Microsoft QuickTips

Cannot seem to get the "proper" formula to actually do anything. somebody know how it is supposed to work. i have 3 columns, 200 cells each, in all uppercase. am trying to convert to capital first letter, using the "proper" formula in excel. enter =proper(a3) in a blank cell beside a3, and it doesn't do anything. just appears as though it were text, even if i click on the formula button to enter it. have tried on excel 2003 and excel 2007 with same results. any ideas? thanks brett

I am assuming that in cell a3 you have eg england and you have entered =proper(a3) in cell b3, where you expect to see eg england. i am guessing that instead of seeing england you're seeing =proper(a3). this only happens if the b3 cell has got formatted as text. to fix this select the cell, then from the format menu, selects cells, then number, and select the general format. then re-enter the formula and it should now treat it as a formula instead of a bit of text.