Pasting into one column only

[zach]

There is a lot of data I work with on Mainframe applications that th
best way I can find to work with it is to highlight it, copy it int
Excel, and use data text to columns to get it into the format I want.
Upgraded to Excel 2002 recently, and it decides, on its own, whether t
post the data into one column (which is what I need) or severa
columns. I know there has to be a setting hidden somewhere in th
system to allow me to paste this data into one column only, but
cannot find it. I've tried using Paste Special and then coosing Text
but that works sometimes, and not others...same data.
Really frustrated by what appears to be a random decision by th
program of how to delimit the data

 

[Macgyver Goh]

To copy a row of data from other source and paste to excel in single
column you have to paste the data into a excel row first and to check
that all the data is correctly distributed in the cells, then copy /
paste special / transpose into the final destination.

HTH

02-05-04 09:44:28


<[email protected]>

There is a lot of data I work with on Mainframe applications that the

best way I can find to work with it is to highlight it, copy it into

Excel, and use data text to columns to get it into the format I want.

Upgraded to Excel 2002 recently, and it decides, on its own,

whether to

post the data into one column (which is what I need) or several

columns. I know there has to be a setting hidden somewhere in the

system to allow me to paste this data into one column only, but I

cannot find it. I've tried using Paste Special and then coosing Text,

but that works sometimes, and not others...same data.

 

[zach]

I don't want to transpose...I am trying to paste several rows of dat
which does not contain a reliable delimiter...If I close Exce
completely and re-open it, and paste this date using paste special an
text, it USUALLY will post it into one column, after which I use dat
text to columns and fixed width to seperate the date into the column
the way I need it. Sometimes, Excel lets me do this, however othe
times, Excel chooses to put the data into several columns (I can onl
assume that it thinks it has found a reliable delimiter, but there i
not one. To clarify, an example of the data would be about a ten row
of the following "object code number object code description ref#
amount date batch number" I go page through this data on th
mainframe, highlighting the data and copying each page and pasting i
into Excel...Then I will go back into Excel and use the "Convert tex
to columns wizard" in order to separate each segment of the data into
column of its own. No row to column transposition is involved.
Thanks

 

[Dave Peterson]

Excel tries to help you by remembering the last text to columns that you did in
that session (since the last time you opened excel).

If you did data|text to columns and used delimited, by space. Then then next
time you paste something that has spaces, excel will "help" you by using those
same rules.

One solution is to close excel and reopen it, then paste (yech).

Another solution would be to do a dummy data|text to columns.

put "asdf" in an unused cell.
select that cell
data|text to columns
delimited
uncheck each of the delimiters
finish up
and clear that "asdf" cell

Now, do your paste.

 

[Paul]

I've noticed the same problem. Try pasting everything to
Notepad first, then copy the whole lot to Excel in one go.

Paul