Lists

[seekermeister]

I have a very long list, that I do not want to have to recreate from scratch, but I would like to be able to adjust the width of the columns, and possibly add some columns as well. The program that I used to create the list, arbitrarily set the spacings of the columns itself.

When I open this document in Notepad, Wordpad or EditPad, there is no provision for changing this easily. Is there a program or method that this would be easy?

 

[profdlp]

Word ought to be able to do it. Not sure about whether the OpenOffice version would do it, if you're looking for something free.

 

[seekermeister]

You might be right, but if so, I haven't found how. I convert the document from .txt to .doc, so that I could open it in MS Word 2007, and while there is a selection to add columns, which might work if creating the document new, it doesn't recognize any columns in the opened document, and just creates a space between column 1 and 2, then wraps the third column back into column 1. If this can be done, I suspect it will be a matter of method, rather than a choice of programs.

 

[profdlp]

Not sure about 2007.

I'm using Word 2010 and if you ribbon your way to Page Layout>>Columns>>More Columns you see this:

 

[MilesAhead]

I take it the original app was hard wired with this column spacing? There's no ancillary file or .ini file with the file name and settings? Usually .txt is plain text with no formattting. The stuff has to be someplace unless it spaces every file the same hard-wired.

 

[Hopalong X]

My Office 2003 updated to 2007.
Format Tab > Columns
Then pick your option.

 

[seekermeister]

profdlp,

It's the same in 2007. The problem is that existing data, that has no columns other than that created by regular spacing is not recognized as columns in Word, only lines with spaces in them. When you create columns on top of that, it shoves the data around in a way that is undesirable. I suppose that if one created a new blank document, and then set the columns that are needed, and then copy/pasted the data into them, it would work, but with the length of the document at hand, that would be very tedious and impractical. Unless there is some way that one could highlight an entire column of data and then copy/paste all of it where needed. The problem with that, is that as far as I know, when you attempt to copy data in a vertical fashion such as this, it automatically highlights all of the data on either side of it. Therefore, it is easy to copy/paste a paragraph or page, but not a single column.

 

[Hopalong X]

I was trying to help you find the columns options.
I was not sure how they worked.

Evidently not what you needed.

 

[seekermeister]

I take it the original app was hard wired with this column spacing? There's no ancillary file or .ini file with the file name and settings? Usually .txt is plain text with no formattting. The stuff has to be someplace unless it spaces every file the same hard-wired.

I don't know that it could be called hard-wired, because I don't believe that any columns actually exist. As I stated in my last post, for all practical purposes, the data is continous, line by line, but includes spaces that in effect create virtual columns. However, the header has no columns "tabs" so that they can't be slid left or right. The 3 virtual columns that do exist are crammed into only half the page width, not leaving adequate space for the edits that I would like to make.

 

[profdlp]

You can copy and paste column-by-column if you use the mouse to highlight the text. It's when you do the ol' "select all" that it grabs the whole works.

It might help if we knew what program you're copying from.

 

[seekermeister]

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.

 

[Imperfect1]

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.

 

[MilesAhead]

I think Imperfect1 has the solution. Just for future reference there are some free editors that do column cut and paste. One is EditPadLite. But it won't work unless you are using a mono spaced font and have wrap disabled. Then hold the Alt key down while dragging the mouse.

 

[seekermeister]

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.

 

[seekermeister]

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.