[Hidden-tech] Lead Zero issue in Excel

[Doug Lowing]

Excel is very persistent trying to drop lead zeros from numbers-as-text.

If you are allowed to add data to the CSV file, you can precede each number
with a single quote '  Excel understands anything following is a string and
does not show the quote.

If you simply open the csv with excel, tough nuts. Excel will always drop
the lead zero because it treats csv like they were native excel files.

If you rename the csv file to txt (example: fred.csv becomes fred.txt),
then you can open the text file and Excel asks several questions to force
the number to be recognized as a string

-Doug Lowing
scarred-for-life working with Excel as data source


On Thu, Jun 23, 2016 at 3:33 PM, 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.
>
> 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??
> --
> Al Canali - Canali Designs
> www.canalidesigns.com
> 413-337-4740
>
> _______________________________________________
> Hidden-discuss mailing list - home page: http://www.hidden-tech.net
> Hidden-discuss at lists.hidden-tech.net
>
> You are receiving this because you are on the Hidden-Tech Discussion list.
> If you would like to change your list preferences, Go to the Members
> page on the Hidden Tech Web site.
> http://www.hidden-tech.net/members
>
-------------- next part --------------
An HTML attachment was scrubbed...
URL: http://lists.hidden-tech.net/pipermail/hidden-discuss/attachments/20160623/84a18cbe/attachment.html