WD: Microsoft Excel Worksheet Comes in as Tab-Delimited Text

• Microsoft Word for Macintosh, versions 5.0, 5.1, 6.0

SYMPTOM

After you copy and paste, convert, link, or publish and subscribe to a range of cells from a Microsoft Excel worksheet, the information appears as tab-delimited text instead of as the expected table.

CAUSE

The Microsoft Excel range exceeds 22 inches. Word cannot accommodate a range of more than 22 inches because the maximum page width in Word is 22 inches.

NOTE: Although the text is displayed properly in Microsoft Word 98 Macintosh Edition, the 22-inch width limitation still exists.

WORKAROUND

Reduce the size of the Microsoft Excel range so that it is narrower than 22 inches.

To quickly change the column width in Microsoft Excel 4.0, follow these steps:

1. Select the columns you want to change.

2. From the Format menu, choose Column Width.

3. In the Column Width dialog box, enter a smaller number in the Column Width text box and choose OK.

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 Word 98 Macintosh Edition.

MORE INFORMATION

The following topics list different methods of importing data from Microsoft Excel and give details about what to expect from each method.

Copy and Paste

When you copy and paste a range of cells from Microsoft Excel, the range is normally pasted in as a table; however, if the range is wider than 22 inches, it is pasted into Word in tab-delimited format.

Converting

You can open Microsoft Excel spreadsheets directly using the Microsoft Excel converter. The converter usually brings spreadsheet ranges in as tables, but if the imported range exceeds 22 inches, Word displays the range in tab-delimited format.

OLE

When you paste-link a range of cells from Excel, normally Word offers link- formatting choices including Best and Formatted Text (RTF). To paste-link the range into Word as a table, choosing either of these formats. If you try to paste-link a range of cells wider than 22 inches, Best and Formatted Text (RTF) do not appear as link-formatting choices. The remaining possible choices are listed in the following table.

   Format             Description
   ------------------------------------------------------------------

   Unformatted Text   Causes the range to link as tab-delimited text.

   Picture            Causes the range to link as a graphic. The graphic
                      will be cut off on the right side.

   Excel              Embeds the range as an object within the Word
                      document. The embedded object will be cut off on the
                      right side, and you will not be able to resize it in
                      Word. To make the object fit in the Word document,
                      double-click the object and use the options provided
                      by Microsoft Excel to make the columns narrower.

Publish and Subscribe

When you subscribe to an edition from Word 5.0, Word automatically uses Best Format.

When you subscribe from Word 5.1, Word offers four subscription-format choices. Each choice gives a different result when you subscribe to a Microsoft Excel range that is wider than 22 inches.

   Format                 Description
   ---------------------------------------------------------------------

   Best Format and        Do not work correctly; results in the
   Formatted Text (RTF)   subscription appear as a pair of back-to-back
                          gray brackets.

   Unformatted Text       Causes the range to link as tab-delimited text.

   Picture                Brings in the subscription as a graphic, which
                          includes the row and column headings if you have
                          them showing in Microsoft Excel. The right side
                          of the graphic is cut off because Word cannot
                          display more than 22 inches of the graphic.