XL: Border Displayed as Extended Characters in Multiplan File

• Microsoft Excel for Windows 95, versions 7.0, 7.0a
• Microsoft Excel for Windows, versions 5.0, 5.0c

SYMPTOMS

In Microsoft Excel, when you open a Multiplan file that contains a border, the border is displayed as extended ASCII characters.

CAUSE

In Multiplan, you can create a border in your worksheet by entering extended ASCII characters using the ALT key, such as ALT+0169, or ALT+0190. These characters display as line drawing characters, and they are supported in MS-DOS applications. However, these same line drawing characters are not supported in Microsoft Windows.

Because of this, when you open a Multiplan file that contains line drawing characters into Microsoft Excel, these characters are displayed as extended characters such as the copyright symbol, superscript numbers, and the paragraph mark symbol.

WORKAROUND

To correct this behavior, you must apply cell border formatting after you open the file in Microsoft Excel, instead of applying it in Multiplan.

Additionally, you can delete the incorrect characters that appear when you open a Multiplan file with border formatting in Microsoft Excel.

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.

MORE INFORMATION

For more information about opening Multiplan files in Microsoft Excel, query on the following words in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

   native and multiplan and format

REFERENCES

For more information about Multiplan Files And Microsoft Excel, choose the Search button in Help and type:

   Multiplan