Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

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rankine
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Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

hi there,
cluless novice here who can't get started.
would be grateful for some clues / help

trying to dowload a csv file into open office spreadsheet
the default option in the popup for the dowload is given as microsoft excel
i browse to change it to openoffice3.2
a open office pop up named 'filter selection' opens
huge list...
i pick the 'Text CSV' option
the pop up for that option opens to ask me to okay it as tab delimited
i do and get an error message - 'general input/ output error'
i've tried a few other options fro the 'filter selection' list. same story...
when i go back to my dowloads window and click onto the file again it comes up in a folder as a microsoft excel file!
i can open this and it's dowloaded succesfully as an excel file even though i asked for it to be dowloaded in open office

thanks in advance for assistance
best,
rankine
open office 3.2
windows
FJCC
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Re: can't open csv file as openoffice spreadsheet

Post by FJCC »

Let's worry later about opening the file in OpenOffice.org directly from the web. Try these steps:
1. Save the file on your computer. It will likely have the icon of an Excel file because Excel claims csv files. You can ignore that. It will not have changed the file's format.
2. Start OOo and open a blank Calc file
3. Choose the menu Insert -> Sheet From File
4. Select the Text CSV file type and choose your file.
5. The input filter will appear. Set it up so the file looks right.
6. Click the Ok on the final dialog
Does that method work?
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rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

hi,
thanks for your help!

so, to save it i had to open it and it opened as an excel file.
i then followed the steps you set out and managed to save it as an open office spreadsheet file. though i didn't play around with it too much and the formatting is a bit odd.
the thing is i want to be able to dowload direct to open office because i only have a trial copy of excel on this computer, which is not going to let me use it without a key beyond a number of 'hits', and which i want to avoid paying for, hence dowloading office in the first place!

thanks for any further thoughts,
best,
billymac
open office 3.2
windows
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therabi
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by therabi »

rankine wrote:hi,
thanks for your help!

so, to save it i had to open it and it opened as an excel file.
i then followed the steps you set out and managed to save it as an open office spreadsheet file. though i didn't play around with it too much and the formatting is a bit odd.
the thing is i want to be able to dowload direct to open office because i only have a trial copy of excel on this computer, which is not going to let me use it without a key beyond a number of 'hits', and which i want to avoid paying for, hence dowloading office in the first place!

thanks for any further thoughts,
best,
billymac
You are saying "download". How are you downloading the csv file? When downloading from the internet you should have the option to open or save a file. Do you not have the option?
OpenOffice.org v3.3, LibO v3.32 on Ubuntu 10.10 and Win7
rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

ok, so saved it as open office file in my dowloads folder
opened office spreadsheet and went to 'insert sheet from file'
picked out the file and got the 'filter selection' box
...again clicked on 'text sv' and got error message
open office 3.2
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floris v
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by floris v »

Don't save it as an OpenOffice.org file, just save it as it is, then open it with Calc. Don't make things harder for yourself than they already are.
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rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

sorry, i don't understand, surely i've got to open / save it with a particular application. how can i save it 'as it is'?
'as it is' would be the default option in the dialogue box - excel
hase any one had to deal with the 'filter selection' box?
open office 3.2
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rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

does the fact that the file is zipped change anything?
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floris v
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by floris v »

That's exactly what I sort of thought. First unzip it, then open the unzipped file. I don't know of any program that will open files in a zip file if you tell it to open the zip file. It's the same with chocolates: you remove the wrapper before you eat them.
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rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

ok,
sorry for the preposterous cluelessness, but i guess...how do i do that?
like i'm not getting a dialogue box asking me if i want to unzip the file.
with default excel option i don't seem to need to unzip it
with openoffice i'm being asked to pick a 'filter selection' - is this the application asking me how to unzip?
but as stated above, i get error message when i choose a selection
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floris v
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by floris v »

Is it okay for you to upload that original file here or somewhere else, or to post a link to the original? We seem to have a huge communication problem here. Or post the file name - with extension, that's the part after the period. And just to be sure, make sure that in your Windows Explorer folder options you have turned Hide extensions of known file types off.
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rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

the file name is billymac-inventory-20100919-0537.zip
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floris v
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by floris v »

Okay, that settles it, then it's a zip file. Zip files are compressed so they take less space. Only special software can handle such files. You didn't say what version of Windows you have, but if the icon of the file looks like a yellow folder with a zipper across it, you can double click it in Windows explorer top open it. You can then drag the file(s) inside it to another location. When you've done that, you should be able to open that/those file(s). If you have a really old version of Windows, you'll have to download a program to extract the files, like Winzip or 7-Zip, unless you already have that.
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rankine
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by rankine »

the file has an openoffice icon and if i double click it the aforementioned 'filter selection' box opens...
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floris v
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Re: Can't open csv file as OpenOffice.org spreadsheet

Post by floris v »

That's normal for csv, you might have used another character as a column separator, for instance. Just make sure that you have a real csv file now - you can open it with Notepad and then it should look normal. There should be a preview of the structure at the bottom of the dialog box - make sure that you select the correct separator, but that should be a comma.
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