XL98: Cannot See Cell Outline If Worksheet Has a Background (177171)

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition, the cell outline (the thick border that indicates the current selection) may be difficult to see, or it may disappear completely.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the following conditions are true:

You have applied a background to the worksheet by pointing to Sheet on the Format menu and clicking Background. -and-
The background image is mostly opaque or does not contain significant areas that are the same color as the background color of the cells in the worksheet.

NOTE: This problem does not occur in Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0, or in Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows.

WORKAROUND

If this problem occurs, you can still identify the current selection by using the following visual cues:

The name box, which is to the left of the formula bar, contains the address of the active cell (for example, B5) or the defined name that refers to the active cell.
The row and column headers for the selected cells appear in a bold font style with a three-dimensional appearance.

For example, if the headers for rows 4 through 7 and the headers for columns C through E are bold, you can determine that the current selection is the range C4:E7.

You can also remove the background from the worksheet by pointing to Sheet on the Format menu and clicking Delete Background.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.