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trying to save an excel spreadsheet as a XML file but when i do this and open up again in excel the columns which I have grouped are now just hidden

Anonymous
2012-05-24T11:46:36+00:00

Hi all,

I am trying to save an excel spreadsheet as a XML file but when i do this and open up again in excel the columns which I have grouped are now just hidden. Can anyone explain how to sort this out?

Cheers

Ben

Microsoft 365 and Office | Excel | For home | MacOS

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  1. Jim G 134K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2012-06-01T17:54:15+00:00

    Rather than using Save As > Excel 2004 XML Spreadsheet (.xml), maybe if you choose the default save as Excel (.xlsx) format you'd be better off.

    You can change the file extension of a (.xlsx) file to (.zip) in Finder. Then, also in Finder, double-click the Zip file to expose the folder structure of the Office Open XML file. You can get at the text of the XML files that way.

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  2. Anonymous
    2012-05-29T08:54:24+00:00

    Also, when attempting to save this document the following message appears:

    'Some features will not be saved in the XML spreadsheet.

    The following features from your workbook will not be saved in the XML spreadsheet:

    • Outline information'

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  3. Anonymous
    2012-05-29T08:48:59+00:00

    Hi,

    Sorry wrote this in a rush so didn't go into a great amount of detail! I highlighted the columns -> Data -> Group and Outline -> Group

    Thanks a lot

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  4. Jim G 134K Reputation points MVP Volunteer Moderator
    2012-05-27T20:06:01+00:00

    What steps did you take to group the columns? There isn't a "group columns" command in Excel so we don't know what you did to the columns.

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  5. Anonymous
    2012-05-24T14:55:58+00:00

    I don't know that this will help or not, so try and report back with it did or didn't.

    Format menu > Columns look for unhide. If there the click it. See what happens. If unhide is greyed out or missing altogether the the act of saving as XML  altered the file some way. I've never saved as XML so I am not familiar with what it alters.

    IF it didn't help them someone with better knowledge that can step in and say whether that's normal

    You may have to open a Blank document and then import the file. rather than just trying to open it.

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