Convert single-line text columns to multi-line text columns in Sharepoint Lists

Had an issue with my form that is now in production. Users completing the "Additional Comments" field in my form were writing entire novels. Once the form was submitted, the Sharepoint List would only display truncated text, as the column type in my Sharepoint list had been defaulted to single-text. I had to find a way for all the text to appear in the Sharepoint List (so it could be exported to excel and delivered to the client intact), without risking any loss of data on the 200+ forms that had already been completed.

I found a solution via Experts Exchange. The solution is to go into the Sharepoint List > Settings > Document Library Settings, and choose to Create a new Column. I created a column called "Addl Comments Long" and specified that as a Multi-Line text type. I then went to my original form and told it to re-publish. In the publishing wizard window where one chooses which fields to promote, I highlighted my AddlComments field, and hit Modify. From that window, I choose to map my AddlComments field to my new multi-line text AddlCommentsLong column.

I then went back to my Sharepoint List. Bummer, nothing changed. I had to open and close (not save, or edit or change in any way) the completed forms one by one (yes, tedious), but after doing so, it refreshed the data in the Sharepoint list, and suddenly the entire text that users had entered in the Comments field, was now all intact. No data lost, and the client gets what they expect.

Whew!!