10 Replies Latest reply: Dec 23, 2013 2:31 PM by imagineimage1

Import from Word creates bad html

jeffc2010 Dec 17, 2013 1:53 PM

using Word 2010 and Robohelp 10

I cannot find a "convert text to table" option in Robohelp so I assume you must create the table from scratch or import the table, correct?

Importing word docs using tables and lists creates html with a lot of formatting garbage (in my opinion)

i created Word doc with only a simple table that only used the most basic "table grid" word table style format.
Imported the word doc into my robohelp project
set the table import style to "simple border"

The html is cluttered with really poor tagging garbage.

Is there a way to create tables in Word that will create unformatted tables in Robo Help?

sample:

===

<body>

<table class="SimpleBorder" cellspacing="0">

<tr>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">This

is the first column heading</p></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">This

is second column heading</p></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">This

is third column heading</p></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">Column

one, second row</p></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">Column

two, second row</p></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">Column

three, second row</p></td>

</tr>

<tr>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">Column

one, third row</p></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">Column

two, third row</p></td>

<td style="vertical-align: top;" width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;

line-height: normal;">Column

three, third row</p></td>

</tr>

</table>

<p> </p>

<p class="ListParagraphCxSpFirst" style="text-indent: -.25in;">1.<span

style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';">      </span> Ordered

list step 1</p>

<p class="ListParagraphCxSpMiddle" style="text-indent: -.25in;">2.<span

style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';">      </span> Ordered

list step 2</p>

<p class="ListParagraphCxSpLast" style="text-indent: -.25in;">3.<span style="font: 7.0pt 'Times New Roman';">      </span> Ordered

list step 3</p>

<p style="margin-left: .25in;"> </p>

</body>

==

1. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

Peter Grainge Dec 17, 2013 2:42 PM (in response to jeffc2010)

Easier than you expect.

Paste in, complete with garbage.

Right click and select a CSS table.

Important. Select Clean inline styling.

Usually does the job.
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2. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

jeffc2010 Dec 17, 2013 2:59 PM (in response to Peter Grainge)
Peter,
Thank you for replying. Is the option you are referring to a check box labeled "clean table inline formatting". If this is what you mean, i use it all the time and it usually does NOT do the job.
Here is what i did:
selected table in word doc
pasted into RH topic (normal style selected)
selected table
right click, selected "table style"
checked "clean table inline formatting". Selected "default" table style

Below is the same 9 cell table after using this procedure noted above. Even more garbage formatting.

Did I use the option you are referring to?

==
<table cellspacing="0">
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 0; mso-yfti-firstrow: yes;">
<td style="vertical-align: top; border: solid #000000 1.0pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px;
    padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;" width="213"><p
    style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;">This
   is the first column heading</p></td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; border: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-left: none;
    mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px;
    padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;" width="213"><p
    style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;">This
   is second column heading</p></td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; border: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-left: none;
    mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px;
    padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;" width="213"><p
    style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;">This
   is third column heading</p></td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 1;">
<td style="vertical-align: top; border: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-top: none;
    mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px;
    padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;" width="213"><p
    style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;">Column
   one, second row</p></td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; border-top: none; border-left: none;
    border-bottom: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-right: solid #000000 1.0pt;
    mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
    padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"
    width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
        line-height: normal;">Column two, second row</p></td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; border-top: none; border-left: none;
    border-bottom: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-right: solid #000000 1.0pt;
    mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
    padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"
    width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
        line-height: normal;">Column three, second
   row</p></td>
</tr>
<tr style="mso-yfti-irow: 2; mso-yfti-lastrow: yes;">
<td style="vertical-align: top; border: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-top: none;
    mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px;
    padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;" width="213"><p
    style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; line-height: normal;">Column
   one, third row</p></td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; border-top: none; border-left: none;
    border-bottom: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-right: solid #000000 1.0pt;
    mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
    padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"
    width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
        line-height: normal;">Column two, third row</p></td>
<td style="vertical-align: top; border-top: none; border-left: none;
    border-bottom: solid #000000 1.0pt; border-right: solid #000000 1.0pt;
    mso-border-top-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; mso-border-left-alt: solid windowtext .5pt;
    mso-border-alt: solid windowtext .5pt; padding: 0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt;
    padding-left: 0px; padding-top: 0px; padding-right: 0px; padding-bottom: 0px;"
    width="213"><p style="margin-bottom: .0001pt;
        line-height: normal;">Column three, third
   row</p></td>
</tr>
</table>
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3. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

Peter Grainge Dec 18, 2013 1:49 AM (in response to jeffc2010)

You used the right option, I gave you the wrong procedure, apologies.

Paste your table in and then select it in Rh. On the Format menu there is a Clear Formatting option. Click that and you will have a clean table to which you can then apply a CSS table if required.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge
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4. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

jeffc2010 Dec 18, 2013 9:48 AM (in response to Peter Grainge)

Peter,
Thank you so much for making me aware of this feature. I am very glad to know about it now after struggling so long with manually cleaning up poor html.

One other odd thing that is happening: After I clean up the table (see html below) If i use "default.css" or "RHStyleMapping.css", and apply "simpleBorder" table style, the first column in my simple 9 cell table is 6" wide (way too wide) and the last two columns are half inch wide each (see inserted screen shot below). I looked at css format and cannot determine why this happens. Is it the typical issue?

What can I do so I do not need to manually adjust the column width?

Here is the html:

==

<link rel="StyleSheet" href="RHStyleMapping.css" type="text/css" />
</head>
<body>
<table class="SimpleBorder" cellspacing="0">
<tr>
<td>This is the first column heading</td>
<td>This is second column heading</td>
<td>This is third column heading</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Column one, second row</td>
<td>Column two, second row</td>
<td>Column three, second row</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td>Column one, third row</td>
<td>Column two, third row</td>
<td>Column three, third row</td>
</tr>
</table>

==

Here is screen shot of the table:
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5. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

Peter Grainge Dec 19, 2013 1:10 AM (in response to jeffc2010)

That's a known issue and it should be OK in most browsers. To fix it in Rh's Design Editor apply a table width and column widths.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge
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6. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

imagineimage1 Dec 23, 2013 8:28 AM (in response to Peter Grainge)

Because we experience so many issues with tables being created by others, we are simply capturing the tables as graphics and putting them in as pictures. It's the only way to get the tables the way the authors want and keeps us from beginning to look like Peter prematurely that is. (hehe!)
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7. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

Peter Grainge Dec 23, 2013 11:46 AM (in response to imagineimage1)

Well I may have a few wrinkles but my tables look better than yours!

Have you tried the Clear Formatting option as it leaves only really basic table code?Then apply a CSS style and the table is perfect.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge
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8. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

jeffc2010 Dec 23, 2013 12:49 PM (in response to Peter Grainge)

As I noted, I am so happy to learn about "clear formatting" function. It works great, except, as i noted, if i apply a CSS style, i still have to manually adjust the column width because the first column width is goofy. I see you noted it is a "known issue". In any case, "clear formatting" goes a long way in improving bringing previously created tables into robohelp.

In the past I have sometimes used an image, but i prefer having live data in case it needs to be updated in the future.
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9. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

Peter Grainge Dec 23, 2013 1:05 PM (in response to jeffc2010)

@jeffc2010 My last post was in response to ImagineImage1.

See www.grainge.org for RoboHelp and Authoring tips

@petergrainge
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10. Re: Import from Word creates bad html

imagineimage1 Dec 23, 2013 2:31 PM (in response to jeffc2010)

Sometimes I have had to click that clear button a few times before it actually cleans totally or so it seems.
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