Excel for Mac not detecting workbooks-nee-CSVs

[anthrospeak]

I often open a .csv in Excel for Mac, then do things like Pivot tables which add tabs. Then I go to save, and I guess the default setting is ".csv" - i.e. the file type that I began with, and if I am not EXTREMELY careful and change the file extension i LOSE ALL MY WORK - i.e. everything but the sheet which was in view when i closed the document. No warnings, no nothing. This is one of the rare times I would actually appreciate a warning that I am about to lose the last 4 hours of my life. I have changed the default file type in "Compatibility" to "Excel 2004 Workbook", but this does not seem to help. Is there perhaps a flag somewhere in which Excel will be intelligent enough to know that when I add another sheet in a workbook, I am in danger of losing my work since the original file type was ".csv"?

I never had this problem with XP/Excel. Back in Bill land turning a CSV into a workbook changed the file type automatically. Is this some type of evil trick by Bill, or for the conspiracy minded - Steve?

Any tips for this?

 

[nospamboz]

Any tips for this?

Use "File>Save As"?

 

[anthrospeak]

yes, I realize "File>Save As" is a way to ensure you save all worksheets in a workbook, but this is not satisfying in the least. Just like I realize you can add or subtract 1462 to the date field to get around Apple's brilliant idea of a calendar based on 1904, but it doesn't make life easier, or explain why otherwise intelligent engineers cannot seem to fix simple, yet devastating problems like this.

But in the case of 1904 there is an actual setting in Excel->Preferences to address this. I was wondering if there was a similar Preference for the issue of saving a multi-sheet workbook which defaults it to .xls or even that ridiculous .xlst - ANYTHING but .csv which ruined my day, and not for the first time. The fact is, when a tab is added in a workbook the file type by definition cannot be a csv, so when I go to save the file, and it saves as a csv, that is not a "missing feature" in my opinion, it is a BUG.

I'm trying to convert here, folks, I'm the numbers guy from the mac vs PC commercial, and this ain't rocket science.