Issue with hidden words in excel?

[sb_rs]

Hi,

We have a few excel files. When we search in the Windows Explorer by the following way, it returns some files
Go to Start --> Search --> For Files or Folders
Then select 'All Files and Folders'
Then enter the word you want to search for in 'A word of phrase in the file'
Then in the Look in field, select Browse in drop down and select the folder in which the target excel file exists

Let us say we searched for the word 'abcdefg' in the files and the search resulted in some files.

But when we go to the actual files, we are not finding the word abcdefg in the mentioned files.

In what situations is this possible?

Are the files really not having the word abcdefg and the windows explorer is showing the wrong results?

Or is the windows explorer correct and the search in excel not identifying the word because it is not given as a value but is hidden in the file in some way or the other?
What are the situations under which this can happen? What are the possible reasons for this?

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance
SBRS

[martindwilson]

beats me ! i just put a completly blank workbook in an empty folder and searched for "martin" and it found it!
now martin is in some vba code and is the user name for excel but i changed that and it still found the blank book!

[sb_rs]

Just an update -

When I created a set of fresh excel files and searched for the same string, say, abcdefg in these fresh files, it does not return the files.

So that means that the string abcdefg (although not visible) is there in my original set of files somewhere.

Hope this info helps the experts in figuring out the issu.

Thanks
SBRS

[sb_rs]

Hi,

Let me describe the problem in another way, to provide more clarity.

We are working with a bunch of excel files and want to modify all instances of a string, say, 'abcdefg' with another string, say, 'xyz123'.

I need to replace the former string in the whole excel file, wherever it is - in cell values, formulae, cell comments, File level information (File --> Properties) or anywhere else that is possible.

I replaced in all above instances and when I use windows explorer search to make sure there is no instance of the string abcdefg left in the file, I find that the explorer search still identifies this file, when I search with 'A word or phrase in the file' option.

Also, when I open the excel file in any of the text editors (like Notepad), I see the string abcdefg but when I 'search' for it by opening the file in excel, it says the string is not present.

Can anyone think of where else could an excel file be saving text data other than these?

Also, if the excel file is based on some standard template, then will the file have some content related to the template in some 'hidden' way?

Thanks in advance
SBRS

[sb_rs]

Hi,

Let me describe the problem in another way, to provide more clarity.

We are working with a bunch of excel files and want to modify all instances of a string, say, 'abcdefg' with another string, say, 'xyz123'.

I need to replace the former string in the whole excel file, wherever it is - in cell values, formulae, cell comments, File level information (File --> Properties) or anywhere else that is possible.

I replaced in all above instances and when I use windows explorer search to make sure there is no instance of the string abcdefg left in the file, I find that the explorer search still identifies this file, when I search with 'A word or phrase in the file' option.

Also, when I open the excel file in any of the text editors (like Notepad), I see the string abcdefg but when I 'search' for it by opening the file in excel, it says the string is not present.

Can anyone think of where else could an excel file be saving text data other than these?

Also, if the excel file is based on some standard template, then will the file have some content related to the template in some 'hidden' way?

Thanks in advance
SBRS

[dominicb]

When martindwilson typed Martin in and it found it, Excel keeps a track of who edits the file - this iformation can't normally be seen but is retained in the "workings" of the file - and therefore can be seen by viewing the file through a text editor.

I'm assuming that you know for a fact that there are no hidden or very hidden sheets?

The following is true of Word - I don't know how much of it relates to Excel but it may go someway to explaining what's happening here :

Let's say you are typing in Word and you type a paragraph and save the file. You then decide you don't like the paragraph and you change a large part of it. Once it's changed, invisibly, the autosave function kicks in, but it doesn't save the entire document - it saves the most recent changes, what was there and what it has changed to. All this information is then saved in the file and when the file is opened then Word just interprets the bits it needs to and displays your edited file for you to see. If you were to see the structure of the file in Notepad you would be able to see all the edits that have been made.

This caught the British Government out several years ago when they made available the so called "dodgy document" over the Iraq war (maybe only British posters will be familiar with the term). The Goverment foolishly released the document as a Word file and journalists deconstructed it, finding out the various sources of the file revealing it to be a sham.

HTH

DominicB

[martindwilson]

yep i now concur
i opened fole with notepad and changed all ref to martin with steve and searced for martin and it didnt find it.
but warning when i changed steve back to martin the file wouldnt open in excel any more so dont try it!