Prevent Auto Parse

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benjamin.d.rogers@gmail.com - 20 Sep 2006 15:30 GMT

This is the behavior I observe in Excel that I would like to change:
Excel 2003
1) Paste from a delimited text file (comma, tab, space, doesn't matter)
into Excel (text appears in a single column)
2) Parse using Data > Text to Columns
3) Clear all from current worksheet
4) Paste from the same delimited text file into that same worksheet,
any other worksheet in the same workbook, or even any new workbook
opened in same instance of Excel
5) Text appears parsed, as if step 2 (Data > Text to Columns) was done
automatically.

If I paste from the delimited text file into a new instance of Excel,
this "auto-parse" does not happen. If I close the current instance,
then open same workbook again, this "auto-parse" does not happen.

The question: How to prevent auto-parse from happening while working
in the same instance of Excel?

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Dave Peterson - 20 Sep 2006 15:47 GMT

You can run a dummy data|text to columns

Put something in a helper cell.
data|text to columns
choose delimited
and uncheck all the options (or reset them to what you want???)

and then clean up that helper cell.

Sometimes excel's memory is a nice thing--lots of pasting becomes easier.
Sometimes, it's not what the user wants.

> This is the behavior I observe in Excel that I would like to change:
> Excel 2003
[quoted text clipped - 14 lines]
> The question: How to prevent auto-parse from happening while working
> in the same instance of Excel?

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Dave Peterson

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