Can I export to OpenOffice spreadsheet?
Aren't there other Mac OS QB users who do not have Excel installed? OO supports all the macros, etc. If QB would just export to an XLS file, I could launch OO myself. Perhaps that's an option?
You might want to use the feedback feature inside of QB to ask for this feature to be added,
I would like to see them add Apples Numbers application also.
Ron
I agree with rjkconst that you might use the Quickbooks > Feedback menu to request this.
There is a workaround - but it is not as satisfactory as simply allowing the Excel button to just save the XLS file, which would then work with OpenOffice and Numbers.
When you are viewing a report, you can use File > Save to save it as a text file. In the Save dialog, choose to use Tab as the delimiter.
In Finder, manually add the extension ".csv" to the file name.
When you open the file in OpenOffice, you'll get the text import dialog. Select Tab (only) as the "separated by" value, click OK.
Here is what you will miss by editing the text file rather than a true XLS export:
1. Report title / date
2. Formatting / fonts including lines for totals
3. Formulas - the totals in the Excel export are actual formulas; those in the text file are just text.
Still, if the reason for the export was just to do better formatting than is permitted by QB itself, you can now do that with these extra steps.
Here is a screenshot showing Excel 2008 open with a report after clicking the "Export to Excel" button in the QB 2010 Mac report window, and below it, what I see in OO after importing the csv file.
This 'workaround' does not mean I don't 100% agree with your wish. Please ask for it on the feedback form.
This does not help us on the Mac, but just to show the options that QB Windows has had for many years with this issue, here are two screenshots showing the results of the Export button in a QuickBooks report window there.
Note that there is not an option to save as XLS there either - only to open in a new or existing Excel workbook. I believe this is because Quickbooks uses (OLE) automation to send commands to Excel to create the entries in the worksheet, rather than actually creating an XLS file which would be a great deal more work.
The options for csv or to open-in-Excel are pretty much what we have on QB Mac 2010 also - only that the csv option is under the File menu.
The Advanced tab in Windows version gives a bit of control over the formatting - but personally, the formatting transfer in QB Mac is OK in my mind - not a big deal to change it once Excel opens. Lots more things needed on the Mac side before something like this:
Thanks for the answer. I will most definitely submit feedback to Intuit. (And I need to make a call to them tomorrow over an odd payroll event, so it'll come up then, too.)
Jon
If saving as a tab-delimited file, adding the extension ".txt" should work fine, I would think. Doesn't ".csv" mean "comma-separated values"?
DrKari suggest "File -> Save As Text ..." on a report.
Oddly, I try doing this and the file appears in the target folder for a flash, then disappears! Send email as PDF works, but decomposing this into text is also a c.
Hi Debi,
Yes, CSV does mean comma-separated-values, but has come to include almost any delimiter-separated-values. The reason for adding 'csv' is that that if OpenOffice tries to open a txt file, it opens it in the word processor, but when it sees a csv, it opens it in the spreadsheet application. Similarly, csv is often associated to auto-open with a spreadsheet, while txt is associated typically to auto-open with something like TextEdit.
One of those weird things where the original meaning is still there... but then some. ;-)
Jon_M,
Not sure why the file would appear and then disappear. Very strange.
Karl
That makes sense, Karl (CSV explanation). I knew you'd have the answer! ;-)
Jon_M, which version (and release) of QB for Mac are you using—and which version of Mac OS X?
Intuit is aware of user requests for xls output (Excel) which can be read by Apple's Numbers and Open Office - its a commonly requested enhancement. Hopefully it can be delivered soon.
In the meantime, it might be possible to find a SYLK to XLS conversion program. I haven't used one but it sounds like something that may exist. ssconvert was mentioned by one of the engineers but I haven't had time to look into it (I think it required a FINK install, which is not really something most Mac users should have to mess with).
In QB mac 2009 it won't even attempt to save the file unless Excel is installed.
Jon, have you tried saving the text file to another folder or even the Mac's Desktop?
Debi, I tried the File->Save at Text and it worked sometimes and not others. Seems to fail on larger reports. (In a background window, I see a file appear in the target folder, then disappear in a blink when the "Save As" appears to complete in the foreground).
So regardless of which location (different folders, the Mac's Desktop, etc.) you choose, this happens, right?
Its working here for me. Does your file pass File->Utilities->verify?
Biscotti, I ran Files->Utilities->Verify and there's no change.
The output of a large report using File->Save As Text to the Desktop behaves the same -- a file appears for a few seconds and disappears.
The report that fails would be 67 pages of PDF.
Jon_M, verification does change anything; it just reports if you have data damage in your company file. (Sometimes it doesn't report damage that does exist.) Did the verification report no problems?
Verification did report a problem on that run, and I went through a rebuild.
The "File -> Save as Text" still responded the same on the large report. Thus, "no change."
Jon, you can view the QuickBooks.log file in Apple's Console app to confirm that all problems were repaired. A couple of other things you might try are:
