Problem Description

Users cannot enter a text starting with equal symbol, '=', because it is always evaluated as a formula.

Steps to Reproduce

1. right click A1, select format cell, set it to "text"
2. enter =abc at A1

Actual Result

A1 is evaluated to #NAME

Expected Result

A1 is still =abc in Excel 2007.

Workaround

Enter a space character before '='.

Excel's Solution

• enter '= and it display just =
• set the cell's format as Text