XL97: Fill Values Fills Series with Merge Cells Formatting

• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

The Fill Values command on the worksheet cell shortcut menu fills series instead of values.

CAUSE

When the active cell contains merge cells formatting and you right-click to access the Fill Values command on the shortcut menu, Microsoft Excel fills series instead.

WORKAROUND

To fill values when your data contains a merged cell, do not use the right mouse button to fill values. Instead, do the following:

1. Select the merged cell and highlight down or across enough to highlight an area that is exactly the same size and shape as the merged cell.

2. Press CTRL+D or point to Fill on the Edit menu and click Down or Across, depending on which direction you have chosen to fill. The value of the merged cell will be filled into the area highlighted along with merge cell formatting.

3. To remove the merge cell formatting, click Cells on the Format menu. Click the Alignment tab and clear the Merge cells check box.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

REFERENCES

For more information about Fill Values, click the Index tab in Microsoft Excel Help, type the following text

   filling cells, series