Problem with MS Word import (.RTF)

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Simon Knight
Posts: 13
Joined: 2007-10-31 02:15:13

Problem with MS Word import (.RTF)

Post by Simon Knight »

Hi,
I'm looking for an application that will enable me to stop using MS word. At present I have trial versions of iWork Pages, Mellel and Nisus Writer Pro installed to see how they handle documents originated by MS Word.

I have one such document that opens in MS Word X with seven A4 pages but that opens with only three pages in each of the other applications.

Pages reports the following message on import "Floating Objects inside table cells aren't supported and were removed".

I have tried both Word .doc file and a word generated .RTF file but four pages are always missing. Is there a method of ensuring the complete document is loaded using your application rather than having to load it in MS Word X?

best wishes
Simon
ptram
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Joined: 2007-10-21 14:59:09

Post by ptram »

I've tried to use Nisus Writer Pro on some projects that I had to exchange with Word users. As of now, I can say that documents with a rather clean format, including tables and graphics, can be edited in NWP and read by Word.

On the other hand, complex documents, where Word has been used as a mini-layout application, cannot be correctly handled by NWP. Also, TOCs and cross-references may not be exchanged as expected.

So, I'm now using NWP for easier documents, mainly based on text, and NeoOffice for more complex documents. I try to use NWP as much as I can, but this is not possible with all types of documents.

Paolo
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martin
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Post by martin »

ptram wrote:where Word has been used as a mini-layout application, cannot be correctly handled by NWP
Paolo is correct in this. More specifically, Nisus Writer Pro does not support floating text boxes, which is probably where most of the content in your Word document is stored.
Simon Knight
Posts: 13
Joined: 2007-10-31 02:15:13

Post by Simon Knight »

Thank you for the replies - I have no idea what a "floating text box" but it does seem that these are causing the problem. Is there any method (work flow) of converting the document into a format that may be read by Nisus? I guess that this could be a question for a MS Word forum.

Thanks

Simon
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martin
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Post by martin »

I can't find any easy way to convert these text boxes to normal/inline text, sorry.
riccardo
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Joined: 2005-05-30 09:09:28
Location: Maine

Convert Text Box to Frame

Post by riccardo »

If you convert the Text Box to a Frame, the contents of the Frame will then open in NWE/NWP. Unfortunately, you will have lost the frame and its positioning, but for a one-way translation that might not matter to you and you at least have the contents.

To convert, click on the Text Box so the border has focus, then go to menu Format -> Text Box and click on the Text Box tab, then click the "Convert To Frame" button. If you have a lot of frames, you might want to record a macro to do this.

The Text Box was a replacement for an older but similar concept called a Frame. I have no idea what Microsoft's claimed technical advantage is, but they seemed to function fairly identically to me. It's been a while since I've done much in Word, though.

This worked for me, hope you have similar success.
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