WD: Negative Numbers Miscalculated in Word Table

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for the Macintosh, versions 6.0, 6.0.1
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
• Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

Word miscalculates negative numbers in a table in the following cases.

Case 1 (Word 2.x and Word 6.x)

When you use the SUM function, and the negative marking (such as a minus sign or parentheses) is to the right of the dollar sign

   $ -300.0
   $ (300.0)

NOTE: If you bookmark the values, Word reads the minus sign or parentheses as a string character, which causes the bookmarked number to have a value of 0 (zero) when you use the bookmark name in a calculation.

Case 2 (Word 6.x and Later)

Numbers enclosed within parentheses are ignored if they are more than one column away from the formula. In the following table, the result of the calculation is 7, instead of the expected result of 6:

   1  (2)  3  4  {=SUM(LEFT)}

WORKAROUND

Case 1

Move the dollar sign to the immediate left of the number. For example, change this

     $ -300.0
     $ (300.0)

     - $300.0
     ( $300.0)

Case 2

Method 1:

Use negative signs instead of parentheses.

Method 2:

Change the formula to refer to the cell range. Change the formula in this table

             1  (2)  3  4  {=SUM(LEFT)}

             1  (2)  3  4  {=SUM(A1:D1)}

STATUS

Microsoft is researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.