KB201115 - ACC2000: Exporting to Fixed-Width Text File Left-Aligns Numbers

Article ID: 201115

Article Last Modified on 6/30/2004

Microsoft Access 2000 Standard Edition

This article was previously published under Q201115

Moderate: Requires basic macro, coding, and interoperability skills.

For a Microsoft Access 2002 version of this article, see 288572.

SYMPTOMS

When you export a table that contains a Number or a Currency field to a fixed-width text file, the numbers in the table become left-aligned.

CAUSE

Because the numbers are being exported to a fixed-width text file, Microsoft Access pads zeros to the right of the number until it meets the proper field width.

RESOLUTION

To make the numbers align with the decimal and pad zeros to the left instead of to the right, you must first determine the maximum length of the Number or Currency field. Use this number of zeros in the Format() function below. Next, you must determine the number of decimal places that the field in question uses. Use this value to determine how many zeros to place after the decimal point in the Format() function below. Finally, create a query based on the following Microsoft Access SQL statement:

SELECT DISTINCTROW
Format([MyNumber],"0000.00") AS [Expr1]
INTO [MyNewTable]
FROM [MyOldTable];

For this example, the SQL statement assumes that you have the following table:

   Table: MyOldTable
   -----------------
   Field Name: MyNumber
   Data Type: Currency

It also assumes that the longest value in the MyNumber field is 7 characters (including the decimal point and decimal places) and that each value has two decimal places. This Microsoft Access SQL statement, when typed in the SQL window in the query-by-example (QBE) grid, makes a new table called MyNewTable with the MyNumber field padded to the left with zeros.

When you use this Microsoft Access SQL statement in a query, the data from MyOldTable is formatted with decimal justification and placed in a new table called MyNewTable.

MORE INFORMATION

Steps to Reproduce Behavior

Create the following table:

      Table: MyOldTable
      -----------------
      Field Name: MyNumber
      Data Type: Currency

Enter the following numbers in the table:
34.5
123.56
4578.90
On the File menu, click Export and select the Text Files option. When the Export Text Wizard prompts you, click Fixed Width, and then click Finish.
Open the exported text file in any text editor, such as Notepad, and view the numbers. Note that they appear as follows:
$34.5000
$123.560
$4578.90

REFERENCES

For additional information, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

210052 ACC2000: How to Export Right- or Left-Aligned Fields to a Text File

Additional query words: importing/exporting leading zeros prb

Keywords: kbprb kb3rdparty KB201115