XL: Results of AutoFilter Criteria Different From Advanced

• Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you use a single character as the criteria in the Custom AutoFilter dialog box to filter data in a list, you receive different results than you do when you use a single character as the criteria for the list in the Data Form or the Advanced Filter dialog boxes.

CAUSE

This behavior is by design in Microsoft Excel. The behavior occurs because you can use the wildcard character (*) in the Custom AutoFilter dialog box to represent any series of characters. Because of this capability, only records that exactly match the criteria you enter, the exact characters you enter, are displayed.

When you use the Data Form or the Advanced AutoFilter dialog box, all of the records that begin with the characters you enter as the criteria are displayed as if a wildcard character is added to the characters that you enter as the criteria.

WORKAROUND

When you use the AutoFilter feature to match all records that contain data that begins with the characters you use as the criteria, type the wildcard character (*) at the end of the characters you enter in the Custom AutoFilter dialog box.

REFERENCES

For more information about Filtering A List Using AutoFilter, choose the Search button in Help and type:

   filtering lists