Converting an Excel file to Fixed Width

[rgrogan05]

I need to change an excel file to a Fixed Width text file and I am a little
lost. Can anyone help?

This is some previous instructions I followed, but for some reason the file
cut my data in half and placed them on top of each other vertically - i.e.
cutting colemns n - z and placing it under columns a - m.
- Flush all fields left
- adjust the column width for each column for its appropriate number of
allotted spaces
- save as - Formatted Text (Space Delimited) (*.prn)
- Close file and change .prn to .txt

Can anyone help with an easier way or how I can keep the file from getting
cut up.

THANKS!!!!

 

[rgrogan05]

I realize why the data was getting cut in half - because .prn files of a max
field length of around 250 characters.

Is there a way around this or another way to convert an excel file to a
fixed width file?

Thanks.

 

[dlw]

There might be a limit of 256 characters per line? Or maybe whatever you are
reading the text file with has a limit to what it can show on one line?

 

[Dave Peterson]

Saved from a previous post:

There's a limit of 240 characters per line when you save as .prn files. So if
your data wouldn't create a record that was longer than 240 characters, you can
save the file as .prn.

I like to use a fixed width font (courier new) and adjust the column widths
manually. But this can take a while to get it perfect. (Save it, check the
output in a text editor, back to excel, adjust, save, and recheck in that text
editor. Lather, rinse, and repeat!)

Alternatively, you could concatenate the cell values into another column:

=LEFT(A1&REPT(" ",5),5) & LEFT(B1&REPT(" ",4),4) & TEXT(C1,"000,000.00")

(You'll have to modify it to match what you want.)

Drag it down the column to get all that fixed width stuff.

Then I'd copy and paste to notepad and save from there. Once I figured out that
ugly formula, I kept it and just unhide that column when I wanted to export the
data.

If that doesn't work for you, maybe you could do it with a macro.

Here's a link that provides a macro:
http://google.com/[email protected]