Works: Number in Parenthesis Changes to Negative Number

A number in parentheses, (400) in a Works Spreadsheet or Database will be converted to a negative number -400; this occurs because the parenthesis is a format for negative numbers.

You cannot enter the value (400) and have it interpreted as a positive number. To have the number appear in parentheses do either of the following:

Format the cell in the spreadsheet, or field in the database, as Text and then enter (400). This allows the number in parentheses to display, but it will be treated as text, so formulas referencing the cell will not recognize it as a number.

-or-

Change the Control Panel settings so negative numbers are displayed in parentheses rather than with a hyphen, then format the cell to either Currency or Comma. In this case, the number will still be interpreted as a negative value, but it will display in parentheses.

Windows 95

To change the Control Panel settings do the following:

1. Click Start, point to Settings, and then click Control Panel.
2. Double-click Regional Settings.
3. On the Currency tab, change the Negative Number Format to (1.1).
   
   NOTE: It is important to select the format that does NOT have a space between the currency symbol and the number.
4. Click OK and close the Control Panel.
5. You must format the numbers in your Spreadsheet or Database as either Currency or Comma.

Windows 3.1x

To change Control Panel settings, do the following:

1. In the Main group of Program Manager, double-click the Control Panel.
2. Double-click International.
3. Click Change in the Currency section of the dialog box.
4. Change the Negative format to ($123.22) and click OK.
5. Click OK and then close the Control Panel.
6. You must format the numbers in your spreadsheet or database as either Currency or Comma.