Microsoft KB Archive/50898

{| = Excel 2.2: File Conversions To/From Other Applications =
 * width="100%"|

Last reviewed: November 2, 1994

Article ID: Q50898

SUMMARY
The following information explains how to use Microsoft Excel for the Macintosh version 2.2 files in a Microsoft Word print merge and how to convert Excel for the Macintosh version 2.2 files to and from Lotus 1-2-3, Lotus Symphony, Lotus Jazz, Microsoft Multiplan, Microsoft Excel for Windows, Microsoft File, Microsoft Works for the Macintosh, and text files.

FILE CONVERSION ---

PRINT MERGE WITH MICROSOFT WORD
There are two ways to use your data from Excel version 2.20 with Word's print merge facility to create form letters, mailing labels, and other form documents. You can either use the Clipboard to copy the region of data from Microsoft Excel and paste into Microsoft Word to create a data document, or save the Microsoft Excel file as Text.

To move your data using the Clipboard, do the following:


 * 1) Select the area of data that you want as your data document.
 * 2) From the Edit menu, choose Copy.
 * 3) Open a new Word document.
 * 4) From the Edit menu, choose Paste.

With this method, your data can start and end at any cell in your Excel worksheet. This method is especially convenient, as it brings the data into Microsoft Word with formatting retained. (Note: Formatting in the data document does not affect the printout, but it may be convenient for visual display.) As an added bonus, Excel 2.20 brings the copied data into Word 4.00 as a table. If you save your Excel data file as Text, the program will place quotation marks around any fields that have commas within them. However, formatting will be lost. Also, make sure that your data region begins in cell A1; otherwise, the program will fill the beginning of your data document with tabs and returns which will throw off your print merge. This method is not as convenient as the Clipboard method, but may be more feasible with large spreadsheets that are inconvenient to copy.

Importing
Excel 2.20 can directly read and write the WK1 and WKS file formats. Additionally, you can see these files in the Open dialog, just as in versions 1.00, 1.03, 1.04, and 1.06. To import, do the following:


 * 1) Use a communications package or a file-transfer utility to bring the file into the Macintosh environment.
 * 2) Open Microsoft Excel.
 * 3) From the File menu, choose Open.
 * 4) Select the appropriate file and click Open.

Exporting
To save a worksheet as a WKS Lotus 1-2-3 versions 1.x or a Symphony file, do the following:


 * 1) In the Excel document, choose Save As from the File menu.
 * 2) Specify the name.
 * 3) Click WKS or WK1 (in Excel 2.20, click the Options button).
 * 4) Click Save. Excel automatically converts the worksheet into a 1-2-3 or Symphony file (WKS or WK1 format).

Excel translates all of the numbers, text entries, and supported formulas. For more information about converting from Lotus 1-2-3 to Microsoft Excel, see Page 445 of the &quot;Microsoft Excel Reference&quot; version 2.2 manual.

Microsoft Excel - Lotus Date Conversion
When importing a Lotus or Symphony file, Excel 2.20 automatically selects the 1900 base year. When exporting to Lotus, choose Calculation from the Options menu and deselect the 1904 base year, prior to creating the Excel document.

Macro Conversion
By using the macro-conversion utility shipped with Excel for Windows, you can bring a macro sheet into Excel for Windows from Lotus. Excel for the Macintosh 2.20 shares the same file format as Excel for Windows and can thus read in the macro sheet once it is saved from Excel for Windows in Normal format. There is no macro conversion utility available on the Macintosh because the Macintosh does not support DDE (Dynamic Data Exchange), which the macro converter utility uses.

Note: This procedure works only with Excel version 2.20. To bring the macro sheet into earlier versions of Excel, you need to bring it into Excel for Windows and then save it in the SYLK file format. Since Excel versions 1.x can read the SYLK file format, you can then open the macro sheet that was originally on the PC.

Importing
If you are using Excel for Windows, you can easily import your worksheet, macro sheet, and/or chart into Excel for the Macintosh version 2.20. Excel for the Macintosh 2.20 uses the same file format as Excel for Windows, BInary File Format (BIFF). Do the following:


 * 1) Save the Excel for Windows file normally.
 * 2) Use a communication package or a file-exchange utility to bring it over to the Macintosh.
 * 3) Open the file directly into Excel for the Macintosh. Any differences in functions will be listed in your manual.

Exporting
If you are using Excel for the Macintosh, you can easily import your worksheet, macro sheet, and/or chart into Excel for Windows. Excel for the Macintosh 2.20 uses the same file format as Excel for Windows, BInary File Format (BIFF). Do the following:


 * 1) Save the Excel for the Macintosh file normally.
 * 2) Use a communication package or a file-exchange utility to bring it over to the PC.
 * 3) Open the file directly into Excel for Windows. Any differences in functions will be listed in your manual.

Excel for the Macintosh - Excel for Windows Date Conversion
Excel version 2.20 gives you a choice of date systems. When importing an Excel for Windows file, Excel for the Macintosh 2.20 automatically selects the 1900 base year. When transferring files to Excel for Windows from Excel for the Macintosh, you have a choice of date systems. Before taking your Excel for the Macintosh files into Excel for Windows, choose Calculation from the Options menu and deselect the 1904 Date System box.

Importing
Open the Excel versions 1.x document directly into Excel 2.20 by using one of the two following methods:


 * 1) Double-click the document while in Finder.
 * 2) From the File menu in Excel 2.20, choose Open, select the versions 1.x document, and click OK.

Exporting
You can never transfer an Excel 2.20 worksheet and/or macro sheet directly into earlier versions of Excel due to the new file format. However, you can save the Excel 2.20 file in the SYLK file format and open it into the earlier versions by doing the following:


 * 1) From the File menu, choose Save As while in the version 2.20 document.
 * 2) Click the Options button.
 * 3) Select Excel 1.5/SYLK.
 * 4) Click OK, and click Save.

