Do not double-click or open a CSV file directly from an email or folder. If you do, Excel (or another spreadsheet program) will convert automatically the census block or census tract codes to numbers instead of text.
Below are instructions for how to open a CSV file in Excel so that you don’t lose the TEXT formatting.
Open Excel
Click New, then click on Blank workbook
Click on the Data tab
Click Get External Data From Text
Navigate to the CSV-formatted file saved on your system, select it, then click Import (When browsing to find the file, set browser to look for All Files or for Text Files)
This will open the Text Import Wizard
In Import Step 1 of 3 – Click on Delimited, then click Next
In Import Step 2 of 3 – Check the Comma box, then click Next
In Import Step 3 of 3 – Select Text and click Finish, then OK
This procedure should retain the census block or tract codes in column A in TEXT format. If the census codes have been changed to scientific notation (a number such as 5.51E+14), then you have lost the TEXT formatting and even if you save the Excel file back in CSV format, it will not be accepted by the Form 477 filing interface.
You can also open a CSV file in text reader program like Notepad to view and edit the file without losing the TEXT format.
Step 1: Go to the Data tab on the Excel ribbon. Click New Query and select From CSV from the From File dropdown. Step 2: Go to the location of the CSV file on your computer and select it. Click on the Import button to open the CSV file using Excel's Import Wizard.
Select 'Data' on the ribbon, and then 'From Text'. (If the menu options are greyed out this could be because you do not have a workbook open). Browse for the *. csv file you want to open, and click 'Import'.
To open this type of file, you can use Google Sheets. Go to Google Sheets and click on the button 'Start a new spreadsheet'. Go to the 'File' menu and click on the 'Import' button. Go to the 'Upload' tab of the 'Open a file' window and select your file from your computer.
How do I open a CSV file in Microsoft Excel without changing the column formatting? To open a comma-delimited (CSV) file properly, use Excel's Data Import from Text feature to open the import wizard and set all columns as text.
How do I open a CSV file in Microsoft Excel without changing the column formatting? To open a comma-delimited (CSV) file properly, use Excel's Data Import from Text feature to open the import wizard and set all columns as text.
Introduction: My name is Saturnina Altenwerth DVM, I am a witty, perfect, combative, beautiful, determined, fancy, determined person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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