Page 168 - Excel 2013 All-in-One For Dummies

150 Using the Format Cells Dialog Box
✦ Drops any trailing zeros from decimal fractions so that 4.5 appears when you enter 4.500 in a cell.
✦ Drops any leading zeros in whole numbers so that 4567 appears when you enter 04567 in a cell.
✦ Inserts a zero before the decimal point in any decimal fraction without a whole number so that 0.123 appears when you enter .123 in a cell.
✦ Truncates decimal places in a number to display the whole numbers in a cell when the number contains too many digits to be displayed in the current column width. It also converts the number to scientific notation when the column width is too narrow to display all integers in the whole number.
Remember that you can always override the General number format when you enter a number by entering the characters used in recognized number formats. For example, to enter the value 2500 and assign it the Currency number format that displays two decimal places, you enter $2,500.00 in the cell.
Note that although you can override the General number format and assign one of the others to any numeric value that you enter into a cell, you can’t do this when you enter a formula into a cell. To apply another format to a calculated result, select its cell and then assign the Currency number format that displays two decimal places by clicking Accounting Number Format in the Number group on the Ribbon’s Home tab or by selecting Currency or Accounting on the Number tab of the Format Cells dialog box (Ctrl+1).
Using one of the predefined number formats
Any time you apply a number format to a cell selection (even if you do so with a command button in the Number group on the Ribbon’s Home tab instead of selecting the format from the Number tab of the Format Cells dialog box), you’re telling Excel to apply a particular group of format codes to those cells.
When you first open the Format Cells dialog box with a range of newly entered data selected, the General category of number formats is highlighted in the Category list box with the words “General format cells have no spe- cific number format” showing in the area to the right. Directly above this cryptic message (which is Excel-speak for “We don’t care what you’ve put in your cell; we’re not changing it!”) is the Sample area. This area shows how the number in the active cell appears in whatever format you choose. (This is blank if the active cell is blank or if it contains text instead of a number.)