Mark,

Sorry, but I still do not see what is the problem here.
- APPEND allows you to use ...XL5 [SHEET cSheetName] | XL8 [SHEET cSheetName]]] options;
- even you have a file in unknown Excel version, you can use append and import VFP commands with XL5/8 options.
- even it is unknown Excel version, you could use Excel autoamtion to open the file, and SAVEAS it as the file in the appropriate Excel version

>what i am doing is giving the customer a template and they fill all of the columns in on a seperate sheets. then they click on a button and select the excel file to import. all of the sheets are named in a particular fashion. i have used excel automation to export and while it looks great, colouring cells etc, but it takes a lot longer then save as type excel. based on this i want to try to do all this in the back ground and just error check their work, if they get anything wrong it just warns them and doesn't preceed. I am not sure of the difference between xl5 and 2000+ but if you use append from type xls you cannot use the sheet command.
>Slán
>~M
>
>>Mark,
>>
>>Not quite clear what is the difference here between Excel5 and Excel2000. Both may contain several sheets, and you can use VFP import xl5 or (xl8) sheet "Sheetname" command to get the information from the particular sheet.
>>If you need to know in advance how many sheets there are and what are sheet names, then one of the ways is to use Excel automation and get the sheet names from there.
>>
>>
>>
>>>*
>>>* Never mind, i just tell it that its an excel 5 type and it works anyway
>>>*
>>>hi all,
>>>I am trying to import information from an excel file. i ask the user to select the file and then copy a table structure to a temp cursor while doing checking on the information and finally actually adding it to the main table. The problem is that the user will now be sending information on 4 sheets in excel 2000 or better and unless i get them to save the file as excel type 5 i can't reference the sheets. i am sure that there has to be a work around but i just can't get it, any one point me in the right direction please.
>>>Slán
>>>~M