csv file opens in a single column

[Thijs]

I have several pc's here but only on one of them the csv opens in a single
column.
On the other pc's data is parsed into multiple columns.
How can I get this done automaticly?

 

[Dave Peterson]

What do you have for your windows list separator?

Close excel
windows start button|settings|control panel|Regional and language options

Click the customize button
Numbers Tab
List separator

Make sure it matches your data.

Alternatively, you could always select that column and do data|text to columns.
Choose delimited by.

 

[Pete_UK]

I noticed when I upgraded from XL97 to XL2000 on my old machine (but
kept XL97 on the hard disc) that when I wanted to open .csv files by
double-clicking them it took me into XL97. I had assumed that because
there was a valid entry in the file association table when I installed
XL2000 that it did not overwrite it, but that on a new installation
there would not be any entry for .csv in the table so that would be
added and point to XL2000 as part of the instalation process.

I used to get text files with an extension of .DCL, aimed at a
specialist telephone call analysis database package. I set the PC up so
that when I double-clicked these files it would be recognised and
opened by Excel - all the data appeared in column A, and I developed
some formulae in adjacent columns which I could just copy in and down
to parse the data.

I think you probably have a similar situation with .csv files on your
rogue machine. It might be necessary to remove csv from the file
association table and then re-install Excel so that hopefully the
correct association (and action) can be set up.

Hope this helps.

Pete

 

[Dave Peterson]

I think windows assigns the application to the last program that was installed
(or registered with windows).

You may want to try re-registering the version of excel you want to be the
default for windows.

Close Excel and
Windows Start Button|Run
"c:\yourpathtoyourfavoriteversionofexcel\excel" /unregserver
then
Windows Start Button|Run
"c:\yourpathtoyourfavoriteversionofexcel\excel" /regserver

The /unregserver & /regserver stuff resets the windows registry to excel's
factory defaults.

 

[David McRitchie]

Hi Thijs,
Could help if you indicated what version of Excel and what extension you used.
so that others might be helped even if it doesn't directly help anyone answer
(actually it might help by eliminating some things).

If you want consistent results then change the extension to .txt so that the
Text Import Wizard is used then record a macro. As delimited file,
next dialog, what the delimiter is, next dialog define the column usage.
Once recorded change the macro so that the input extension is .csv
if that is what you had.