unicode CSV files

[Guest]

I need to write unicode csv files from a dotnet application to be opened in
Excel.
I can write the files OK by setting
Response.ContentEncoding = System.Text.Encoding.Unicode
but when I try & open them in Excel it says 'The file is not in a
recognizable format'.
I haven't been able to see any settings to change the acceptable formats.
Anyone any ideas as to how this can be done?

Thanks,

John

 

[Michel Pierron]

Hi John,
Do you have the same problem if you to try to open this file with Word ?
MP

 

[Guest]

Hi Michel,

Opening in Word it prompts you to select the required encoding. Once Unicode
is selected it opens OK.
Excel doesn't have the same prompt

John

 

[Michel Pierron]

Re John,
If you rename your file with the txt extension and that you open it with
Excel, do you have the same error ?
MP

 

[Guest]

Yes. Same problem when the file has a txt extension.

 

[Michel Pierron]

Re John,
Which version of Excel do you have ?
The csv files are text files. With Excel 2003, if I separately create a
unicode (UTF-16 or UTF-8) txt file with the comma, semicolon or tabulator
like separator and that records it with the csv extension, when I open this
file with Excel, I have the dialogbox allowing choice for the type of data
(delimited or not) and the separator.

MP

 

[Guest]

I'm using Excel 2003 as well.
What I'm getting is that the dotnet application writes the csv file but when
the file is double-clicked Excel says 'The file is not in recognizable
format' & doesn't give any option to open it other than all the data in a
single cell. I don't really want the end user to have to go through the
import data routine for every file that gets created.

John

 

[NickHK]

John,
What is the format of the output then ?
Seems Excel will open a Unicode file if Tab separated with a .txt extension
though.

NickHK

 

[Michel Pierron]

Hi John,

I made some tests and if you don't really want the end user to have to go
through the import data routine for every file that gets created, your csv
file can be only with format ANSI or UTF-8.
Import & Export of a CSV file depends on the Regional & Language Options in
the Windows Control Panel (for English (United States) the separator is the
comma).

Regards,
MP