Numbers stored as text

[prescottnana]

Our accounting system exports to excel, problem is it sends numbers over as
text. I can convert them easily to numbers, but then the next problem, it
drops all of my preceeding zeros. Example: our part number is 000625 convert
it to from text and it comes out 625. Any ideas?

 

[Harald Staff]

Hi

000625 and 625 is the same number. What do you need the leading zeroes for?
Or, why do you need it to be a number?

Best wishes Harald

 

[Sean Timmons]

are all part numbers 6 digits?

if so, highlight the desired column, format cells / custom / 000000

Won't have leading zeros in the address bar, but will display with leading
zeroes in the cell.

Otherwise, it would need to be treated as text...

 

[Rick Rothstein]

**Numbers** do not have any format, only the display of the number does...
that is, to a computer, a number is a number (otherwise, think of the
storage problems that would be necessary to distinguish the number 625 from
0625 or 00625 or 000625 or etc. if each version had to be retained, then
multiply that by all the possible numbers (and add trailing zeroes after a
decimal point to that as well). Why can't you just leave your "numbers" as
text... why do you have to convert them at all?

 

[FSt1]

hi
part numbers are ids. id numbesr are "numbers" that you don't want to do
mathmatical stuff to ie you don't want them to change. have you ever had a
reason to devide your phone number by 2????
so it would make no difference if the id was text or number?
what advantage do you gain by having your part numbers as numbers?

my thoughts
regards
FSt1