Possible text-to-columns bug

[Ninjamynci]

I've noticed that, when using the text-to-columns function in Excel 2007,
that if the delimiters are changed to text and space, these are then retained
as defaults for all sorts of text imports. In particular, when trying to open
a csv file or paste from another application. The only way I've found to
correct it is to carry out another text-to columns split on a cell with a
single word and change the delimiter back to Tab.
Anyone else experienced this or know why it's happening?

 

[David Biddulph]

Yes that's the way it works. You might describe it as a bug, but I'm sure
that Microsoft would call it a feature. It would certainly be regarded as
an advantage by folk who frequently want to import data using the same
options and don't want to have to set up the same options repeatedly.

 

[Ninjamynci]

Surely the fact that it's over-riding commas as the delimiter in csv's isn't
what it's supposed to do though.

 

[David Biddulph]

You hadn't mentioned CSV files, and I hadn't realised that it would override
commas as the default delimiter for CSVs in 2007.
It doesn't do that in 2003 (or are you talking about reading CSVs through
Data/ Import External Data, in which case commas aren't the default, and
changing the "text to columns" delimiter back to tab won't help, if it's
commas that you want).