Dragging word documents inverts the margin

Q & A - getting started with Tinderbox
1

Dragging word documents: the margines are inverted right to left.

https://cl.ly/2D0v262s3009/Untitled_2017-07-11_07-48-39.png

I am able to fix the margins by going to Format menu. But, the process is hectic for many files.

I am using b263.

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Using Word 2016 and Tinderbox v7.1.0b263 I can’t replicate this. I’ve tried both dragging selections from DOCX files open in Word and dragging DOCX files from Finder. In both cases I see left-aligned text which is as expected for my (UK settings) system.

Does this problem occur with all your Word documents or only some? Could you post a link to a specimen document that exhibits the problem on your Mac so others can try it?

Edit: For clarity, I’m not doubting what @Desalegn reports but am trying to figure out the scope/cause as it clearly doesn’t affect all users…

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@mwra, I tried numerous documents made with Word 2011, 2016, and Word 365 and cannot reproduce. Alignment is preserved no matter what document I drag in.

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4

interesting.

here is a video of the action: https://cl.ly/0Z2m273h0W0b/screencast_2017-07-11_22-57-55.mp4
Can you guys check this file?

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thanks for reminding me this: the problem seems restricted to some groups of files. I cannot tell the differences. can you try the file I uploaded to dropbox?

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I tried your file and can confirm that if the DOCX is dragged into the view pane, the resulting $Test is as you describe.

I can only assume it is something to do with the Word doc’s template and/or text styles; I’m no export on the latter.

My suggestion is you report this to support (including the document you’ve just shared) as they may be able to see where the confused formatting is happening.

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Thanks. Yah, it is strange, the file opens fine with MS word: but screws dragged to TB. I will report the issue. Thanks.

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I can also confirm. Open your document in Word, select the whole body, and use Edit > Clear > Clear Formatting then save it. Now try to drag the document into Tinderbox. It works.

It appears the content of the Word document was itself copied from a web page, or ePUB, or PDF? Yes?

There are some odd features of the formatting (e.g., the paragraph style commonly used in the document has a border pattern applied to it, but there is no border) – which is the kind of puzzling artifact that a Word document can incorporate when text is copied from a rich text source whose formatting is not obvious. Anyway, the document can be fixed, as noted.

Personally, I wouldn’t expect Tinderbox to be able to accommodate all the strange format encodings that one can encounter in a dragged-in document.

(FWIW, merely selecting the content of the document and pasting it into a Tinderbox note’s $Text also works correctly – without having to first clear up the document’s internal formatting issues.)

1 Like
9

You are right: the documents were converted from RTFD file. That is why they behaved strange. I did as you told me to do. Fixed!

Thanks.