The Mudcat Café TM
Thread #119339 Message #2587773
Posted By: JohnInKansas
13-Mar-09 - 02:45 AM
Thread Name: Tech: html from a word document
Subject: RE: Tech: html from a word document
Stilly -
One of the MAJOR FAULTS with Office 2007 is that they split up lots of the menus (that used to be useful and now are just "cute") so that Table operations are now found on three separate "top menus" at opposite ends one-from-t'other. So you ignore the menus and use "quick keys."
In Word, select some text: Alt-A, V, X conVerts the teXt to a table.
Even in Word 2007 you'll get an intermediate menu that lets you choose whether to break by paragraphs, at tabs, or at other (e.g. commas). Earlier Word versions would show you the menu so you could choose the next key. (In Word 2007, since ONLY IDIOTS ARE EXPECTED TO USE IT, there is no menu.)
The inverse, with cursor in a table: Alt-A, V, B conVerts the taBle back to text, again with the option to use tabs, commas, etc for the "cell splits."
With your cursor in a column, Alt-A, I, L Inserts a column to the Left of the one you're in.
Again in a column, Alt-A, I, R Inserts a column to the Right.
If you select a column (Alt-A, S, C) or a row (Alt-A, S, R), you can use "global replace" to change only the stuff in the selection.
An Example:
If you list a bunch of files, one per paragraph, convert to a table of one column. Copy the column and paste it into a new column to the right. You can then select the column on the right and edit all the filenames (with a global replace if appropriate) to get "old name in the left column" and "new name in the right. Add a column on the left in which each cell contains "REN" (without the quotes).
Alt-A, V, B gives you:
REN (tab) oldfilename (tab) newfilename
Global replace tabs (^t in the find box) with a singe space in the "replace with" box, and you have:
REN oldfilename newfilename
with one file per line.
Save as a .txt file in the same folder withe files you want to rename.
In Windows Explorer, change the .txt to .bat and double click it and all the files now have the new names.
You've just created and run a DOS batch file that does something that Windows alone can't do without an excruciatingly traumatic and painful labor. And Word "table functions" - obliterated and hidden in Word 2007, 'cause (according to Microsoft) you're an idiot and aren't supposed to use them - are one key to doing it simply.
John