open text file with excel

[George Applegate]

Is there a way when you open a text file to force it to prompt you for
the layout you want the columns to be instead of it just putting the
data in columns on it own?

If I select a text file to open, and right click on that file, and say
"open with" and choose excel, it automatically imports the text file
but determines the columns on its own.

On the other hand, if I open excel, and then choose the text file to
open, it then gives me the prompt and opportunity to format the data
in the columns by showing me some of the records and letting me select
the breaks.

I want it to give me that prompt whether I open excel and then choose
the text file to open, or whether I right click on the file and say
"open with excel".

Is there some setting in excel I need to look at, or is there some
macro I need to create???

thanks,
ga

George Applegate
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Dave Peterson]

I think you're going to have to live with the behavior of sticking all the data
in a single column if you use the rightclick|open with method.

But after the data is in column A, you could just select that column and use
Data|Text to columns (xl2003 menus) and parse the data the way you like.

 

[George Applegate]

Dave,

Thanks for your reply. I'd be happy if that's what it did. The
problem is, it automatically parses it into multiple columns so I
can't then do text to columns....

I think you're going to have to live with the behavior of sticking all the data
in a single column if you use the rightclick|open with method.

But after the data is in column A, you could just select that column and use
Data|Text to columns (xl2003 menus) and parse the data the way you like.

George Applegate
(e-mail address removed)

 

[Dave Peterson]

How is your text file delimited?

If it's tab delimited, then that's the behavior you'll see. Well, that's the
behavior I saw in xl2003, anyway.

I guessed (incorrectly!) that it was just plain old text.