There are many options for formatting cells in iWork Numbers. You can choose the number of decimal places, or use fractions. You can format as currency or choose a different base system. You can choose from a variety of date and time formats. You can also create steppers, sliders and pop-up menus to make it easy to change values to cells. Conditional formatting allows you to have cells that change color and style with certain values or ranges.
Want to know more about how to use Numbers on your Mac? Check out this MacMost course!
Related Subjects: iWork (42 videos), Numbers (188 videos)
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Comments: 33 Responses to “MacMost Now 629: iWork Numbers Cell Formatting”
Terry Riegel
12 years ago
I am trying to use conditional formatting based on a checkbox found in another cell. Any Idea how to do this?
I don't think you can. It only works with the data in that cell.
George Davies
12 years ago
Do you have a custom format to store valid email addresses?
Jeff
12 years ago
=if(k7="","",K7/L7*60) where K7 =distance and L7= speed this formula returns a time format minutes and tenths of minutes. I need it to return the result in hours, minutes, seconds then the column that returns this result needs to be added up with other time results and come up with a total in hours, minutes,seconds. As in excel is there a way to create a macro to clear all user inputs so the spreadsheet can be re-used with all formulas remaining
Char
12 years ago
New to Mac. I've always used Excel. Trying to format a cell in Numbers to enter blood pressure readings: i.e.: in a format that lets me enter as follows: 120/70
I see the format selections. But so far none have let me use the above format.
Help!
What was the name of the format you used in Excel to do this?
Rick King
12 years ago
How do I get the Pop-up Menu cell format to propagate to a new row below without having to format the cell each time I add a row? Trying to format the whole column doesn't work.
Not sure how you are trying to do this, but it works for me. I created a column with 5 rows, each with the same pop-up menu. I removed all other rows, so there are no blank rows at all, and inserted a footer row. So I had header row, 5 rows with the same pop-up menu, and a footer row. I then dragged the tab at the bottom left corner of the table and extended the table to add 10 more rows. Each of the new rows had a perfect copy of the pop-up menu.
Marinka
12 years ago
Hi Gary,
I had the same problem as Rick, but I think that the problem lies in categorizing.
It works fine on a straight-forward table, but as soon as you start categorizing the cell-format doesn't copy when adding a row.
Do you know if there is a solution to that?
Thanks,
Marinka
Normally, when working in a text or word processing document, you use Shift+Option+8 to get the degrees symbol. But you don't want to do that when using numbers in cells in Numbers -- it will think of the content of the cell as a text string, not as a number. So leave out the degrees symbol.
Jack
11 years ago
In need to work a rule so that if one column has a time and the next column has another time so that the difference of this can be reflected as text e.g
8:00, 13:00 difference = 5 so this is > 4 = Not acceptable? or <4 is Acceptable
Look into using the IF function or one of the others like it.
Dustin
12 years ago
I have a pop-up menu in Numbers, I would like to allow the user to enter custom data if needed, is this possible? If not is there another way to do something similar to a list that will allow custom data?
They could just delete the pop-up and enter their own data. Select, delete, type.
Dustin
12 years ago
AWESOME! Thank you!
rod
12 years ago
Hi Gary,
Does Numbers offer a way to have a pop up calendar for a cell? When you click a cell, a calendar appears and then you can click on the date and that date would appear in the cell?
Hi Gary, Here's a baby question: I can format a date column to forward one day for the next row, after row by selecting the date and pulling it to the next row. I haven't been able to automatically enter each row one week ahead. Is this possible in Numbers 8. If so, can you tell me how?
Thanks a lot,
Sara
Sure. Use the Custom format. Then play around with the interface there to create one like: (###) ###-####. But the # symbols need to be taken from the bottom portion of the interface. So you'll need to experiment.
ST
11 years ago
how to write a code that if one cell number is more than another cell number make the text green, else make the text red
=If(B4>B4, text=green,text=red)
thanks
You don't use a formula for that. You use conditional formatting. Watch the video.
Sheila
11 years ago
How do I format the cells to be text? I need some of my cells to be an equal sign and a number, but of course numbers thinks that I am inputting a formula, which I am not. This is driving me crazt. There does not seem to be a text format, or at least i can;t find it.
Select the cell. Then from the format bar, choose the Text format. (look where it has 1.0, $, %, checkmark, then a menu button -- click on the menu button and choose Text).
Then immediately type =whatever.
Want to know more about how to use Numbers on your Mac?
