SOLVED

Excel Status bar SUM bug?

Copper Contributor

If I select the column of figures starting at the bottom-most value, the SUM in the status bar is correctly negative.  If I start with the topmost value, the SUM is positive.Screenshot 2023-02-28 151522.jpg

11 Replies
Weird. Any chance you might share that Excel file (anonymized of course)?
yes happy to - I can't find an option to attach a file though?
An annoying "feature" of this site is that not everyone is allowed to upload Excel files. Perhaps you can upload it to OneDrive (or any other cloud file sharing service) and share a link?
Strange behaviour. At first it looked as if it did not repro in Desktop Excel, but does in Excel online. But if I change the selection, making sure the negative cell is active I do get a negative sum.
Not good at all! Please use Help, Feedback, I don't like something to report this bug
best response confirmed by L1ANE (Copper Contributor)
Solution
Hello

It'ss the format of the active cell that is used for display in the status bar => Change it for J4
thank you! I can't imagine why it's formatted that way, or why the format of that cell should affect the status bar, but it does!

An exemple :

 

2023-02-28 19_51_52-.png

 

 

 

 

@Hecatonchire  wrote:  ``It'ss the format of the active cell that is used for display in the status bar``

 

Excellent find!  Easy to duplicate -- even in Excel 2010.

 

Fill A1:A10 with -1 formatted as General.  But format A10 as Custom 0;0 (missing minus sign on purpose).

 

Select A1 to A10 (i.e. A1 is the active cell), and the status bar sum is -10, as expected.

 

But select A10 to A1 (i.e. A10 is the active cell), and the status bar sum appears to be 10 (positive).

 

-----

 

@L1ANE  wrote:  ``I can't imagine [...] why the format of that cell should affect the status bar``

 

I agree that it can be a surprise.  But having had it explained, it makes good sense in general, IMHO.

 

Certainly, we would like the status bar sum to reflect the format of the data.  If all of the data is currency, the sum should appear to be the same currency.  If all of the data is time, the sum should appear to be time.  If all of the data is percentage, the sum should appear to be percentage.  Etc.

 

But what format should the status bar choose if not all of the data is the same format?

 

I believe there are two reasonable choices:  (1) a default format (probably General); or (2) the active cell.

 

I'm happy with the latter, especially if the data is time or a custom format like

[<1000]0;[<1000000]0,\K;0,,\M

Apparently MSFT chose the latter.  (My opinion does not matter.)

Duh, I never knew. It does prove why consistent formatting is important!
I disagree. If the number format of the selected cells is not the same I would prefer the statusbar format to be general. Especially if the format suppresses a very important operator (the minus sign)!
1 best response

Accepted Solutions
best response confirmed by L1ANE (Copper Contributor)
Solution
Hello

It'ss the format of the active cell that is used for display in the status bar => Change it for J4

View solution in original post