Microsoft KB Archive/214092

= XL2000: Lotus 1-2-3 WK1 File Loses Formatting When Opened in Excel =

Article ID: 214092

Article Last Modified on 9/27/2003

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APPLIES TO


 * Microsoft Excel 2000 Standard Edition

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This article was previously published under Q214092





SYMPTOMS
When you import a Lotus WK1 file along with an Impress (FMT) file into Microsoft Excel 2000, the format information may be incomplete if the formatting is complex and the formatted range is large. For example, if you have a large number of cells with complex formatting (such as a combination of borders, shading, and various font styles, sizes, and colors), when you open the file in Microsoft Excel, some of the formatting may be missing from a block of rows or columns. The formatting for the rest of the file is imported correctly.



CAUSE
Lotus 1-2-3 uses an add-in called Impress for formatting borders, shading, and fonts. When you save your Lotus WK1 worksheet file, the format information is saved in a separate file. This file will have the same name as your worksheet, plus the Impress extension (.fmt). When you open a WK1 file in Microsoft Excel, the file directory is searched. If a corresponding FMT file is identified, this file will be imported and the format information will be applied to the WK1 file.

The Impress add-in has different methods for storing format information depending on the complexity and range size of the formatted cells. When Impress stores a large amount of information in the FMT file, it uses a method that Microsoft Excel does not recognize.

This problem does not occur with the Lotus 1-2-3 WK3/FM3 file format.



WORKAROUND
To work around this issue, follow these steps. NOTE: This workaround requires alternate versions of Lotus 1-2-3, such as Lotus for Windows version 1.x or Lotus for MS-DOS version 3.x.
 * 1) Import your WK1 or FMT files into either Lotus for Windows version 1.x or Lotus for MS-DOS version 3.x.
 * 2) Save the file in the WK3 format by changing the file name extension from WK1 to WK3. This procedure automatically creates a corresponding FM3 file. When the file is in the WK3/FM3 format, you should be able to open it in Microsoft Excel with all of the formatting intact.



MORE INFORMATION
The third-party products that are discussed in this article are manufactured by companies that are independent of Microsoft. Microsoft makes no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding the performance or reliability of these products.

Additional query words: partial load XL2000

Keywords: kbprb KB214092

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