XL: Formatting and Charts Not Saved to .WQ1 Format

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c
• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, version 7.0
• Microsoft Excel 97 for Windows

SUMMARY

In Microsoft Excel, the formatting and any chart sheets contained in the file may be lost when you save the file in the Quattro Pro for DOS (.WQ1) file format (a format used by Corel Corporation's Quattro Pro spreadsheet application).

WORKAROUND

To ensure that most of the formatting is retained when you export a file to Quattro Pro, save the file in the WK1,FMT (1-2-3) (.WK1) file format. The WK1/FMT (1-2-3) file format can handle more formatting information than the .WQ1 file format. The latest versions of Quattro Pro can read the WK1/FMT format.

To save a file in the WK1/FMT file format:

1. Activate the sheet that you want to save. (Activating this sheet is necessary because only the active sheet will be saved.)

2. From the File menu, choose Save As.

3. In the File Name box, enter the new name of the file. For example, "TEST". It is not necessary to include an extension at the end of the file name.

4. From the Save File As Type box, select WK1/FMT (1-2-3).

5. Choose OK to save the file.

6. Choose OK when you receive the message "Selected file type will save only the active sheet."

Note that when you use the above workaround, any chart sheets contained in the file are not saved, as indicated in the message above.

MORE INFORMATION

When you save a file in the Quattro Pro for DOS format, formatting applied to the file will be affected in the following ways:

• Font information is not saved into the .WQ1 file. All fonts in the file are converted to a monospace font (usually Courier 12 point). Font attributes such as color, bold, italic, underline, and subscript or superscript are lost.
• Cell patterns that correspond to the Quattro Pro "light" and "dark" cell shading are converted and saved into the .WQ1 file. Other patterns are not saved.
• Because the .WQ1 file format does not support custom number formats, all cells that use custom number formats will be converted to a number format supported by the .WQ1 format.
• Right and bottom borders are not saved to the .WQ1 file (because the .WQ1 file format does not recognize them). Top and left borders ARE saved into the .WQ1 file.
• Embedded charts are not saved into the .WQ1 file. Note, however, that if a .WQ1 file saved from Quattro Pro contains embedded charts, Microsoft Excel will read those charts.
• When you save a file to the .WQ1 file format, only the current sheet is saved. If the current sheet is not a worksheet, .WQ1 (QuattroPro/DOS) is not an option in the Save As dialog box and chart sheets are not saved to the .WQ1 file format.