Can't save Mac Excel to usable tab-delimited text file

[rknopp]

I need to do what I would think is a simple thing: save a Mac Excel
file (Office 2004 version 11.2.5 using OSX 10.3.9) to a tab-delimited
text file [TDTF] (to import into Final Cut Pro). (1) My default Excel
file has three sheets. If I try to save this as a TDTF, it tells me
that it does not support workbooks with multiple sheets. OK, so I
delete two of the sheets and save the file.

(2) Now when I try a "save as" to a TDTF, it tells me that the file
"may contain features that are not compatible with Text (Tab
Delimited)." I can go ahead and save the file to leave out the
"incompatible features," but it's not usable as an importable text file
into Final Cut Pro. Upon import of this TDTF, FCP says: "File Error: 1
file(s) recognized; 0 access denied; 1 unknown."

(3) I don't think it's a Mac-thing either. Even on the PC, I get the
same "may contain features that are not compatible with Text (Tab
Delimited)" when I start with a new PC Excel file. And when I bring it
over to the Mac, Final Cut cannot import this text file either.

Any suggestions as to what's going on and how I can export a usable
text file that FCP will import?

 

[CyberTaz]

I'm not familiar with FCP, but I can tell you that on either the Mac or PC;

1- The first message is only letting you know that a Text File can't have
multiple sheets, so you have to export each sheet as a separate file, one at
a time. IOW, just the active sheet will be exported. It really doesn't
matter how many sheets are in the file, and

2- The second dialog is also nothing more than an alert to remind you that
text files will not retain such things as bold or italic, font color & that
only the results of any calculations will be exported as values rather than
as working formulas.

Overall the process is rather flawless, so why FCP has trouble using the
file I can't say. If you're sure you're following the correct procedures on
that end you might want to check with Apple support.

 

[JE McGimpsey]

Any suggestions as to what's going on and how I can export a usable
text file that FCP will import?

What does the file look like when you open it with TextEdit?