[Hidden-tech] Lead Zero issue in Excel

[Robert Heller]

At Thu, 23 Jun 2016 15:33:37 -0400 Al Canali <al.canali5 at gmail.com> wrote:

> 
> 
> 
> I have data that downloads from a PHP application to a csv file. It was
> flawlessly converting to excel with the lead zero in zip codes (01576). The
> csv file has the zeros in it. The zeros no longer show in the excel file.
> Creator of the php file is not available. About the only thing different is
> the server and the fact that the file lay dormant for about a month on the
> new server.

Are you *positive* that you didn't migrate to a new version of excel? Or used 
a new version of whatever application used to download the file.  A *text* 
file sitting on a server should not change, even if moved to a new server.  

> 
> Here's what I know and have implemented: field is set up as a text field  -
>  I know how to convert the field column in excel to make the zero appear.
> This is not viable for this client. It must flow into the excel file
> without any further steps.
> 
> Anyone have any tricks up their sleeve to make this happen??

My only thought would be to run it through a text filter application that
wraps the zip codes with double quote marks. But I have *zero* experience with
excel. What is *obviously* happening is that excel is seeing digits and things
'number'. Only Computer Science geeks retain leading zeros. Everyone else
discards extrainous leading zeros, so excel is just being helpful in a common
sense sort of way. Somehow, you need to change excel's mind about the zip
codes being 'numbers'. Or damn the USPS for using all 10 digits and creating
10 regions, with region zero (0) being New England.

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