I am trying to use conditional formatting based on a checkbox found in another cell. Any Idea how to do this?
I don't think you can. It only works with the data in that cell.
Do you have a custom format to store valid email addresses?
=if(k7="","",K7/L7*60) where K7 =distance and L7= speed this formula returns a time format minutes and tenths of minutes. I need it to return the result in hours, minutes, seconds then the column that returns this result needs to be added up with other time results and come up with a total in hours, minutes,seconds. As in excel is there a way to create a macro to clear all user inputs so the spreadsheet can be re-used with all formulas remaining
New to Mac. I've always used Excel. Trying to format a cell in Numbers to enter blood pressure readings: i.e.: in a format that lets me enter as follows: 120/70
I see the format selections. But so far none have let me use the above format.
Help!
What was the name of the format you used in Excel to do this?
How do I get the Pop-up Menu cell format to propagate to a new row below without having to format the cell each time I add a row? Trying to format the whole column doesn't work.
Not sure how you are trying to do this, but it works for me. I created a column with 5 rows, each with the same pop-up menu. I removed all other rows, so there are no blank rows at all, and inserted a footer row. So I had header row, 5 rows with the same pop-up menu, and a footer row. I then dragged the tab at the bottom left corner of the table and extended the table to add 10 more rows. Each of the new rows had a perfect copy of the pop-up menu.
Hi Gary,
I had the same problem as Rick, but I think that the problem lies in categorizing.
It works fine on a straight-forward table, but as soon as you start categorizing the cell-format doesn't copy when adding a row.
Do you know if there is a solution to that?
Thanks,
Marinka
No, sorry. I rarely use categorizing so I haven't run into it.
how do i do the small "0" when i am typing degrees centigrade
Normally, when working in a text or word processing document, you use Shift+Option+8 to get the degrees symbol. But you don't want to do that when using numbers in cells in Numbers -- it will think of the content of the cell as a text string, not as a number. So leave out the degrees symbol.
In need to work a rule so that if one column has a time and the next column has another time so that the difference of this can be reflected as text e.g
8:00, 13:00 difference = 5 so this is > 4 = Not acceptable? or <4 is Acceptable
Look into using the IF function or one of the others like it.
I have a pop-up menu in Numbers, I would like to allow the user to enter custom data if needed, is this possible? If not is there another way to do something similar to a list that will allow custom data?
They could just delete the pop-up and enter their own data. Select, delete, type.
AWESOME! Thank you!
Hi Gary,
Does Numbers offer a way to have a pop up calendar for a cell? When you click a cell, a calendar appears and then you can click on the date and that date would appear in the cell?
Thanks for your input.
No, sorry, I don't think that is an option.
Use custom format. You can add/subtract any symbol, number, etc. Use dropdown menu for each element.
How do I formatt cells to add and subtract time
Hours and mins on the 24 hour clock
Many thanks
Steve
http://macmost.com/using-time-and-duration-values-in-numbers.html
Hi Gary, Here's a baby question: I can format a date column to forward one day for the next row, after row by selecting the date and pulling it to the next row. I haven't been able to automatically enter each row one week ahead. Is this possible in Numbers 8. If so, can you tell me how?
Thanks a lot,
Sara
So you want to fill in cells with a series of dates? I cover that here: http://macmost.com/filling-cells-in-numbers.html
Thanks new user - helped me out. :)
Hello Gary, i bought your book My Pages and i really like it so easy to follow, i was wondering if you have a book tutorial for Numbers too! Thanks!
Thanks! No, just Pages. I've got lots of Numbers tutorials here at MacMost, tho.
Is there a way to format a series of 10 numbers in a cell to look like a telephone number (111) 111-1111?
Sure. Use the Custom format. Then play around with the interface there to create one like: (###) ###-####. But the # symbols need to be taken from the bottom portion of the interface. So you'll need to experiment.
how to write a code that if one cell number is more than another cell number make the text green, else make the text red
=If(B4>B4, text=green,text=red)
thanks
You don't use a formula for that. You use conditional formatting. Watch the video.
How do I format the cells to be text? I need some of my cells to be an equal sign and a number, but of course numbers thinks that I am inputting a formula, which I am not. This is driving me crazt. There does not seem to be a text format, or at least i can;t find it.
Select the cell. Then from the format bar, choose the Text format. (look where it has 1.0, $, %, checkmark, then a menu button -- click on the menu button and choose Text).
Then immediately type =whatever.