UNHCE Information Technology & Distance Education Blog

Source: Element K Tips newsletter

Have you ever added an item to a list that has already been
formatted and then had to format the new item to match the
others? Excel 2002 can automatically format the new item using
the Extended Formats And Formulas option. For this feature to
work, at least three of the preceding five rows must have the
same format.

For example, let's say you have five items listed in cells A2
through A6. Format the items any way you want. In cell A7, type a
new item for the list. When you press [Enter], the new item is
formatted to match the preceding items.

This feature also copies down a formula if the preceding rows
contain the same formula. For example, suppose you have several
rows of data in columns B through G with column H containing a
formula at the end of each row. When you add a new row data to
the bottom of the list and press [Enter] for the last item of
data, the formula will be filled in the last cell for that row.

To turn this option on or off, choose Tools | Options from the
menu bar and click on the Edit tab. On the right side of the
dialog box, either select or deselect the Extend List Formats And
Formulas check box.