XL98: Dialog Boxes in File Conversion Wizard May Be Confusing

ID: q178011

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition

SYMPTOMS

When you use the File Conversion Wizard in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition and you click Select in either the "File Conversion Wizard - Step 1 of 3" or the "File Conversion Wizard - Step 3 of 3" dialog box, the dialog box that appears may be confusing and difficult to use.

CAUSE

This problem occurs because the wizard uses a standard system dialog box instead of a customized dialog box when you click Select.

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use the appropriate method for your situation.

You Click Select in Step 1 of the Wizard

The File Conversion Wizard displays the Select A Document dialog box even when you are selecting a folder. To use the dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Use the list box and the pop-up menu (above the list box) to select

   the folder you want to use.

2. Within the folder, select any file. Then, click Select.

Note that if you click Select when a folder is selected in the list, that folder is opened. To actually use the selected folder, you must select a file in the folder, and then click Select.

You Click Select in Step 3 of the Wizard

The File Conversion Wizard displays the Save As dialog box even when you are selecting a folder. To use the dialog box, follow these steps:

1. Use the list box and the pop-up menu (above the list box) to select

   the folder you want to use.

2. Click Save.

Note that changing the Save As box or the Save File As Type list has no effect.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article.

MORE INFORMATION

The File Conversion Wizard, which is included in the Microsoft Office 98 Macintosh Edition Value Pack, is designed to help you convert files from one format to another in Microsoft Excel 98 Macintosh Edition. After you install the File Conversion Wizard, you can use it by pointing to Wizard on the Tools menu and clicking File Conversion.

By default, the File Conversion Wizard assumes that the files you want to convert are stored in the Microsoft Office 98 folder on your hard disk. The wizard also assumes that you want to save your converted files in the same folder.

You can change the folders that are used by clicking Select in either step 1 or step 3 of the wizard. When you click Select, the following commands are used to display the folder selection dialog boxes.

   Click Select Button in     Command Used
   --------------------------------------------------------

   Step 1 dialog box          Application.GetOpenFileName
   Step 3 dialog box          Application.GetSaveAsFileName

Note that these commands are designed to be used with file names, not folders. Therefore, it may be confusing to use these dialog boxes to select folders.

Additional query words: XL98 unintuitive

Keywords          : kbtool xlloadsave xladdins xl123Quattro 
Version           : MACINTOSH:98
Platform          : MACINTOSH
Issue type        : kbprb

Last Reviewed: November 6, 1998