XL98: Entire Text File Appears in One Merged Cell When You Open the File (179032)

SYMPTOMS

If you create a text file that contains at least two Hypertext Markup Language (HTML) tags and you then open that file in Microsoft Excel, the entire text file may appear in a single merged cell (for example, A1).

Also, depending on the quantity and type of HTML tags in the text file, Microsoft Excel may unexpectedly quit. When this behavior occurs, the following error message may appear:

The Application "Microsoft Excel" has unexpectedly quit, because an error of type 2 occurred.
You should save your work in other open applications and restart the computer.

CAUSE

This problem may occur if the text file contains a large number of HTML tags but no table tags. For example, the problem may occur if the file does not contain the following table tags:

   <Table>
   <TR>
   <TD>

These tags force Microsoft Excel to parse the data into separate rows or columns.

NOTE: This problem may also occur if the only tags that are in the text document are the <HTML> </HTML> tags.

WORKAROUND

To resolve this problem, do the following:

Reduce the number of HTML tags in the text document. -or-
Use table tags so the data is not imported into a single cell. -or-
Reduce the amount of text in the text document.

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the Microsoft products listed at the beginning of this article. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.