a cell it causes the "File" menu to be highlighted and I can't edit the cell.
A: That is a Lotus123 shortcut that is supported by Excel. To turn it off go to the Tools Menu , Options.. box and in the transition tab there is a "Microsoft Menu or Help key" Item that has a box with a "/" in it - clear out the "/" or replace it with a different character. This will affect only this one copy of the program. If you move to another computer the "/" will cause the File menu to activate.