default save as file type does not work

[gregf]

I have the default save as file type under tools/options/transition set to
..wk4. Excel Office 2003

I open a text file with a .prn suffix. When I go to "save as" the file name
is enclosed within double quote marks and the original .prn. The file type
is Text (Tab delimited.)

In Excel97 this feature worked i.e. the filename dropped the .prn and the
file type was the default .wk4.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

 

[Doug Kanter]

I have the default save as file type under tools/options/transition set to
.wk4. Excel Office 2003

I open a text file with a .prn suffix. When I go to "save as" the file
name
is enclosed within double quote marks and the original .prn. The file
type
is Text (Tab delimited.)

In Excel97 this feature worked i.e. the filename dropped the .prn and the
file type was the default .wk4.

Thanks for any help you can provide.

WK4 is the file extension for Lotus 123 spreadsheets, not Excel. Are you
sharing sheets with a Lotus user?

 

[gregf]

Yes I am. Again, the save as default worked fine on Excel97

 

[Doug Kanter]

Does it misbehave this way when opening other file types? For instance, an
..xls file, a .txt file, or a .csv file? If it behaves correctly with the
..xls file, but not with the other two, it may be the result of MS supposedly
making Excel "smarter" in the later version. It's making its best guess as
to what *IT* thinks the file type should be.

Matter of fact, I use Excel 2000 and it does exactly that. If I open a .csv
file, and want to change its name, then Save As retains the original .csv
extension, even though I've specified a default file type. If I was doing
this a lot and it became a real inconvenience, I'd hack together a little
macro to save a few mouse clicks, and attach the macro to a toolbar button.

 

[gregf]

I do need it a lot and it is an inconvenience. I was hoping it was something
in the way I had Excel 2003 set up.

 

[Doug Kanter]

No, I think it's more a design choice than a malfunction. Some things are
capable of overriding the default file type. Why not record a macro while
saving a file the way you like, then edit the macro to make it more generic,
and attach it to a toolbar button. Then, it'll be even MORE convenient than
if the feature worked correctly.