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Subject:Converting to text From:Ruth Lundquist <rlundquist -at- prosarcorp -dot- com> To:"'techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com'" <techwr-l -at- lists -dot- raycomm -dot- com> Date:Tue, 22 Feb 2000 08:23:09 -0600
I've asked this before, I'll ask it again (in hopes that someone has
invented some new whiz-bang gizmo):
Does anyone know of a macro, tool, program, utility, potion, magic spell,
and/or sacrificial offering that will convert a Word document to *readable*
text?
Readable is the key word here, folks. It's possible to simply "Save
As=text", but when you try that on a document that has columns, tables, or
other formatting, you are, in a word, screwed. Another problem we've
encountered with "Save As=text" is the unique and mystifying ability of
Word to take a 20 page document and turn it into one long line of text--no
paragraph breaks, no page breaks--nothing!
(Background info--our customers hire us to get very specific safety
documents from their vendors (this typically means contacting 100s of
companies; we'll take any electronic file format we can get). The documents
are an array of different formats, which we typically convert to Word or
PDF. We have a new customer trying to import these docs into some ancient
main frame order entry system--so their only option is text documents.)
c'mon...share your knowledge...c'mon...please...show me how to do the
dance...