15 replies to this topic

[Timothy Jenney]

The most sophisticated importing feature in Accordance is available for HTML files (.htm extension). I regularly use Word, so converting .doc or .docx file types to .htm is fairly easy. I just use Word 2008 and "Save as Web Page...." The only problem is that Word inserts carriage returns [CR] after each line in order to preserve the layout of the document. That's fine for a web page, but a problem in Accordance. That's because User Tools have re-sizeable windows, so we want the text to flow properly as the window resizes.

Currently Accordance (8.4.7) [correctly] removes carriage returns. Unfortunately, it does not insert a space in their place. [I've been assured the next update to the program will do so.] In the interim, users will have to manually insert a space between the last word on the line and the first word on the next line.

Another option is available though. That's to use a text editor like TextWrangler ( http://www.barebones...s/textwrangler/ ). Use the Find command (Cmd-F) and follow the instructions on "TextWrangler Setting.png" below. It will substitute spaces for all the carriage returns in your document. Make these changes, save your document, and then convert it in Accordance. It will work perfectly.

Attached Files

•  TextWrangler Settings.png   57.1K   55 downloads

[Tom Childers]

Thank you for addressing and explaining this problem of the dropped spaces when creating user tools. I have mentioned this on the forum before and it seemed to me that I was the only person experiencing this problem. I resorted to searching for single spaces and replaces with double spaces. While this added a lot of extra spaces, at least the words did not run together. Thanks for explaining very clearly what is taking place and offering a solution. As always, your work with Accordance is greatly appreciated.

Tom

[Timothy Jenney]

Accordance does not currently offer direct import from .pdf documents. That's a shame, as more and more .pdf documents are becoming available. Happily, there are now a number of .pdf to .htm converters available for Mac users. I've found the following programs, but have not had a chance to evaluate them yet:
deskUNPDF: http://www.docudesk....duct_home.shtml [free trial download]
SOLID PDF to Word for Mac: http://www.mac-pdf-converter.com/ [free trial download]
recosoft ( http://www.recosoft.com/ ) offers a suite of products including both conversion to Ms Office and Apple iWork formats.

If you just need a single document converted, there are a number of web sites currently offering the service for free. [I'll let you do your own search for those.]

If you've found a good converter I haven't mentioned, or had experience with any of these products, feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Edited by Timothy Jenney, 31 July 2010 - 04:28 PM.

[Timothy Jenney]

Thank you for addressing and explaining this problem of the dropped spaces when creating user tools. I have mentioned this on the forum before and it seemed to me that I was the only person experiencing this problem. I resorted to searching for single spaces and replaces with double spaces. While this added a lot of extra spaces, at least the words did not run together. Thanks for explaining very clearly what is taking place and offering a solution. As always, your work with Accordance is greatly appreciated.

Tom

Thank you, Tom.

I confess I am just passing this information along from David Lang and Rick Bennett, both of whom are far better at this sort of thing than I am. Reminds me of a good quote I heard during my doctoral work, "If I have seen further than others, it's because I have stood on the shoulders of giants!"

[Tom]

If you've found a good converter I haven't mentioned, or had experience with any of these products, feel free to chime in with your thoughts.

Here is one that converts from PDF to Word. It is free until August 8th (normally $39.95):

http://www.anypdftoo...rd-for-mac.html

I have played with it a little. Seems to do a nice job. PDF -> Word, then you can export it from there . . .

Tom

[Helen Brown]

I agree, this seems to be working well, and should be a helpful tool for those who want to convert a PDF into a User Tool.

Note: the free offer is really nice, but read the letter with the registration code carefully to save yourselves the hassles I had from not doing so. You register with their email address, not yours, and you right-click to paste the text into the box.

[Timothy Jenney]

This podcast is now posted. It covers importing plain texts, html and TLG directly into a User Tool, rounding out our three-part series on "Making a User Tool." I hope we will see many more of our users making their work available to others on the Accordance Exchange: http://www.accordanc...1.com/exchange/

[JSGilliom]

Thank you for your Podcasts. I've really enjoyed the ones I've been able to watch.

I just finished watching this episode, Making a User Tool Pt. 3. Importing. It looks like the text converted back to Yehudit got swapped directions one too many times. Is there an easy way to correct this or prevent it from happening?

Thanks,
John S Gilliom

[Timothy Jenney]

Thank you for your Podcasts. I've really enjoyed the ones I've been able to watch.

I just finished watching this episode, Making a User Tool Pt. 3. Importing. It looks like the text converted back to Yehudit got swapped directions one too many times. Is there an easy way to correct this or prevent it from happening?

Thanks,
John S Gilliom

Thanks so much, John!

It's all about the interaction between Accordance and the specific word processing software used in the original document. I'm one of the few people here at Accordance that use Word. One method I've been experimenting with is to keep the original document open in Word, then using copy and replace for particularly problematic words.

As you may know, Hebrew is a particularly difficult language for most word processors. Many of the folks here at Accordance recommend Mellel (http://www.redlers.com/ ) for that reason.

[Outis]

Hello Dr. J (et al),

Two things:

1) Text wrangler is a good piece of software. However, I upgraded to BBEdit long ago just exactly for stuff like this. Not only can you get to remove carriage returns and stuff, but it also cleans up plain text documents and turns them into decent html code.

2) It has been a year or so since I used Accordance to import from html. The problem I ran into is that there is no support for tables and indented text (either in indented block paragraphs in outline style or in nested lists). Have these issues been addressed? I love the user tool feature. But, until it's able to make use of basic tables and indentations, it remains for me a tool I can use with some documents, but not with most documents (because they almost need to have these two features to look right).

If you'd like to see what I'm talking about in detail, you can download the attached zipped file. The html file looks ok. But the imported user tool doesn't look right. The borders on the table don't exist and the spacing is off. Likewise the nested bullets are flattened out.

Like I said, I love the user tools. I'd just like to see the user tools mature into a more usable feature for Accordance.

thanks,

Attached Files

•  DS2-HYMNS.zip   54.99K   3 downloads

[Helen Brown]

We do plan to improve the importing, though busy with other features right now. I cannot promise that we'll include tables though. HTML is such a messy and variable format that it is a major challenge to import it. Just look at all the attributes that it can give tables!

[Outis]

Good morning Helen,

Html is messy. And the tables are probably one of the messiest parts. I'll grant you that. However, it would be good to have the ability to make some basic tables without any frills or thrills. When your people get around to it, it would be good to start a discussion on some basic standards to adhere to, so that we know what to make the tables look like in html before we import them into Accordance.

Thanks.

[Helen Brown]

I think that most of our users wouldn't know how to edit an HTML file to conform to basic standards. They either download them or export to HTML from another format.

[Timothy Jenney]

Outis,

I do want to remind you that you can insert a link to a file on your hard drive in a user tool. That link can open a table or photo—or anything else too cumbersome to import into your tool. I put a shared folder inside my Accordance application folder called "mylinks," where all my files of this type are stored. It keeps the file path short and consistent, even when I reorganize my documents or switch to another user.

[mikes]

For those of us who have large numbers of documents in Mellel format, is there a known way to convert a .mellel to a .htm for user tool import?

[Helen Brown]

Your could export to RTF and then open in TextEdit and save as HTML.