Saving Some Numbers As CSV Changes To Dates

[Dazzawm]

I have some numbers in a normal excel sheet, but when I save as CSV it changes them to dates. How do I get round this please? Thanks.

For example

9-3 changes to 09-Mar
9-5 changes to 09-May

 

[ParamRay]

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[Dazzawm]

Any ideas anyone please?

 

[Dazzawm]

Help please someone, need it for work!!

 

[Dazzawm]

Anyone?

 

[Andrew Poulsom]

I think you will find that they aren't dates in the csv if you open it in Notepad. But they get converted to dates when you open the csv in Excel. To avoid that save the file as txt and use the Text Import Wizard to specify the column's data type when you open it in Excel.

 

[Dazzawm]

But the file needs to be saved as CSV as it will be uploaded to a program.

 

[Andrew Poulsom]

That will probably be OK provided that the program isn't Excel.

 

[Dazzawm]

If I do as you say and save the excel as text then import and select the column as text, when I save and close as csv it happens again. The file must be csv to be entered into the program and those particular cells must be 9-3 etc...

 

[joeu2004]

If I do as you say and save the excel as text then import and select the column as text, when I save and close as csv it happens again. The file must be csv to be entered into the program and those particular cells must be 9-3 etc

First, there is no need to save as TXT. You can save a CSV.

But the point is: when you want to "open" the file later in Excel, you must always use Get External Data > From Text. And you must select Text for the (input) column data. That's just the way Excel works.