6 ms·

Don't get me started on the automatic conversion of strings that it thinks are in scientific notation into numbers - which you can't switch off! We have large

Don't get me started on the automatic conversion of strings that it thinks are in scientific notation into numbers - which you can't switch off! We have large data exports from systems that include things like unique location code. You accidentally happen to notice that a block of these look weird and it isn't just the display of them that has changed, the contents of the cell were changed by Excel automatically, without asking, and you cannot disable it. Absolute BS after all these years. I hate that they won't fix these niggling issues that keep tripping people up over the years and just make excuses. Microsoft's usual response is: "We only work on things that affect a large number of customers". Yeah Microsoft, if you keep closing these bug reports, then each time someone reports it, you can just say that it only affects one person and close it again. Or...you could show how amazing your company is by doing what most of us have to do: Fix it, add more debugging for the next time it happens if you can't recreate it, or have a properly tracked reason to say, "only a very few people have asked for this but changing it might break these other areas/bacwards compatability" or something.

tssva 2y ago
Is there a reason you don't specify the data type when importing or if it is a frequently used data file format automate the import using VBA specifying the correct data type?
- mark-r 2y ago
  If you open a CSV file without going through a specific import process, you don't even get the option to specify a data type. And once it's open it's too late to fix it, the original data is already gone.
  - tssva 2y ago
    The specific import process isn't some sort of esoteric process. It is the data import wizard. Also as I said if you are regularly importing data from a file with the same format writing some VBA to do so is pretty quick and simple task. Also your data isn't gone. It is still in the CSV file you imported it from. Re-import it.
    - mark-r 2y ago
      I would wager more people open a CSV by double-clicking on it rather than using the import data wizard. And even if you use the wizard it takes extra work to specify the type of each column, which most people won't bother with. Writing some VBA is a simple process if you're a programmer. I wonder how many genetic researchers fit that description? P.S. when I said "too late to fix it", I meant by some process within Excel. Of course you can re-import the original file, but maybe you only notice the problem after you've done a lot of work with it?
      - tssva 2y ago
        Expecting you to learn the basics about the tools you're using is not expecting too much. And if you are too lazy to spend a few seconds specifying data types then you get what you deserve.
        fshr 2y ago
        > Expecting you to learn the basics about the tools you're using is not expecting too much. Do you/have you worked in a corporate environment? You seem to have an idealistic view about how end users are expected to use Excel.
        tssva 2y ago
        I worked in corporate environments for decades. The original comment I responded to said they regularly imported large data sets and the in the case of the genetists they also are regularly importing data into Excel. In other words Excel is a regularly used and fundamental tool to their work. In this case I would expect someone to learn the basics of using it. Just as I would expect a developer to learn their editor, build system, version control system, etc.
    - XlA5vEKsMISoIln 2y ago
      Excel chews up CSVs that it opens. I know this because an accountant checked each file our code produced using Excel before trying to import it into another program. We proofread our code before we realizing the problem was somewhere else. Shoulder-surfed the process, found the giant bug with a green X on it.
vikingerik 2y ago
Yes, it's that last reason. Backwards bug compatibility. There are zillions of recorded macros and VBA scripts and other workflows by non-technical users that inadvertently depend on these behaviors in subtle ways. It's like all Javascript's weird warts, you can't change these behaviors without breaking old stuff somehow. It's true that Microsoft could say that more directly, but of course they'd rather just avoid that argument.
cynicalsecurity 2y ago
Why still use MS Office when LibreOffice is freely available?
- wruza 2y ago
  Does it fix subj-related issues?
- lotsoweiners 2y ago
  Because that is what your work gives you and what all of your coworkers use.
RajT88 2y ago
> Don't get me started on the automatic conversion of strings that it thinks are in scientific notation into numbers - which you can't switch off! Every week it bites me once or twice. Drives me bananas.

tssva 2y ago

Is there a reason you don't specify the data type when importing or if it is a frequently used data file format automate the import using VBA specifying the correct data type?

mark-r 2y ago
If you open a CSV file without going through a specific import process, you don't even get the option to specify a data type. And once it's open it's too late to fix it, the original data is already gone.
- tssva 2y ago
  The specific import process isn't some sort of esoteric process. It is the data import wizard. Also as I said if you are regularly importing data from a file with the same format writing some VBA to do so is pretty quick and simple task. Also your data isn't gone. It is still in the CSV file you imported it from. Re-import it.
  - mark-r 2y ago
    I would wager more people open a CSV by double-clicking on it rather than using the import data wizard. And even if you use the wizard it takes extra work to specify the type of each column, which most people won't bother with. Writing some VBA is a simple process if you're a programmer. I wonder how many genetic researchers fit that description? P.S. when I said "too late to fix it", I meant by some process within Excel. Of course you can re-import the original file, but maybe you only notice the problem after you've done a lot of work with it?
    - tssva 2y ago
      Expecting you to learn the basics about the tools you're using is not expecting too much. And if you are too lazy to spend a few seconds specifying data types then you get what you deserve.
      - fshr 2y ago
        > Expecting you to learn the basics about the tools you're using is not expecting too much. Do you/have you worked in a corporate environment? You seem to have an idealistic view about how end users are expected to use Excel.
        tssva 2y ago
        I worked in corporate environments for decades. The original comment I responded to said they regularly imported large data sets and the in the case of the genetists they also are regularly importing data into Excel. In other words Excel is a regularly used and fundamental tool to their work. In this case I would expect someone to learn the basics of using it. Just as I would expect a developer to learn their editor, build system, version control system, etc.
  - XlA5vEKsMISoIln 2y ago
    Excel chews up CSVs that it opens. I know this because an accountant checked each file our code produced using Excel before trying to import it into another program. We proofread our code before we realizing the problem was somewhere else. Shoulder-surfed the process, found the giant bug with a green X on it.

vikingerik 2y ago

Yes, it's that last reason. Backwards bug compatibility. There are zillions of recorded macros and VBA scripts and other workflows by non-technical users that inadvertently depend on these behaviors in subtle ways. It's like all Javascript's weird warts, you can't change these behaviors without breaking old stuff somehow. It's true that Microsoft could say that more directly, but of course they'd rather just avoid that argument.

cynicalsecurity 2y ago

Why still use MS Office when LibreOffice is freely available?

wruza 2y ago
Does it fix subj-related issues?
lotsoweiners 2y ago
Because that is what your work gives you and what all of your coworkers use.

RajT88 2y ago

> Don't get me started on the automatic conversion of strings that it thinks are in scientific notation into numbers - which you can't switch off! Every week it bites me once or twice. Drives me bananas.