Column widths changing between users.

Question

Hello. The issue is one user opens a template xls file. They fill out predetermined fields, and click a button that organizes all the information together for easy export to another file format. At this point, the first user saves and sends the file to another user. When this user gets the file, column widths are not formatted properly and he has to manually edit each one to the correct diminsions. When the original user and I open the file, we both see the proper field widths. It seems so odd to me that we can all open the same file but see it 2 different ways. How do I fix this for the second user?

Answer 1

Somewhere in the recesses of my deteriorating brain is the thought that without a printer hooked up you cannot format in Excel.

i.e.  no printer  no wysiwyg

So............I project from that thought that the printer has much to say about formatting but not sure enough to lay my pension on it.

Could be that the printer influences printing setup only, not on-screen formatting.

Just threw that out earlier hoping it would have an effect if printers got swapped around.

I've tried changing my default printer to see what would occur..........nothing AFAICS

Hope I haven't started a race to nowhere<g>

Gord

Answer 2

Courtney wrote:

Changing default font did not work. There's not much difference between our machines other than hardware specs. All 3 machines run Win 7 pro 64 bit and use Office 2010

What about display aspect ratio:  all 16:9 (wide) or 4:3 (normal)?  What about screen resolution?  For example, mine is 1024x768.

Following up on Gord's comment, you had said that some/all the systems use different printers.  What happens if you configure them temporarily to all use Microsoft XPS Document Writer? [1]

(Note:  You probably need to exit and re-enter Excel.)

This is just for diagnostic purposes; just to see if the problem is printer-related.  (I'd be surprised, other than the selection of the default font, which you have already tried to no avail.)

Of course, if it is printer-related, that is not a solution since it is unreasonable to require that all users have compatible printers.

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[1] The MS XPS Doc Writer is always in the Printer control panel in WinXP.  I don't know if it's in the Printer configuration panel in Win7.  If not, is there a "standard" printer common to all systems (without require driver installation) that you can configure, even if it is not functional?

Answer 3

Changing default font did not work. There's not much difference between our machines other than hardware specs. All 3 machines run Win 7 pro 64 bit and use Office 2010

Answer 4

Courtney wrote:

It's literally the column width that is changed. When you right click column A and view column width, his reads 4.89 when it needs to be 5.0 (which shows on my machine and the original user).

We are 3 people, 2 seeing it the right way, and one person opening the exact same file and seeing it differently. Same save file.... Makes no sense IMO. I'm sure there's some wacky thing causing it, hopefully someone out there knows what it is.

I understand exactly the problem you are encountering.  Same thing happens to me.  I am very interested in a reasonable explanation and solution.

Gord, what does the default printer have to do with it?  Could screen geometry (also) be a factor?

Courtney, what is similar and different among the systems where it works and does not work?

In my case, the differences are literally an ocean apart.  Too much distance to analyze.  Some of the differences....  WinXP v. Win7.  4:3 v. 16:9 aspect ratio perhaps.  Originally, XL2003 v. XL2010; but I think that is no longer an issue.

Note that column width units are "the average number of digits 0-9 of the standard font (standard font: The default text font for worksheets. The standard font determines the default font for the Normal cell style.) that fit in a cell".

(That definition comes from XL2003 Help.  I cannot find similar information using XL2010 Help. :-<)

So the salient difference might be:  what is the default font on each system?

It might be sufficient to look at the font used for the Normal cell style.