Okay -haven't found anyone who can answer me yet... I have a spreadsheet I received with a column including time e.g. 21:35. I am trying to turn it into text (not by formatting) so that Excel no longer stores it as a time value but a simple string of 4 numbers (2135). I can format it all I like which changes the way I can "see" it but it is still stored as a time value so that when I try to export it as a DBF file it changes the time to decimal point values or something else strange (like 12/12/1899!!) Does anyone know of a formula that can turn the time into a text or something!!

Not guaranteeing anything, but what program are you useing for your Database? I do it all the time in Lotus 123 and Approach. I don't convert the time to text, but I'm able to import it without a problem. I also have Excel and Access, only because M$ is insistant in dominating the world with an inferior product (jk). Feel free to email me the files, if you want. _________________________ The internet is no longer a toy, it's a COMBAT ZONE!

Formatting 21:35 (as time) into "General" format translates to the percentage of the 24 hour day as 0.899305555555555 when later multiplied by 24 = 21.58333333 hours. And .58333333 times 60 = 35 Does this help? Bryan

= " ' " & A1 will turn it into text that says 0.89903555

concatenate(hour(lc(-1);minute(lc(-1)) does the job.

"does the job" Maybe in your spreadsheet. LOL Can you spell that out for me or make it a pasteable formula assuming 21:35 is in A1? I tried to make it work, really. Bryan

have a look in function help, date/hour chapter : it can allow u to extract, from a field where something is a time or a date, the part "left" located of a ":" separate time display, even if a date is present. for example if a field contains 1/1/2005 10:00:05 and if u use hour(this row) it brings back 10, as text, no matter the way it's formatted. So on with each part of the contain, usin day(), month(), minute(). Neither, if u date is not "really "a date (i mean some text lookin like a date 10:00 but comin as text from another soft) u can use a stxt function to extract the number of characters u want, startin at the one u want. Cath's example says a time as 21:35 .For me it works.. Send me ur prob....!