Set default column data format in Excel to text NOT general

Thread view:

Enable EMail Alerts

Start New Thread

Thread rating:

LeRoy Henry - 21 Aug 2006 18:50 GMT

We always have issues using excel and the excel engine in our programs
because things like inventory IDs that are entirely numeric are converted to
numbers and the leading zeros in these Ids are dropped. If this could be
defaulted to the text format instead of general then this would not happen.
I don't know what the ramifications of this would be on columns where all
the values are numeric. These columns should probably be best defulted to
numeric.

Reply to this Message

Ken Wright - 26 Aug 2006 15:41 GMT

Are you opening a csv file? If so then try changing the extension to .txt
and then specify that column as text in the import wizard.

Signature

Regards
Ken....................... Microsoft MVP - Excel
Sys Spec - Win XP Pro / XL 97/00/02/03

----------------------------------------------------------------------------
It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission :-)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

> We always have issues using excel and the excel engine in our programs
> because things like inventory IDs that are entirely numeric are converted
[quoted text clipped - 15 lines]
>
> http://www.microsoft.com/office/community/en-us/default.mspx?mid=5ab1d276-704f-4
c13-ab09-ab1f27247b22&dg=microsoft.public.excel.setup

Reply to this Message