Export to Excel doesn't create xlsx file

[Bob Bower]

Hi Brendon,
When exporting a list to Excel, it now only gives me a txt file not an xlsx file. Previous versions seemed to work well. I’m running Version 5.2.11 (Build 1787) and the old Microsoft Office Excel for Mac 2011 14.2.0.
Thanks,
Bob
P.S. Also, when I’m typing in a text field, say a piece of prose, when I hit carriage return, instead of inserting the return to create a new line, it instead selects all the text in the field. A bit odd. I tried using shift return as well bit the same occurs.

[Brendan]

Hi Bob,

Do you definitely have XLSX selected on the Export Records screen?

Also make sure the filename has .xlsx as the file extension.

It sounds like you have a Text field instead of a Note field. To get proper linefeeds in your content, you’ll need to switch that field to a Note field instead.

Thanks,

Brendan

[Bob Bower]

Hi Brendan,

Yes, I am definitely choosing xlsx (as opposed to a CSV file.)

In Finder, I tried changing the .txt with a .xlsx suffix and then Excel said it could not open that file or format. Not sure why it still only saves a txt file.

Thanks for the tip re: carriage return in a text field and to use a note field. So, you don’t like having a functional carriage return in a text field? I would think that would be useful and commonly needed. I wonder why hitting return highlights all text in the field like Command A. I can’t remember why I chose not to use the note option when I created it way back. I think I stuck with the text field option.

[Brendan]

When you export from Tap Forms, make sure the file extension is .xlsx, not changing it in the Finder. On the Save As dialogue you should have .xlsx as the extension.

As for the Text field, it’s the natural behaviour of the NSTextField control that I use. For a Note field I use an NSTextView control and that allows for linefeeds within the content.

[Bob Bower]

Hi Brendan,

SOLVED! Sorry: my mistake. Yes, I was changing the name (a long one) not realizing I was deleting the .xlsx suffix as well. (Schtupid me!) Thanks for the help.
Amazing program as always (super service too!) Loving it more each day. Where else can you get 2 knowledgable replies in 2 hours on a Saturday to solve your own problem? No where.
Thanks again,
Bob
Testimonial: Sept 1, 2018
The Association Of Bahamas Marinas uses Tap Forms 30 hours a week as a Mac-friendly membership and CRM database. Half the time I use it in list spreadsheet mode for fast updating and content checking. Half the time I use it in form mode for all kinds of customized documents: printed labels, shipping manifests, contracts, personalized bulk letters, sales tracking, basic accounting and much more. It seems you can do anything you want—-and easily. If you have two, three or four businesses with many common contacts, as I do, Tap Forms will save you lots of time.
Not only is the software excellent, so to is he support and service. Responses are intelligent and usually immediate, within a couple hours. Like the vast majority of the Tap Forms community, Tap Forms is worthy of great praise.
Bob Bower, Marketing Producer – Association Of Bahamas Marinas, Nassau, Bahamas
Country Manager Bahamas & Turks & Caicos Islands – Waterway Guide Media LLC
Writer/Researcher – Fodor’s Travel Guides, Bahamas.

[Brendan]

Excellent!

I’m glad that solved the problem.

And thanks for the testimonial!

I’d love to visit the Bahamas one day :)

[bluebanana]

I had no luck exporting to Excel. TP produces an .xlsx file but Numbers will not read it. I solved my issue by exporting to a CSV file and Numbers read it just fine.

I didn’t change any parameters so used all the default settings. The output file in both cases was the name of the Form with either .xlsx or .csv appended.

I’m using version 5.3 (Build 918)

[Brendan]

Ah ok… I think I know the problem. I’m working on a fix for it now. I did some rearchitecting of Tap Forms to split the core business logic into a separate framework and the XLSX writer went along with it, but I neglected to test the Excel exporter after doing that. Thanks for finding this bug.

[Brendan]

Ok, I’ve fixed it. It will be in the next update.

[Bob Bower]

Hi Brendan, Thanks again. Can’t think of any software where you get so fast solutions.

Bob

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