You can never read an Excel 2.20 chart into earlier versions of Excel as a chart. You must bring the worksheet information over to the earlier version of Excel as explained above and then create a new chart.

Importing
To import a Jazz worksheet into Excel, do the following:


 * 1) Open the worksheet in Jazz.
 * 2) Select the entire working area of your worksheet and use the Range Format command to set the format to Formula Text. This will convert your formulas into their text equivalents.
 * 3) Copy the entire worksheet (or portions that will fit) into the Clipboard by selecting the cells and using the Copy command.
 * 4) Quit Jazz and start Microsoft Excel.
 * 5) As soon as you get a blank worksheet, use the Paste command to retrieve the worksheet from the Clipboard.

Range indicators need to be changed from periods to colons to make formulas valid once they are pasted into Excel because Jazz uses &quot;A1..A3&quot; to indicate a range and Excel uses &quot;A1:A3&quot;. Also keep in mind that any Jazz formulas with different names or syntax [for example, ISERR vs. ISERROR] will not translate correctly. Refer to your &quot;Microsoft Excel Arrays, Functions and Macros&quot; manual for version 1.50 for the proper Excel function or syntax.

Importing
Microsoft Multiplan files can be opened directly with Microsoft Excel versions 1.00, 1.03, 1.04, 1.06, and 1.50. To open a Multiplan file into Excel 2.20, the Multiplan file must be saved in the SYLK file format. This is done by choosing Save As from the File menu in Multiplan and selecting the SYLK option. When first converted, these documents will be larger (in kilobytes) than their Microsoft Multiplan counterparts. This is due to differences in the way formulas are referenced.

Microsoft Multiplan for DOS worksheets can be transported to Microsoft Excel by saving them as SYLK. This is done from the PC by doing the following:


 * 1) Use the Transfer Options Symbolic command (with the worksheet loaded) to place Microsoft Multiplan in SYLK mode.
 * 2) Use the Transfer Save command to save the SYLK file to disk.
 * 3) Use a communications package or a file exchange utility to transport the files to the Macintosh.
 * 4) Start Excel.
 * 5) From the File menu, choose Open.

To ensure the best possible results, make sure you are using the most current version of Multiplan available on the source computer. Excel supports every Multiplan function except DELTA and ITERCNT; Excel will not convert a formula that contains either of these functions.

Exporting
If you want to use an Excel worksheet in Multiplan, you can save the worksheet as a SYLK file, then open that worksheet in Multiplan. Any information that Multiplan does not understand, such as formulas containing unsupported functions, will either be ignored completely or will produce an error. As long as the Excel worksheet contains only formulas that Multiplan supports, you can transfer the worksheet without losing formats or formulas.

For more information about converting from Microsoft Multiplan to Microsoft Excel, see &quot;Notes for the Microsoft Multiplan User&quot; in Appendix C of the &quot;Microsoft Excel Reference&quot; version 2.0 manual.

Importing
If you are using File, you can easily import your database into Excel by doing the following:


 * 1) In Microsoft File, choose Save As from the Edit menu.
 * 2) Click Text (Microsoft Print Merge), then Save.
 * 3) Quit Microsoft File and start Microsoft Excel.
 * 4) From the File menu, choose Open.
 * 5) Click on the database filename, then click OK.

Exporting
To move information from Excel into a new or existing Microsoft File database, do the following:


 * 1) Save the worksheet as Text.
 * 2) Quit Excel and start File.
 * 3) Create a new data file or open an existing one.
 * 4) Set up the data file form to match the order of the fields in your Excel database.
 * 5) From the File menu, choose Open Datafile.
 * 6) Select the Excel text document in the list box and click Open. File will add a record for each line of the text document and a field for each tab separated value in the line.

Note: You can Copy and Paste an Excel chart into a database field, but the field must be formatted as a Picture field.

Importing
If you are using Works, you can easily import your Spreadsheet and Database documents into Excel by doing the following:


 * 1) From Works, choose Save As from the File menu.
 * 2) Click Export File and type in the name of the document. (For a Spreadsheet document, after you click Export File and Save, Works displays another dialog box to specify the format. Choose SYLK.)
 * 3) Quit Microsoft Works and start Microsoft Excel.
 * 4) Choose Open from the File menu, click on the document's name, then click OK.

Exporting
If you want to use an Excel worksheet in Works, you can save the worksheet as a SYLK file, then open that worksheet in Works as a spreadsheet. Any information that Works does not understand, such as formulas containing unsupported functions will either be ignored completely or will produce an error. As long as the Excel worksheet contains only formulas that Works supports, you can transfer without losing formats or formulas.

Importing
Excel will open a text file from any computer using the standard ASCII character set. To get numbers or text to appear in separate columns, the numbers/text should be separated with tabs and have a carriage return at the end of each line. If another field (column) delimiter is used, do the following:


 * 1) Open the source file with Microsoft Word or another Macintosh text editor.
 * 2) Replace the delimiters with tabs.
 * 3) Save the file as Text Only.
 * 4) Start Microsoft Excel, and open the text file.

Exporting
To save an Excel versions 1.50 and earlier file as text, do the following:


 * 1) From the File menu, choose Save As.
 * 2) Click the button marked Text.
 * 3) Click Save. The resulting text file will be tab delimited.

In Excel 2.20, you can save a text file as either tab or comma delimited. To save a text file in Excel 2.20, do the following:
 * 1) From the File menu, choose Save As.
 * 2) Click the Options button.
 * 3) Select either Text (tab delimited) or CSV/Text (comma separated).
 * 4) Click OK and click Save.

When you save an Excel file as text, any cells containing commas will be enclosed in quotation marks.
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