Numbers are turned into dates...

jakkan · General User Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

I paste a bunch of numbers into OO. Some of these numbers are automatically turned into dates. I don't want them to be dates. I want them to be ordinary numbers. So I format them to normal numbers, but now what was -1.44 has turned into 39544.

I don't know how to fix this. Please, how can I make it so the numbers are not automatically formatted into dates?

Big Thanks!

Villeroy · Posted: Sun Mar 30, 2008 5:35 am Post subject:

You are working with a comma locale by default and you try to paste dotted decimals. What happens should be exactly the same as when you type the values into cells.
At least 3 options:
- Paste special as unformatted text and specify how to interprete each column (right-click column in preview)
- Apply some English number format locale to the target cells (mind US dates).
- Set the application locale temporarily in Tools>Options>LanguageSettings>Languages
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jakkan · General User Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

What would the 21st century be without anonymous superheroes online? Big thanks Villeroy!

jakkan · General User Joined: 27 Mar 2008 Posts: 7

I have a new similar problem :-/

5-12 is turned into 05/12/08. I have already set the language to English so that doesn't seem to cut it for this problem. How do I stop OO from turning 5-12 into a date?

Thanks!

Villeroy · Posted: Mon Apr 07, 2008 12:26 pm Post subject:

If you don't want "5-12" to be a shortcut to 5th of december, what else should it be? A text? Then enter or import as text with a preceeding single quote. Number fomatting will not change any existing value, but you can turn off all number and formula recognition for newly entered/imported values by means of number format "Text".
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