Date format change when copying data from csv to Sheet - vba

Question

I have a csv file with several values: strings, dates, numbers...
A macro (Excel) imports the csv data to a Excel Sheet, all going well but...
In the csv file I have a column for dates like: "8/1/2018" (where 5 is day, 1 is month. Format: d/M/Y), but when I go to the imported data, I see the date like: "1/8/2018" (note day and month permuted). That's annoying because my Regional Window configuration specify the format: d/M/Y.
Here you can see the line where all happens: bad date conversion:
How could I import date data with correct format? Perhaps some dateFormat for the Sheet?
EDIT
Here is the code where the file get opened:
Sub ImportFile()
Dim sPath As String
'Below we assume that the file, csvtest.csv,
'is in the same folder as the workbook. If
'you want something more flexible, you can
'use Application.GetOpenFilename to get a
'file open dialogue that returns the name
'of the selected file.
'On the page Fast text file import
'I show how to do that - just replace the
'file pattern "txt" with "csv".
sPath = ThisWorkbook.Path & "\2018w02_wbt_exito.csv"
'Procedure call. Semicolon is defined as separator,
'and data is to be inserted on "Sheet2".
'Of course you could also read the separator
'and sheet name from the worksheet or an input
'box. There are several options.
copyDataFromCsvFileToSheet sPath, ";", """", "Hoja1"
End Sub
'**************************************************************
Private Sub copyDataFromCsvFileToSheet(parFileName As String, _
parDelimiter As String, parExcludeCharacter As String, parSheetName As String)
Dim Data As Variant 'Array for the file values
'Function call - the file is read into the array
Data = getDataFromFile(parFileName, parDelimiter, parExcludeCharacter)
'If the array isn't empty it is inserted into
'the sheet in one swift operation.
If Not isArrayEmpty(Data) Then
'If you want to operate directly on the array,
'you can leave out the following lines.
With Sheets(parSheetName)
'Delete any old content
' .Cells.ClearContents
'A range gets the same dimensions as the array
'and the array values are inserted in one operation.
.Cells(2, 1).Resize(UBound(Data, 1), UBound(Data, 2)) = Data
End With
End If
End Sub
'**************************************************************
Public Function isArrayEmpty(parArray As Variant) As Boolean
'Returns False if not an array or a dynamic array
'that hasn't been initialised (ReDim) or
'deleted (Erase).
If IsArray(parArray) = False Then isArrayEmpty = True
On Error Resume Next
If UBound(parArray) < LBound(parArray) Then
isArrayEmpty = True
Exit Function
Else
isArrayEmpty = False
End If
End Function
'**************************************************************
Private Function getDataFromFile(parFileName As String, _
parDelimiter As String, _
Optional parExcludeCharacter As String = "") As Variant
'parFileName is the delimited file (csv, txt ...)
'parDelimiter is the separator, e.g. semicolon.
'The function returns an empty array, if the file
'is empty or cannot be opened.
'Number of columns is based on the line with most
'columns and not the first line.
'parExcludeCharacter: Some csv files have strings in
'quotations marks ("ABC"), and if parExcludeCharacter = """"
'quotation marks are removed.
Dim locLinesList() As Variant 'Array
Dim locData As Variant 'Array
Dim i As Long 'Counter
Dim j As Long 'Counter
Dim locNumRows As Long 'Nb of rows
Dim locNumCols As Long 'Nb of columns
Dim fso As Variant 'File system object
Dim ts As Variant 'File variable
Const REDIM_STEP = 10000 'Constant
'If this fails you need to reference Microsoft Scripting Runtime.
'You select this in "Tools" (VBA editor menu).
Set fso = CreateObject("Scripting.FileSystemObject")
On Error GoTo error_open_file
'Sets ts = the file
Set ts = fso.OpenTextFile(parFileName)
On Error GoTo unhandled_error
'Initialise the array
ReDim locLinesList(1 To 1) As Variant
i = 0
'Loops through the file, counts the number of lines (rows)
'and finds the highest number of columns.
Do While Not ts.AtEndOfStream
'If the row number Mod 10000 = 0
'we redimension the array.
If i Mod REDIM_STEP = 0 Then
ReDim Preserve locLinesList _
(1 To UBound(locLinesList, 1) + REDIM_STEP) As Variant
End If
locLinesList(i + 1) = Split(ts.ReadLine, parDelimiter)
j = UBound(locLinesList(i + 1), 1) 'Nb of columns in present row
'If the number of columns is then highest so far.
'the new number is saved.
If locNumCols < j Then locNumCols = j
i = i + 1
Loop
ts.Close 'Close file
locNumRows = i
'If number of rows is zero
If locNumRows = 0 Then Exit Function
ReDim locData(1 To locNumRows, 1 To locNumCols + 1) As Variant
'Copies the file values into an array.
'If parExcludeCharacter has a value,
'the characters are removed.
If parExcludeCharacter <> "" Then
For i = 1 To locNumRows
For j = 0 To UBound(locLinesList(i), 1)
If Left(locLinesList(i)(j), 1) = parExcludeCharacter Then
If Right(locLinesList(i)(j), 1) = parExcludeCharacter Then
locLinesList(i)(j) = _
Mid(locLinesList(i)(j), 2, Len(locLinesList(i)(j)) - 2)
Else
locLinesList(i)(j) = _
Right(locLinesList(i)(j), Len(locLinesList(i)(j)) - 1)
End If
ElseIf Right(locLinesList(i)(j), 1) = parExcludeCharacter Then
locLinesList(i)(j) = _
Left(locLinesList(i)(j), Len(locLinesList(i)(j)) - 1)
End If
locData(i, j + 1) = locLinesList(i)(j)
Next j
Next i
Else
For i = 1 To locNumRows
For j = 0 To UBound(locLinesList(i), 1)
locData(i, j + 1) = locLinesList(i)(j)
Next j
Next i
End If
getDataFromFile = locData
Exit Function
error_open_file: 'Returns empty Variant
unhandled_error: 'Returns empty Variant
End Function

Answer 1

If you want to use the FileSystemObject to obtain your data, you will need to convert each date item in your Data variable into a "real date" before writing it to the worksheet.
As it is in your screenshot, it is a string and, as you have discovered, the conversion when writing to the worksheet is unreliable.
One way to convert it.
Dim V As Variant, i As Long
For i = LBound(Data) To UBound(Data)
V = Split(Data(i, 3), "/")
'test for proper date
If UBound(V) = 2 Then _
Data(i, 3) = DateSerial(V(2), V(1), V(0))
Next i
Might be easier to IMPORT the data rather than using the FSO