how to prevent automatic conversion of .csv file to .xls

G

Guest

Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;
 
C

Craig Deelsnyder

Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;
Click to expand...

I don't know if there's much you can do; by default I believe Excel
grabs CSV files, so it's a client-side issue (the client makes the
request, sees a CSV and in Windows CSVs are opened by Excel). You could
try renaming it to a .txt file instead....
 
G

Guest

Craig,

I think I did not explain the problem correctly. To demonstrate my problem,
I have created a sample project.....to access it, click on the link below -
http://192.168.1.155/CSVGenerator/csv.aspx

I created the file_import.csv file and included it under this project. But,
when the user tries to download it, .net converts it to file_import.xls. This
is what I am trying to avoid.......
any comments?

-Divya

Craig Deelsnyder said:
Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;
Click to expand...

I don't know if there's much you can do; by default I believe Excel
grabs CSV files, so it's a client-side issue (the client makes the
request, sees a CSV and in Windows CSVs are opened by Excel). You could
try renaming it to a .txt file instead....
Click to expand...
 
S

Steve Willcock

Divya,

that's an internal ip on your network (192.168.n.n range). In any case, I
think Craig gave you the correct answer - this is a client side issue -
Excel is handling the .csv file type - try renaming the file on the disk to
a .txt file as Craig suggests and see what happens.

Steve

Divya said:
Craig,

I think I did not explain the problem correctly. To demonstrate my problem,
I have created a sample project.....to access it, click on the link below -
http://192.168.1.155/CSVGenerator/csv.aspx

I created the file_import.csv file and included it under this project. But,
when the user tries to download it, .net converts it to file_import.xls. This
is what I am trying to avoid.......
any comments?

-Divya

Craig Deelsnyder said:
Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;
Click to expand...

I don't know if there's much you can do; by default I believe Excel
grabs CSV files, so it's a client-side issue (the client makes the
request, sees a CSV and in Windows CSVs are opened by Excel). You could
try renaming it to a .txt file instead....
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
G

Guest

Craig,

Try
this......http://192.168.1.155/CSVGenerator/temporary_files/file_import.csv

even though u will try to access a csv file, the download popup will ask u
....... "do u want to save file_import.xls?" Is there anyway I could preserve
the csv in the download popup?

-Divya

Divya said:
Craig,

I think I did not explain the problem correctly. To demonstrate my problem,
I have created a sample project.....to access it, click on the link below -
http://192.168.1.155/CSVGenerator/csv.aspx

I created the file_import.csv file and included it under this project. But,
when the user tries to download it, .net converts it to file_import.xls. This
is what I am trying to avoid.......
any comments?

-Divya

Craig Deelsnyder said:
Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;
Click to expand...

I don't know if there's much you can do; by default I believe Excel
grabs CSV files, so it's a client-side issue (the client makes the
request, sees a CSV and in Windows CSVs are opened by Excel). You could
try renaming it to a .txt file instead....
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 
C

Craig Deelsnyder

Divya,

that's an internal ip on your network (192.168.n.n range). In any case, I
think Craig gave you the correct answer - this is a client side issue -
Excel is handling the .csv file type - try renaming the file on the disk
to
a .txt file as Craig suggests and see what happens.

Steve

Divya said:
Craig,

I think I did not explain the problem correctly. To demonstrate my problem,
I have created a sample project.....to access it, click on the link below -
http://192.168.1.155/CSVGenerator/csv.aspx

I created the file_import.csv file and included it under this project. But,
when the user tries to download it, .net converts it to file_import.xls. This
is what I am trying to avoid.......
any comments?

-Divya

Craig Deelsnyder said:
On 8/10/2004 2:37 PM, Divya wrote:
Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;

I don't know if there's much you can do; by default I believe Excel
grabs CSV files, so it's a client-side issue (the client makes the
request, sees a CSV and in Windows CSVs are opened by Excel). You could
try renaming it to a .txt file instead....
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
Click to expand...


if you're getting a download dialog, either the server is sending the
content as type octet-stream (which is not the case here), or the user's
browser does not have a default action for the type of file you have
loaded in the document window. meaning either Excel (or another app that
can handle csv files) is not loaded on the machine, or a browser like
firefox, that prompts for unknown MIME types.

i'm not sure what you mean by converting to .xls, is the popup/download
dialog saying that as the default name? I assumed Excel was trying to
open it; AFAIK from the server side it either gets defaulted to the same
name as the page containing the iframe, or the name of the src document of
the iframe itself. Which is why i don't see where .xls is coming from...

if you are trying to force a download, I might recommend this approach
instead or as another option to try:

http://www.ondotnet.com/pub/a/dotnet/2002/04/01/asp.html

Create a page that utilizes the download example there and set that as the
source of the iframe. Another method to try. But this approach shows how
to set default filenames, although if I remember right, this
content-disposition header may be 'going out of style' with browsers in
the future....
 
K

Kevin Spencer

I think you explained the problem fine. I think maybe you didn't understand
Craig's answer. Here's the thing. On your computer, let's say you
double-click a file with a .txt extension. It will open in NotePad. It
doesn't "become a NotePad file." It is opened in NotePad because the
Operating System recognizes the file extension, and opens the file in the
designated program for that Operating System. When Excel opens a .csv file,
it doesn't convert it to an Excel file format. It merely creates an Excel
document in memory, and uses that to parse and display the .csv file. You
would have to save it as "file_import.xls" in order to convert it.

--
HTH,
Kevin Spencer
..Net Developer
Microsoft MVP
Big things are made up
of lots of little things.

Divya said:
Craig,

I think I did not explain the problem correctly. To demonstrate my problem,
I have created a sample project.....to access it, click on the link below -
http://192.168.1.155/CSVGenerator/csv.aspx

I created the file_import.csv file and included it under this project. But,
when the user tries to download it, .net converts it to file_import.xls. This
is what I am trying to avoid.......
any comments?

-Divya

Craig Deelsnyder said:
Hi,

I have a web page which generates a CSV file based on some user input. When
this file is downloaded by the user, the file is being automatically
converted to .xls. Any idea how I can prevent this?

My code (snippet) -

StreamWriter sw;
if(File.Exists(filename))
File.Delete(filename);
sw = File.CreateText(filename);
string values="\"File Name\",\"Name\",\"Description\",\"Is Customizable\"";
try
{
foreach(DataRow dr in dt.Rows)
{
for(int i=0; i<dt.Columns.Count; i++)
values += ",\"" + dr.ToString() +"\"";
}
values += ",\"Document Type\",\"Category\"";
sw.WriteLine(values);
}
catch(Exception ex)
{
//Show error msg
sw.Close();
return;
}
sw.Close();
//Show success message

filename = DMS.Global.site_config.getAttribute("base_href") +
@"/temporary_files/file_import.csv";

//hiddenlbl is an asp Label which is invisible when page is loaded
//The following code is for the file download popup
string htmlinput = "<iframe id='downloadFrame' src = '" + filename + "'";
htmlinput += " style='display:none'></iframe>";
hiddenlbl.Visible = true;
hiddenlbl.Text = htmlinput;
Click to expand...

I don't know if there's much you can do; by default I believe Excel
grabs CSV files, so it's a client-side issue (the client makes the
request, sees a CSV and in Windows CSVs are opened by Excel). You could
try renaming it to a .txt file instead....
Click to expand...
Click to expand...
 

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