Importing Excel data?

  • Thread starter Thread starter Big Papi
  • Start date Start date
B

Big Papi

Is there any freeware that can import data from an Excel spreadsheet
into a fixed-width text file? Going the opposite direction is easy but I
don't know how to do it this way. I will have to do this one a month, so
the more automated it can be, the better.

Thanks!
 
Big Papi said:
Is there any freeware that can import data from an Excel spreadsheet
into a fixed-width text file? Going the opposite direction is easy but I
don't know how to do it this way. I will have to do this one a month, so
the more automated it can be, the better.
Click to expand...

the most automated way will be to please the author of your excel
file to deliver it as a fixed-width text file. An Excel macro can
do this with one single click. - And friendlyness is for free!
And in a certain way, its software :-)

Reinhardt
--
Ironie ist für dich ein Fremdwort, gelle?
Click to expand...
Wenn du kein Grieche bist, dann dürfte Ironie auch für dich
ein Fremdwort sein ... (Sharky in de.soc.politik.misc)
 
I hope I have understood your question . . .

In Excel - select range and COPY
In Word - Edit / Paste Special / Unformatted Text

John
 
In Excel, "Save As" PRN file outputs the data as a fixed column text file
with the extension '.prn'.

Cheers,
Amos
 
In Excel, "Save As" PRN file outputs the data as a fixed column text file
with the extension '.prn'.
Click to expand...

Almost. Some files just don't save with every column starting at the
same point for every row.
 
Amos said:
In Excel, "Save As" PRN file outputs the data as a fixed column text file
with the extension '.prn'.
Click to expand...

I discovered this yesterday and it's working perfectly! I have my
columns in Excel set to the specific width I need for each and then I
just save it as "Formatted Text (Space delimited)", which generates the
PRN file.

Thanks for the recommendation, even if I already had it figured out. :-)
 
Al said:
Almost. Some files just don't save with every column starting at the
same point for every row.
Click to expand...

If you set the column width to the fixed-width you need, it works
perfectly. I was running into the problem you mention until I figured
that part out.
 
If you set the column width to the fixed-width you need, it works
perfectly. I was running into the problem you mention until I figured
that part out.
Click to expand...

Not in all cases, especially in extreme cases. Try it with a few
hundred columns and 60,000 rows. I work on spreadsheets like that
every day. If I have time some day I'll experiment to find out what
the limits of "exactly the same column widths for all rows" are.
 
Not in all cases, especially in extreme cases. Try it with
a few hundred columns and 60,000 rows. I work on
spreadsheets like that every day. If I have time some day
I'll experiment to find out what the limits of "exactly the
same column widths for all rows" are.
Click to expand...

Got same problems. Hints, i.e., helps sometimes but not always:
- cell formats (generic vs. some numeric)
- different (number?) formats in one column
- cell spans
- columns "crossing" the right margin of .PRN "page."

Good luck .. if you do find out, please post.

J
 
Got same problems. Hints, i.e., helps sometimes but not always:
- cell formats (generic vs. some numeric)
- different (number?) formats in one column
- cell spans
- columns "crossing" the right margin of .PRN "page."
Click to expand...
Good luck .. if you do find out, please post.
Click to expand...

I can solve it, I just can't figure out why it's happening.

(Solution: Read the spreadsheet as a database and format the output
myself.)
 
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