Microsoft KB Archive/132565

= Microsoft Knowledge Base =

XL5: Non-Text Values in Hidden Column Lost Saving in Text
Last reviewed: September 12, 1996

Article ID: Q132565

The information in this article applies to:


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

SYMPTOMS
In Microsoft Excel, when you save a file to the Text (tab delimited) or CSV (comma delimited) file format, any non-text values in a hidden column on the worksheet are lost.

CAUSE
This behavior occurs when you hide a column on your worksheet that contains non-text values (such as a number value or a date value), and you save the worksheet as a text file. When you open the text file, the non-text values no longer appear on the worksheet.

If the hidden column does not contain any text values, when you save the file as text and then open the file again, the column appears to be empty. If the column does contain text values, when you save the file as text and then open the file again, only the text values appear in the column.

For example, in a worksheet that contains the following data

A1: ColA B1: ColB  C1: ColC A2:   1  B2:    2  C2:    3 A3:   2  B3:    4  C3:    6 A4:   3  B4:    6  C4:    9 if you hide column B, and save the file as text, when you open the file again, the data appears as follows:

A1: ColA B1: ColB  C1: ColC A2:   1  B2:       C2:    3 A3:   2  B3:       C3:    6 A4:   3  B4:       C4:    9 Note that this problem does not occur with data in hidden rows.

STATUS
Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. This problem was corrected in Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0.

MORE INFORMATION
Note that in Microsoft Excel version 5.0 for Windows, when you save a file that contains a hidden row or column as a text file, the entire hidden row or column is not saved. For additional information about this behavior, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

ARTICLE-ID: Q118600 TITLE    : XL5: Hidden Column/Row Not Saved in Text or CSV File Format