Thanks Niek, I follow you now. My problem was the data was downloading as csv
and automatically changing, but I found a way of downloading it as ascii
delimited and then I can open it the way you suggested.

Much obliged

Harry

"Niek Otten" wrote:

<as soon as I open the data in excel it is changed into date format.

I don't understand that. If I open a txt file in Excel, I first have to choose between fixed width and separated. Then, don't
click Finish, but next, you see the fields excel proposes, click Next again and you can click each column and choose a data type.
Can't you?

--
Kind regards,

Niek Otten


"Harmitage" wrote in message ...
| Thanks Niek
|
| The problem is the data is changed as soon as it is loaded into excel so
| data is converted into dates before I have the opportunity to save it in
| another format. I can download the data into a txt file using any basic
| program such as notepad, but again as soon as I open the data in excel it is
| changed into date format.
|
| Cheers
|
| H
|
| "Niek Otten" wrote:
|
| Do you read CSV files? If so, change the name of the file to a .TXT file. Then you will have the opportunity to format each
field
| the way you like.
|
| --
| Kind regards,
|
| Niek Otten
|
| "Harmitage" wrote in message ...
| | How do I stop excel automatically changing entiries with a / to a date? I am
| | downloading data such as 7/1 so formatting the cells as text beforehand
| | doesn't work.
|
|
|