Microsoft KB Archive/111352

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XL5: TextWizard Output Defaults to Active Cell

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The information in this article applies to:


 * Microsoft Excel for Windows, version 5.0

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SUMMARY
The Text To Columns command uses the currently active cell as the default cell specified in the Destination box in Step 3 of the TextWizard. The destination output defines the upper-left corner of the output range.

This is by design.

MORE INFORMATION
When you parse a range of cells using the Text To Columns function, the output will begin at the cell specified in the Destination box; the default for this box is the active cell.

This default is different than in earlier versions of Microsoft Excel. In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, when you use the Data Parse or Smart Parse commands, the upper cell of the selected range is always the upper- left corner of the output.

NOTE: In earlier versions of Microsoft Excel, Data Parse is a built-in fixed length parsing tool; Smart Parse is a delimiter-based parsing tool provided by the Add-In file FLATFILE.XLA.

If you want to replace the original data with the parsed information, specify the upper cell of your selected range in the Destination box of Step 3 of the TextWizard. To cause the TextWizard to use this location, select the range to be parsed from top to bottom (in order to make the upper cell the active cell).