Excel - Opening CSV Files in Excel

[Stretchwickster]

I am opening a CSV file in Excel 2000 using the following process:
- launch Excel
- click the Open icon
- select the csv file

Yesterday and last week when I opened a csv file, the Text Import Wizard automatically appeared and I was able to select the column delimiter and text qualifier and Excel opened the csv file exactly as I had specified.

Today, when I go through exactly the same process, the Text Import Wizard does not appear, instead the contents of the csv file is just chucked into the worksheet. I have not changed any option settings. Why is the wizard no longer appearing automatically? Is there an option I must set so that it works as it used to?

Clive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
Paul Ehrlich
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To get the best answers from this forum see: faq102-5096

 

[TonyJollans]

Hi Clive,

Are you sure you got the Wizard from Open? I would expect it to run in response to [blue]Text > Get External Data > Import Text File[/blue].

Enjoy,
Tony

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[xlbo]

Clive - how it is working now is how it is supposed to work
csv = Comma Seperated Values ie it is a comma delimited file

Not sure what happened yesterday and last week...maybe some weird, file association error but it shouldn't actually work like that - sure yopu weren't opening a different format of text file ??

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[KenWright]

Or, I'll bet it wasn't really a csv file, and in actual fact had a .txt extension which will automatically kick off the import wizard.

Regards
Ken...........

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It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission

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[xlbo]

<cough>
copycat
</cough>


Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[Stretchwickster]

Sorry guys, I obviously need more sleep (or caffeine!). I've been working on two apps that generate delimited text files and I have been confusing the two. Yesterday and last week, I had been opening "raw" files which caused the Text Import Wizard to open automatically. Today I have been opening csv files! My mistake sorry guys!


Clive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
Paul Ehrlich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get the best answers from this forum see: faq102-5096

 

[KenWright]

rotflmao - DDAAAAADDDDDDDDDDDDDDD - I want posting times!!!!!!!!!!!!!

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It's easier to beg forgiveness than ask permission

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[xlbo]

LOL - I reckon the diff would be about 3 secs !

Rgds, Geoff

"Three things are certain: Death, taxes and lost data. Guess which has occurred"

Please read FAQ222-2244 before you ask a question

 

[Stretchwickster]

With you guys it would be hundreths of a second!

Clive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
Paul Ehrlich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get the best answers from this forum see: faq102-5096

 

[KenWright]

LOL

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

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[Stretchwickster]

On a closely related issue...is there a default text qualifier when csv files are opened?

I have a column heading containing a comma so I've tried enclosing it in single & double quotes but it gets split into 2 columns. Here is the offending line:

Order, Limits, "Actual Against Limits (%), More Info", ,

Clive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
Paul Ehrlich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get the best answers from this forum see: faq102-5096

 

[Stretchwickster]

Anyone got any ideas?

Clive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
Paul Ehrlich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get the best answers from this forum see: faq102-5096

 

[pbrodsky]

I tried saving a file as .csv and the re-opening it.

The text delimiter is the double quote ", but internal quotes need to be doubled (ie. replace " with "").

 

[Stretchwickster]

I don't need quotes there ordinarily - it's just an attempt to keep the text (containing a comma) in a single column.

Anyone got any ideas why the column is being split despite the speech marks?

Clive
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"To err is human, but to really foul things up you need a computer."
Paul Ehrlich
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
To get the best answers from this forum see: faq102-5096