Re: Word to HTML Conversion summary

[Mary McWilliams Johnson <mary -at- SUPERCONNECT -dot- COM>]

At 12:03 PM 10/22/98 +0100, Sergej Rinc wrote:
>
><snipped>
>Once HTMLed, the file NEVER goes back to Word as HTML. If I want/need to end
>the file, I rename it to *.txt and import it into Word (with all the nasty
>HTML code) where I edit to my little heart's desire. Since it is NOT a Word
>file - make certain to SAVE AS PLAIN TEXT - Word does not attempt to
>"rename" anything -- including <IMG SRC="">.  This is not a "been there/done
>that" sort of thing ... this is "am here/doing this" - real life for me.
></snipped>

I wonder if the above comment is a bit misleading.  Your Word document
remains intact after you use the Word command to "save as HTML." Word
creates a new .htm file, which is quite editable. In fact, you can go back
and forth between the Word doc and the HTML code to edit either the code or
the doc. If you change the code, the doc changes accordingly, and vice versa.

In fact you can load any previously created HTML doc (however created
originally) into Word and edit it. Of course, there will be a lot of codes
Word won't understand, and it can do some very strange things to your HTML
doc, so you would only want to use a COPY of your HTML doc for this
purpose. For instance, if you have specified any colored backgrounds for
cells or tables, Word will change those colors to some colors within its
own little proprietary pallette. And if you have a very complicated table,
Word may "revise" it to suit itself.

I normally use some very good HTML editors (Dreamweaver, Homesite, HotDog
Pro). But let me mention some very good uses I have found for Word's HTML
conversion tool:

- If a document is already in Word format, then Word's conversion tool is
obviously the fastest way to Web-ize it. Word will not only put in the
appropriate line breaks, convert numbered or bulleted lists to
corresponding HTML lists, and convert headings more-or-less appropriately,
but it will convert your assorted graphics of various types to GIF files,
thus saving you a whole bunch of time. Since someone already has spent some
time formatting this document, you've got a head start on the formatting
and only need to tweak it in an HTML editor.

- Since the table editors in many HTML editors are not too flexible - and
since I know how to create and manipulate tables in Word, I sometimes go to
Word for the initial table creation, convert to HTML, then insert my table
into my HTML page and edit it further. And I sometimes import an HTML table
I've created into Word when I'm having trouble getting things to look
right. Of course, I always have backups of anything I work on in Word,
because it can do strange things to my code.

- If you have some text that is not in a table format but that you want to
make into a table, it's so easy to load that stuff into Word and use the
"Make table" command. (Of course your blocks of text must be separated by a
common delimiter.)

- In some instances, it's easier to do a search-and-replace in Word than in
any of my HTML editors. For instance, if I've decided to ascribe a certain
font or font size to certain elements, I can easily do a search-and-replace
to insert the font code. 

- When I'm editing code and am having trouble seeing where the problem is,
I often dump the entire code into a Word doc and manipulate it thus: 

        - Using the search and replace feature, I can make various types of
elements stand out by making an 
        element (a <TABLE> or  <TD> for example) a very bold or large font so
they're easy to spot so I can 
        count those elements, edit them, etc.






	

Cordially,                 Mary McWilliams Johnson
                               McJohnson Communications
  Documentation  /  Web Site Design, Development and Graphics
                                  www.superconnect.com
              ------------------------------º><º------------------------------
"The biggest mistake people make in life is not trying to make a living 
               at doing what they most enjoy." ~ Malcomb S. Forbes
            ------------------------------º><º------------------------------

 From ??? -at- ??? Sun Jan 00 00:00:00 0000