Microsoft KB Archive/106340

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

XL: Tabs Appear Strange in TextWizard
Last reviewed: March 27, 1997

Article ID: Q106340

5.00 5.00c 7.00 7.00a | 5.00 5.00a

WINDOWS              | MACINTOSH kbusage

The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
 * Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
 * Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.0a

SUMMARY
When you use the TextWizard to import text files into Microsoft Excel, tab characters appear as blocky characters instead of empty spaces.

These characters do not affect the text: when you import the file as a tab-delimited file, your text is parsed correctly.

MORE INFORMATION
Because of the design of the TextWizard, tab characters are usually displayed as blocky characters. This effect is most noticeable in the following locations in the TextWizard:


 * Step 1.
 * Steps 2 and 3, if Delimited is chosen in Step 1 and if Tab is NOT a selected delimiter in Step 2.
 * Steps 2 and 3, if Fixed Width is chosen in Step 1.

If you indicate in Step 1 that the file is Delimited and if you select Tab as a delimiter in Step 2, tab characters will not be displayed in Steps 2 and 3 as blocky characters. Instead, they will appear as vertical lines that separate adjacent columns from each other.