Can't delete columns

  • Thread starter Thread starter Guest
  • Start date Start date
G

Guest

very new user - i opened a comma-delimited file to edit and need to delete
columns of data. when I highlight the columns I want to delete, the "delete
columns" function when right-clicking isn't available.

any ideas what I'm doing wrong? all I want to do is edit the file and
remove all the columns of data I don't need!
 
Are you using Microsoft Access, the topic of this newsgroup? Access is a
database application that is part of MS Office Professional.

Please post your question to a newsgroup related to your software.
 
If you are using Access on a CSV file, you either have to import it or link
to the file. You can not delete columns in a linked CSV file. A CSV file is
basically just a text file. If you open up a CSV file in something like
Notepad, you can't readily delete a column as there really isn't one.
Therfore you need to Import, not Link, the CSV file to delete a column. Then
you could export the file as CSV if needed.

If using Excel on a CSV file, same thing goes as above. Now if you Save As
the file as and XLS file, then you can delete a column. Again you could Save
As CSV after deleting the columns from the XLS file.
 
Thanks Jerry!

Jerry Whittle said:
If you are using Access on a CSV file, you either have to import it or link
to the file. You can not delete columns in a linked CSV file. A CSV file is
basically just a text file. If you open up a CSV file in something like
Notepad, you can't readily delete a column as there really isn't one.
Therfore you need to Import, not Link, the CSV file to delete a column. Then
you could export the file as CSV if needed.

If using Excel on a CSV file, same thing goes as above. Now if you Save As
the file as and XLS file, then you can delete a column. Again you could Save
As CSV after deleting the columns from the XLS file.
Click to expand...
 
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