text file data include zip codes w/ leading zero should not be dro

[Guest]

When importing addresses from a .csv file into Excel, the leading zero is
dropped. Just displaying them in the special format as zip codes doesn't
work when using the file for a mail merge.

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http://www.microsoft.com/office/com...65493c9&dg=microsoft.public.excel.crashesgpfs

 

[Bill Manville]

Change the extension of the file from .csv to .xyz
Open the file and you will get an Import Text wizard.
Specify delimited and comma as delimiter. When you reach the page on
which you can set field types, make the zip code field be Text

Bill Manville
MVP - Microsoft Excel, Oxford, England

 

[Guest]

Thanks Bill. Interesting suggestion. I contend that Excel needs correcting
on this matter. People I work with are not as astute with these issues, so
changing file names etc. only aggrevates them when something as simple should
be programmed to handle the zip code issue.

 

[Nick Hodge]

Bill

There are equally as many reasons to keep it as it is, but MS may like to
make it a little simpler granted.

The 'zip code issue' is very USCentric and takes MS back to the days when
nothing existed outside the US. Office is installed on 11 billion (US)
machines around the world, more outside the US than within it by a
considerable margin. Hopefully that will make MS program for us too ;-)

--
HTH
Nick Hodge
Microsoft MVP - Excel
Southampton, England
(e-mail address removed)