Lists

I'm not copying from a program, but the output of it. The program that produced it is called File List Generator. It has a choice of 4 attributes for each file, and for each selected, it puts that data into a column.

As far as copy/pasting column data, you can select any data from any row of data within the columns, but when you scroll down the column, it will highlight all text in all columns, not just the data within a single column. This is not because of any particular document format, or the program used to make it, it is the same in any document or program that I'm aware of.

I think you're going in the right direction, but doing it the hard way. Rather than adding 'columns' in a Word doc, put the data into a TABLE.

Just go to the Insert section of the Ribbon, click on the Tables section and click on Insert Table. When the Insert Table menu opens up, select the number of columns you want.

In regard to rows, unless you want to have to enter each item of data into a separate row, (which it sounds like you don't), to start, I would select ONE row -- because you can put all of your data into it, and customize it from there.

In regard to the width of the columns, the default is "Fixed column width: auto" which allows you to adjust the column to any width you want. But you can experiment with the different choices.

Then, once set up, all you have to do is put your data into the Table and you're all set. You can add or delete or resize the columns and rows easily at any time.

I will try Imperfect1's method also, but since I have a one-track mind, I just tried using EditPad in the manner that you described, but it didn't work. The only reason that I can think of is my choice of fonts. Is not Courier a monospace font? If not, what is?

EDIT: Sorry, I was wrong. I thought that word wrap was disabled, but it wasn't. Now it will do column copy as needed. Thanks.

Another "little" list task that I need to figure out, is that many of the files have multiple names, which I started out to simply list below the original, but that not only comfuses things some, it throws off the numbering of files, which I don't want. Therefore, I need to either cut/paste these aliases into new columns, or create vertical blocks within a column, which would be defined with an underline at the bottom of each block, or a boundary all the way around each block, but in a fashion that doesn't throw off the line numbering. What I mean by that, is that instead of numbering lines, it would number the blocks instead.

Since I suspect that block numbering would either be very difficult or impossible, I probably would have to create columns for the aliases instead. This seems like a somewhat less daunting task, but just to be sure that I know what I'm doing...it would be necessary to create a new blank document, set column numbers and sizes, then copy/paste the columns from the old document to the new...yes? My concern is that somehow the copy/paste function wouldn't recognize the columns for some reason, and strew data in some undesirable fashion.

If it were possible to set columns in the original document, in a fashion that wouldn't destroy or strew data, that would be easier...I think.