Adding double quotes around numeric data field

[skip]

Hi,
I need to add double quotes around data in a spreadsheet. I found a custom cell format that works with text ("''"@"''" that is quote,2 apostrophes, quote,@, quote, 2 apostrophes, quote) but it doesn't affect fields with numbers.
Any ideas? Thanks in advance!!

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[kweaver]

Your custom format worked for me in 2010 with numbers IFF I applied the customer format FIRST, then entered the number. Hmmm.

[RetiredGeek]

K,

It works because when you do that you are entering text not numbers. Try to sum() them and you 'll get 0!

[sdckapr]

Try a custom format like:
'"'0'"'[single quote][dbl quote][single quote][zero][single quote][dbl quote][single quote]

Steve

[kweaver]

I knew it was text when you format first, then insert the "number"...
Unless you format first, the custom format doesn't seem to handle numbers for this example.

Unless I did something incorrect, Steve's approach, which I also tried, returns a '0' unfortunately.

I suspect the only way is using concatenation.

[sdckapr]

Steve's approach, which I also tried, returns a '0' unfortunately.

Sorry, should have tested it. Try this:
''0''[single quote][single quote][zero][single quote][single quote]

Not really a dbl quote it is 2 single quotes, but it looks like what you want and it is about the appearance.

Steve
PS or even, if you want a general format rather than whole numbers

''general''[single quote][single quote][general][single quote][single quote]

[RetiredGeek]

I'm curious as to why the OP wants to do this?

[skip]

I'm not sure if I am the OP but we are importing journal entries into an accounting system. We can use either ASCII or a delimited file (*.DEL). All data requires double quotes and a comma in between. Thanks for all the help!

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[RetiredGeek]

Skip,

Yes, you were the OP {Original Poster}. I thought that might be what you are up to. I find it unusual that the program would require quotes around mumbers. Standard practice for delimited files is to have quotes only around strings w/spaces although most export routines will put quotes around all strings and commas to delimit the fields. Have you tried just saving the worksheet as a .csv file and renaming it to .del? Of course you would need to format your numbers so they did not have commas in them.

[skip]

Ah, OP (Original Poster), now I get it. Yes, it is unusual and the backend is MS SQL. Optional fields (blank) also need the double quotes. Without them the import fails.

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