Bad Cell Formatting

Component: Excel 

Symptom(s): Numerous. The most common symptom is that numbered fields are being formatted as dates. 

Typical Cause: Bad custom cell formatting exists. 

Time required to fix: ~2 minutes

Solution: Delete the bad custom cell formats. 

1. Open an Excel template file.
2. Unprotect the workbook by (1) clicking on the LightBox ribbon. Then (2) click Options. Finally, (3) click Unprotect Workbook. (Note: If the workbook was already unprotected, it will say Protect Workbook instead. In that case, skip this step). When prompted, click OK.
3. Right-click any blank cell in your workbook, and select Format Cells.
4. In the list of format types on the left, click Custom, at the bottom.
5. Scroll through the list of custom cell formats on the right. You’re looking for formats that begin with [$-409 or [$-en-US. These will usually be found towards the bottom of the list.
6. Click on the bad format(s) and click Delete.
7. When you are finished, click Close/Cancel in the lower right-hand corner of the window. Close the window.
8. Re-protect the workbook.

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