Excel CSV import returns an SYLK file format error

Trying to open CSV file that my app had generated kept causing the following message to appear in Excel:

Excel has detected that ‘balhblah.csv’ is a SYLK file, but cannot load it. Either the file has error or it is not a SYLK file format. Click OK to try to open the file in a different format’

After many hours of pulling my hair out trying to work it out I discovered that if you make the first letters ID of a text file Excel incorrectly assumes you are trying to open an SYLK file (whatever one of those is!).

Hope that helps!

Comments

  1. 37 days ago Geoffrey Hashman said...

    I ran into this problem when creating a CSV file with the requirement that columns 1-2 of the first record – representing the first cell of the spreadsheet must contain uppercase “ID”.

    I kept getting “Unable to load SYLK file…” Ichanged that to “Id” – but that was not acceptable to the program into which this file was input.

    For the moment I have got around it by setting up the field as “ ID “ and seeing whther the next program is rigidly expecting :ID” in cols 1-2, or is it a “free-format field which allows for “ID” as floating characters.

    One can only hope and pray!!!

  2. 16 days ago Eric Blankenstein said...

    Thank you Alun for sharring this info – it has saved me pulling my hair and spending many hours to figure this out….

    Thank you and bless you for sharring this info.

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