Importing fields from Excel as Text

[bbaliner]

This is weird,

I try to import the Excel spreadsheet as text, but the fields in FileMaker import as numbers. I know that formatting fields as text in excel doesn't really change their data type, but when I do a test just with one field, format it as text in excel, and then drag it into FileMaker icon, it imports as text!

So one field does, but the spreadsheet with multiple fields does not?

BB

[Anatoli]

Why don't you export TAB file from Excel?

[kenneth2k1]

Yes, as Anatoli said. TAB or .csv works very well. Or, you should be able to import .xls files directly from Excel into FM.

[bbaliner]

Anatoli,

I think you suggest a two step process:

1. export TAB file from Excel

2. Import this file into prepaired FM file

Im I correct? This would require to prepare an FM file with field names that exactly match the field names in TAB document. I liked dragging the Excel doc into FileMaker because the file's created on-the-fly:)

[danjacoby]

If you set up a FMP file first, creating text fields into which you want to import the data from Excel, then it should "import as text".

I am curious, however, as to what numbers you want to import as text. Could you give an example?

[bbaliner]

Dan,

The numbers I want to import as text should truely be text, because no math will ever be done on them. Some are id's with leading "0", while others are Soc Sec's.

I like the feature of dragging the Excel file into FMP icon, and wanted to forgo pre-creating the receiving file in FMP. Call me lazy