How to change more than one column at a time into Text?

[Alan]

On a daily basis, I have to import data into Excel and then I need to change
all the columns into Text. Is there some way that I can select all the
columns and then just hit the Text button only once? Or maybe a way to have
all the columns be set for Text by default from the start? (Right now the
default is "General"). It's a bit of a pain to have to choose Text for
each column one at a time.
Help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

 

[Alan]

"Alan" wrote

On a daily basis, I have to import data into Excel and then I need to
change all the columns into Text. Is there some way that I can select all
the columns and then just hit the Text button only once? Or maybe a way
to have all the columns be set for Text by default from the start? (Right
now the default is "General"). It's a bit of a pain to have to choose
Text for each column one at a time.
Help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

Sorry ---- a few minutes after I posted that, I figured it out. While using
the Control key does nothing, it's the SHIFT key that'll do it! Duh . . .
.. .

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Alan,
Since you thought of the answer, why didn't you
try it, or did you?

You can select noncontiguous areas and apply
formatting to them. Whether they are cells,
columns, rows all the same.

One thing though that you should be aware of
simply changing the format between number
and text either way, will not take effect until the
content is reentered. You can read more about
that in the topics at and near
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#trimall

 

[Alan]

Mr. McRitchie:
Thanks very much for your help. I guess I hadn't been as clear as I could
have been in either my first or my second post (reproduced below*) . . .
My issue had involved the mechanics of selecting more than one column at a
time to change from "General" to "Text" during the _Import_ process
(importing data from a .txt file).
Being quite new to Excel, I'd first attempted to do so via the CONTROL key
and was, of course, unsuccessful --- that's why I sent my first post. It
was only _after_ I'd posted that I tried the SHIFT key and, lo and behold,
THAT was the key that DID allow me to select more than one column at a time.
I am aware that I can format a row, a column, or even a single cell on an
already created spreadsheet and that doing so will have no effect until data
is re-entered; however, I was inquiring about _selecting_ more than one
column at a time, during the _import_ process prior to the actual creation
of the spreadsheet.
Thanks again for your help and thank you also for having posted the links to
your sites --- they look quite useful.
--
Alan
"David McRitchie" wrote

Hi Alan,
Since you thought of the answer, why didn't you
try it, or did you?

You can select noncontiguous areas and apply
formatting to them. Whether they are cells,
columns, rows all the same.

One thing though that you should be aware of
simply changing the format between number
and text either way, will not take effect until the
content is reentered. You can read more about
that in the topics at and near
http://www.mvps.org/dmcritchie/excel/join.htm#trimall

*(2nd post reproduced below):

Sorry ---- a few minutes after I posted that, I figured it out. While using
the Control key does nothing, it's the SHIFT key that'll do it! Duh . . .
.. .