How to import data with leading zero

I am having the same problem too!

Anyone out there figure it out?

And yes, sometimes I need to use leading zeros.

Norm

Revise your CSV file to indicate that all data is text. In a Text editor, use Find/Replace to Find the comma (,) and replace it with a comma followed by a single straight quote (,'). You'll also need to enter one manually before the first piece of data (if this is a number which you want to have treated as text).

The straight single quote is a flag that indicates what follows is to be treated as text. While you may be able to see it in the entry bar when you select a cell, the flag does not display in the cell, nor does it print.

Flagging everything is generally easier than flagging only the codes with leading zeroes.

Regards,
Barry

Actually, I 'discovered' this while using OpenOffice.org, an Open Software Office 'clone' to clean up some data before moving it from an old Library Management System application that used a fixed field length DB system. To get the data into OOo, it had to be exported from the original application in dBase format ( a .dbf file ), which cold then be imported into an OOo spreadsheet (or, I assume into Excel).

After the import, I noticed that the "numbers" had retained their leading zeros, and when I clicked on one the value in the entry bar began with a straight single quote. That led to a little experimentation with Numbers after reading your question, and to the answer I supplied.

Your feedback to Apple makes sense to me.

Thanks for the feedback here.

Regards,
Barry

ProfT,

If your zip codes are all 5-digit you can use Custom Cell Format to restore/impose leading zeros. If you have some long form codes in the mix, Barry's more general solution would be preferred.

Jerry