Can't sum a column of numbers across multiple pages

Paul Moloney

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Apr 23, 2002, 9:46:12 AM4/23/02

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I've noticed that if you use the formula =SUM(ABOVE)to
sum the numerical contents of a column in a table, it
only sums the cells below the last page break.

Is there any way to sum the column over the entire
table, if it is a multi-page table?

I'm using Word 2002.

P.

AK Bohman

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Apr 23, 2002, 10:14:29 AM4/23/02

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Paul

Have you tried = SUM(b2:b179) or whatever cells you're dealing with.

--
/Anna Bohman
Bra Utbildning AB, Sweden
a...@buab.se
http://www.buab.se
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Paul Moloney

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Apr 24, 2002, 4:34:00 AM4/24/02

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"AK Bohman" wrote in message news:<#5#MbEt6BHA.1628@tkmsftngp07>...

> Have you tried = SUM(b2:b179) or whatever cells you're dealing with.

Hi there,

Well, it _actually_ turns out that the reason
the summation wasn't working wasn't the fact
that line breaks interrupt the column, but
rather blank cells do. If I put a "0" into the
blank cell, it works fine.

In order to hide the "0", turning on the Hidden
format doesn't seem to work, but you can set
the font colour to the same as the page color.

Anyway, hope this helps someone who finds the
same problem. :)

P.

AK Bohman

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Apr 24, 2002, 4:01:59 PM4/24/02

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Paul

Sum(above) stops when it hits an empty cell, as you've observed. That's why
I use cellreferences, much the same way as in Excel.

--
/Anna Bohman
Bra Utbildning AB, Sweden
a...@buab.se
http://www.buab.se
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Beth Melton

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Apr 25, 2002, 11:48:58 AM4/25/02

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Hi Paul,

As Anna pointed out, it's best to use the cell references instead of Sum(Above)
especially if it is an important calculation. You could accidentally remove a
zero and the Sum function will be incorrect when it is updated.

I use a function similar to Sum(Above) but a little differently:
- I split the cell that the Sum function will be placed in into two cells
(Column D for example)
- Size the first cell to the smallest size possible (this cell is only used to
offset the column the Sum function will be placed in)
- Set Decimal tabs to align the numbers above and a decimal tab for the Sum
function
- For the Sum function use Sum(D:D)
- If using borders remove the right border of the first cell so the two cells
appear as one.

Since the Sum function is actually in Column E this works nicely. You can
insert/delete rows without the need to modify the cell references each time. The
only problem with this is if you have rows below the Sum function that contain
numbers in the same column that is being calculated. They will be included in
the Sum as well.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Beth Melton
Microsoft Office MVP
http://support.microsoft.com/support/mvp

Please post replies/further questions to the newsgroup so that all may benefit.
"Paul Moloney" <paul_m...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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AK Bohman

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Apr 25, 2002, 2:36:04 PM4/25/02

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Hi Beth

That's an interesting method to approach the problem.

--
/Anna Bohman
Bra Utbildning AB, Sweden
a...@buab.se
http://www.buab.se
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"Beth Melton" <bme...@mvps.org> wrote news:eG6iaMH7BHA.1044@tkmsftngp04...