read lotus 123 ver 4 sheets in excel 97

[Guest_imported]

I have received some spreadsheets created by lotus 123 ver4 (*.123 files) and cannot read them with excel 97. could anyone suggest how to do it?

 

[RichardHumphreys]

What error message (if any) do you get when you try to read the Lotus 123 file in Excel? I did not think that Excel had a problem at reading 123 files. You could try File > Import in Excel if you have not already done so.

The other alternative is that if you know who created the 123 file, ask them to resave in Comma Separated Value (CSV) format. The way to do that is File > Save As. Then below the file name there is a drop down list of file types. The default is *.wk4 but below that there should be *.csv. There might even be one for Excel - *.xls

The only problem with Comma Separated Value files is that if the original 123 file has a lot of specialised formatting, this will be lost when it is resaved as CSV.

HTH

Richard

 

[KMerritt]

I have the same problem. The file has an 123 extention, not a wk? extention. Excel can convert the files in the workbook format,but how do you convert the data that is in a .123 format?

 

[RichardHumphreys]

Apologies for the delay in replying.

Both dash1259 and KMerritt refer to <<*.123 files>> and <<.123 format>>.

I find this confusing. When 123 saves a file, the default extension is '*.wk?' where '?' is replaced by the version number of 123.

The following is a copy of the 123 Help file

<I>
Naming a 1-2-3 File

Every file in a directory has a unique name. When you create a new 1-2-3 file in memory through File New, 1-2-3 assigns a default name to the file. The first default file name is FILE0001.WK4; the next default file name is FILE0002.WK4, and so on. You can save the file on disk with this default name or with another name that you create.
A file name can contain up to eight characters. You can use any combination of letters, numbers, _ (underscores), and - (hyphens), and you can use uppercase and lowercase letters (they are equivalent in file names). Do not use spaces in a file names. Instead, use _ (underscores); for example, MY_WORK.WK4.

File extensions

When 1-2-3 creates a file, it adds a three-character extension to the file name to identify the file type:

Extension File Type

.AL3 Named page settings; a file created when you save the current page settings as named page settings with File Page Setup Save.
.BAK Backup version of a worksheet file (.WK4, .WK3, and .WK1); created when you save a 1-2-3 file as a backup file with File Save As.
.FMB Backup version of a 1-2-3 format file (.FM3 and .FMT); created when you save a .FM3 or .FMT file as a backup file with File Save As.
.MAC Macro for a customized icon; a file created when you customize an icon and save it with an associated macro using Tools SmartIcons Edit Icon.
.NS4 1-2-3 shared file; saved on a Lotus Notes server.
.TXT Text; created when you save a file as a text file with File Save As.
.WK1 Worksheet; created when you save a file with File Save As as a 1-2-3 for DOS Release 2 worksheet file.

.WK3 Worksheet; created when you save a file with File Save As as a 1-2-3 for Windows Release 1 worksheet file, or 1-2-3 for DOS Release 3 worksheet file.
.WK4 Worksheet; created when you save a file as a 1-2-3 Release 4 or Release 5 for Windows worksheet file with File Save or File Save As.
.WT4 Worksheet; created when you use File Save As to save a file as a SmartMaster template.
.XLW Excel workbook file; created using File Save As.
.XLT Excel worksheet file; created using File Save As.
.DBF dBASE IV file; created when you use File Save As to save a selected range as a dBASE IV file.
.DB Paradox file; created when you use File Save As to save a selected range as a Paradox file.


You can assign another extension to a file by specifying the extension when you save the file. The extension must begin with a . (period) and contain up to three characters.
For example, you can save a 1-2-3 Release 5 (.WK4) worksheet file as a file with the extension .WK3 (1-2-3 for DOS Release 3 and 1-2-3 for Windows Release 1 worksheet files) or .WK1 (1-2-3 for DOS Release 2 worksheet files) by using File Save As and changing the extension in the file name.

Related SmartIcons

Saves a file

See also

File Commands
Named Page Settings
Sharing Files Using Lotus Notes
Specifying a File
Working with .WK1 and .WK3 Files in 1-2-3 for Windows
Working with dBASE and Paradox files in 1-2-3
Working with Excel Files in 1-2-3
Working with SmartMaster Files
Working with Text Files in 1-2-3

</I>

If a user specifically saves a 123 file with the extension '*.123' (e.g., 'expenses.123'), this will be why the file cannot be read by Excel.

HTH

Richard

 

[DaleWatson123321]

My understanding of the &quot;.123&quot; vs &quot;.WK4&quot; suffix...

The default suffix for Lotus 123 version 4 and version 5 is &quot;.WK4&quot;.

The &quot;Smartsuite&quot; versions (beyond version 5) have a default suffix of &quot;.123&quot;.

Therefore the original posting by dash1259 seems NOT to make sense - i.e. version 4 files should NOT be saved with a &quot;.123&quot; suffix. If indeed the files were created with a later version of Lotus 123, then the &quot;.123&quot; suffix will be correct. However, if they were created with version 4 or 5, then the suffix is wrong.

Hope this helps.

Regards, ...Dale Watson dwatson@bsi.gov.mb.ca

 

[KMerritt]

Found this post from rschmidt(TechnicalUser)

&quot;At the Lotus FTP-Server you can download KeyView:

ftp://ftp.lotus.com/pub/lotusweb/product/smartsuite/kvlot32.exe

It should work as a viewer for every SmartSuite Application, maybe it suits to your needs?
It also shall offer browserintegration for IE and Netscape, but I didn't try it so far.

Regards

Rainer&quot;


It opens Lotus files with.123 extentions. Then you can copy and paste the cells into Excel. It was very helpful