Clean Excel files in Expression Web

Tina Clarke

Excel files content when inserted into Expression Web usually brings across some horrendous formatting that is unwanted. This simple workaround gives you nice clean content with no extraneous formatting

Open excel file in Excel and save as CSV

Fig 1 - Save File as Type - CSV

File | Save As | Other Formats (Excel 07) - where it says 'File as type' click the drop down arrow and select CSV (Comma delimited) (*.csv)
Press Save

Open your web site in Expression Web and import CSV file

Fig 2 - Import CSV file

In Expression Web go to File | Import | File | Add file - browse to the location of the file you just saved and select Press Open then Ok on the 'Import' Dialog box. The file will then appear in Expression Web.

Open CSV file in Notepad and copy contents

Fig 3 - Open With - Notepad

Right click on the file in Folder View (Alt + F1 to open or you can select it from the Panels menu) and choose Open With | and select Notepad, if notepad is not available select choose Program and browse to it.

NOTE: Remember to un-tick Associate files of this type with the selected program. (IMPORTANT)

Press ok and a text file will appear, right click and press Select All - right click again and press Copy

Paste contents into page and convert text to table

Go back to Expression Web open the page you wish the table to appear in and right click and press Paste.

Fig 4 - Text To Table Dialog box

Select the pasted text you just inserted and go to the Table menu - Click Convert - Text to Table, the Convert Text To Table Dialog box will appear, select the commas radio button and press ok.

Fig 5 - Select Commas radio button

Your file will now appear in a normal table with no formatting or inline styles, proceed to style the table as you wish.

Created April 2010

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