In XLS format dates are exported as text, in XL5 the're exported as dates. See Re: Date sorting in Excel after export Thread #653969.

>In one of my older applications I noticed a - COPY TO (file) TYPE XLS.
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>I realized that it creates the older Excel format and in Explorer it is not identified as an Excel file.
>So I changed that to XL5. Now, it did create a correct Excel format, however, one of the users came back to me with dismay - he was using a Sort macro which used a date column in the spreadsheet.
>The dates in the new format did not sort. I guess the export was to a general or text rather than date, (which the TYPE XLS was doing).
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>Any take on that? ( Cetin, are you there.. ).
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>Thanks, J