I experienced problem exporting to excel. Excel never opens no error NO lockup. After restarting Developer a few times and rebooting PC a few times I did experimentation; reducing the export to individual fields/columns and localized it to just one.

Via substr testing on that field I found the records whose field was driving the mis-behavour.

All of them begin with a equal sign (see enclosed below). We probably have more occurrances in different fields in different tables. I hope that this can be verified at your end and fixed.

Thanks

Dave

= = = DISCONNECT ONLY = = =
= = = = DISCONNECT = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = = = DISCONNECT = = =
= = = = = DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = = = =DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = = = DISCONNECTED = =
= = = = = DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = = = DISCONNECTED= = = =
= = = = =DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = = =DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = = CANCELLED = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECT = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECT= = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED= = = = =
= = = = DISCONNECTED=====
= = = = MOVED = = = =
= = = = MOVED = = = = =
= = = = MOVED = =(114370-4220)
= = = = TO DISCONNECT= = = = =
= = = =DISCONNECT = = =
= = = =DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = =DSICONNETED = = = = =
= = = =MOVED = = =
= = = CANCELLED ORDER = = =
= = = CANCELLED= = = = =
= = = D-UPG 114370-4964 = = =
= = = DISC (SEE 114370-4722) =
= = = DISCONNECT
= = = DISCONNECT = = =
= = = DISCONNECT = = =
= = = DISCONNECT = = =
= = = DISCONNECT = = = =
= = = DISCONNECT = = = = =
= = = DISCONNECT= = = =
= = = DISCONNECTED
= = = DISCONNECTED (MOVED)
= = = DISCONNECTED = =
= = = DISCONNECTED = = =
= = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = = DISCONNECTED = = = = =
= = = DISCONNECTED = = = MOVE
= = = DISCONNECTED = = = MOVED
= = = DISCONNECTED = == =
= = = DISCONNECTED == = = =
= = = DSICONNECT = = =
= = = DSICONNECTED = = =
= = = MOVED SEE 114370-4962= =
= = = MOVED= = =
= = = SEE 114370-5013 = = =
= = = TO BE DISCONNECTED = = =
= = =DISCONNECT = = =
= = =MOVED SEE 114370-4806 = =
= = =SEE 114370-4977 = = =
= = DISC'D SEE114370-4741 = =
= = DISCONNECTED (MOVE) = = =
= = DISCONNECTED (MOVED)
= = DISCONNECTED = = =
= = DISCONNECTED = = = =
= = DISCONNECTED-MOVED= = =
= = MOVED SEE 114385-365 = = =
= = SEE 114370-2111 = = = = =
= = SEE 114370-4978 = = =
= =SEE 114370-4793= = = =
= DISC'D /SEE 114370-4902 = =
= MOVED TO 614969-76 = = =
= MOVED/ SEE 114370-5015 = =
== = = DISCONNECTED = = = =
== = =DISCONNETED (MOVE) = = =
=== DISCONNECT = = = =
===== DISCONNECTED =====
======MOVED / DISCONNECTED ===
=====DISCONNECTED = = = = =
=====DISCONNECTED========
====DISCONNECTED===

This is indeed an error. We'll fix it.

Great Marco

Thanks as always

We're having the same problem. The issue seems to still exist in version 7.1.5.1398. Any idea when it may be fixed?

This is planned for 8.0.

Hi,
we are using Version 8.0.1.1501, still the same problem.

Workarround:
Select replace(<text_col>, '=', '''=') from <table>;

Ditto. Using version 8.0.0.1480

A better implemtation of the workaround simply to add a ' prefix to the column data (i.e. prefixing every instance of = with ' is not necessary).

SELECT ''''||<text_col> FROM <table>;

If Excel determines the column format as General it will balk at an entry beginning w/ ==. If the string begins with any text character and contains multiple instances of = Excel doesn't care.

Still this workaround is not 100% as the copy to Excel will properly identify the string prefixed by a ' as a text field. The resulting column copied to Excel is the literal string that contains the single quote: '===== (This may depend on Excel version -- I'm using 2007)

The root of the problem appears to be related to how the column datatype is identified to Excel on copy. In general terms if the column format is General the ' is required at the beginning to identify the text string as a non-formula. If the column is format is Text the leading ' is not required, indeed if present it will be part of the text.

However, there are problems with Text formatting as well. If a value starts with "=" and is more than 1024 characters long, formatting this cell as Text will cause "Formula too long" or "cell data too large" errors. General formatting with a leading apostrophe will not have this problem.

(At least it used to be this way on old versions of Excel. This may have been changed by now.)