troubleshoot long text wrapping in Excel cell

Nat Maxwell · External Since: Feb 16, 2007 Posts: 5

Hi!
Does anyone know why Excel fails to wrap text within a cell if the text is
quite long (I suspect this happens when text exceeds the obligatory @#$@%!
255 characters per cell), i.e., it starts out wrapping it and then just hides
the "excess" text without expanding the cell or bothering to wrap the rest of
the text?
Is there ANY way around this superbly frustrating limitation?
It is vitally important for us to work with Excel due to its text functions
and intelligent text/data searching and management. We are dealing with some
EXTREMELY reluctant key users/players who just can't see these advantages and
would be rather stick with using good old Word for the rest of their lives -
because they are not the ones who have to painstakingly make every single
minute change to about 178 places and files every time there is a change (and
there are about 100 of these changes every time there is a revision, which
are to be replicated in an exponentially increasing number of files).
Bottom line: it's CRUCIAL for us to convince these key players in the merits
of using Excel, but the program does not lend itself to be a very easy case
to present due to hiccups like this.
Would very much appreciate anyone's advice.
thx in advance!

Simon Murphy · External Since: Sep 29, 2005 Posts: 46

Nat
Excel only displays the first 1024 chars of text.
You could try text boxes if your users need more

cheers
Simon

Blog: www.smurfonspreadsheets.net
Website: www.codematic.net Excel development, support and training

"Nat Maxwell" <NatMaxwell.TakeThisOut@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
news:47465E8A-98E5-44E3-8CA2-77069930672B@microsoft.com...
> Hi!
> Does anyone know why Excel fails to wrap text within a cell if the text is
> quite long (I suspect this happens when text exceeds the obligatory @#$@%!
> 255 characters per cell), i.e., it starts out wrapping it and then just
> hides
> the "excess" text without expanding the cell or bothering to wrap the rest
> of
> the text?
> Is there ANY way around this superbly frustrating limitation?
> It is vitally important for us to work with Excel due to its text
> functions
> and intelligent text/data searching and management. We are dealing with
> some
> EXTREMELY reluctant key users/players who just can't see these advantages
> and
> would be rather stick with using good old Word for the rest of their
> lives -
> because they are not the ones who have to painstakingly make every single
> minute change to about 178 places and files every time there is a change
> (and
> there are about 100 of these changes every time there is a revision, which
> are to be replicated in an exponentially increasing number of files).
> Bottom line: it's CRUCIAL for us to convince these key players in the
> merits
> of using Excel, but the program does not lend itself to be a very easy
> case
> to present due to hiccups like this.
> Would very much appreciate anyone's advice.
> thx in advance!

Nat Maxwell · External Since: Feb 16, 2007 Posts: 5

Hi Simon, and thank you!
I'm not sure if I'd be able to to use functions and intelligent text
searches with text boxes, though...
thx again!
N

"Simon Murphy" wrote:

> Nat
> Excel only displays the first 1024 chars of text.
> You could try text boxes if your users need more
>
> cheers
> Simon
>
> Blog: www.smurfonspreadsheets.net
> Website: www.codematic.net Excel development, support and training
>
> "Nat Maxwell" <NatMaxwell.RemoveThis@discussions.microsoft.com> wrote in message
> news:47465E8A-98E5-44E3-8CA2-77069930672B@microsoft.com...
> > Hi!
> > Does anyone know why Excel fails to wrap text within a cell if the text is
> > quite long (I suspect this happens when text exceeds the obligatory @#$@%!
> > 255 characters per cell), i.e., it starts out wrapping it and then just
> > hides
> > the "excess" text without expanding the cell or bothering to wrap the rest
> > of
> > the text?
> > Is there ANY way around this superbly frustrating limitation?
> > It is vitally important for us to work with Excel due to its text
> > functions
> > and intelligent text/data searching and management. We are dealing with
> > some
> > EXTREMELY reluctant key users/players who just can't see these advantages
> > and
> > would be rather stick with using good old Word for the rest of their
> > lives -
> > because they are not the ones who have to painstakingly make every single
> > minute change to about 178 places and files every time there is a change
> > (and
> > there are about 100 of these changes every time there is a revision, which
> > are to be replicated in an exponentially increasing number of files).
> > Bottom line: it's CRUCIAL for us to convince these key players in the
> > merits
> > of using Excel, but the program does not lend itself to be a very easy
> > case
> > to present due to hiccups like this.
> > Would very much appreciate anyone's advice.
> > thx in advance!
>
>
>

matthewbryant56 · Joined: Oct 01, 2009 Posts: 1

Nat,

I appreciate this post is quite old now, but I was wondering if you ever found out more about how excel handles this problem and whether there is a workaround? I've also struggled with this throughout my time working in Excel: primarily two issues:
-inability to use autofit to size rows to fit text
-occasional (and unpredictable) refusal to acknowledge carriage returns within cells with long text strings

both of which are driving me mad!

Thanks, all the best with your issue if its's not resolved by now!

Matt.