Help - Any number longer than 12 digits turns to scientific and ro

[LMH_VT]

I feel like I'm a pretty experienced Excel user but I'm totally baffled by
this problem.

I use software to print postage for my business and the log file is saved in
..csv format. It is often helpful for us to share the .csv files from other
computers onto my machine. Whenever I open the file though, all of the
tracking numbers show up as 9.10101E27 When I click on the cell, the
function bar gives me a few more digits but not nearly all of them and not
enough for me to actually track the package.

I also tried opening a brand new worksheet and typing in a number 11111111
into the first cell. I increased the number one digit at a time until it
automatically changed to 1.1111E11 (so, 12 digits seems to be the cutoff).

I feel like I've tried everything including un-installing and re-installing
Excel but I cannot figure out how to get the numbers to display completely
with every digit showing. This does not seem to be a "format, cells" issue
because even the function bar is showing the number as stored incorrectly
(normally, that value should be unchanged by the Format, Cells command) and
the value only changes at 12 digits regardless of how large or small the
column width is.

I'm at my wits end. Please, any help would be GREATLY appreciated.

Thank you,
Lindsey Hathway

 

[bigwheel]

enter your tracking numbers as text (you won't be using them for
calculations)(will you?)

 

[LMH_VT]

Well, that took a bit of manuvering but I got it to work!

The shipping software automatically enters the data for us so I'm not able
to change the way that it is initially stored. If I open the file and then
try to change that column to text, it just makes the 9.10101E27 into a text
entry.

I did FINALLY get the tracking numbers to show up by using the Data, Import
External Data command and selecting the column to be displayed as text before
the file was actually imported. Wow, what a pain! If anyone knows of a better
way, please let me know. It does actually work now though.

phew, I've been working on this for days. Thanks for the help Bigwheel.

 

[Earl Kiosterud]

LMH,

Once you 've done the import external data, it will remember the parameters
of the import (presuming you're going to want to bring the data into the
same sheet). Just right click the range where the imported data is, and
select Refresh. You don't have to go through the whole import definition
process each time.

If you'll instead want to bring the data into a new workbook, do this:
Change the file name from .csv to .txt. When you open it, it will start the
Import Wizard, pretty much like in the Import External Data did. There you
can specify text for the troublesome field, and other things. But this is a
one-time process -- once it opens the file, it doesn't remember your
specifications for how to open it, though you can record a macro of the
process, then use that to open it again.
There's a writeup on Excel and text files at
http://www.smokeylake.com/excel/textfiles.htm.