Computer and Software Support


Formatting of Text 

 

When you copy text from one program to another program the text alignment can be messed up. Therefore you have to retype the text or edit the layout of the text.

The reason this happens is that when you highlight text in a program and copy it, you also copy the formatting of the text. When you paste it in another program the text is all messed up.

For example, if I copied an the following article from a webpage

Israeli archaeologists are showing off the monumental, many-arched corridor that led to Herod the Great's hilltop palace near Jerusalem in the first century. The corridor in the ancient fortress of Herodium, about 7 miles (12 kilometers) south of Jerusalem, has been excavated to reveal a space 65 feet long, 65 feet high and 20 feet wide (20 by 20 by 6 meters).

In King Herod's day, the corridor was designed to lead directly into the palace courtyard — but archaeologists determined during the excavations that it didn't get much use. Instead, they say it was back-filled when the palace was converted into Herod's burial monument.

Example A

 

and pasted it into Word, it may look like this

 

Israeli archaeologists are        showing off the monumental, many-arched corridor that led to Herod the Great's hilltop palace near Jerusalem in the first century. The corridor in the ancient fortress of Herodium, about 7 miles (12 kilometers) south of Jerusalem, has been excavated to reveal a space 65 feet long, 65 feet high and 20 feet wide (20 by 20 by 6 meters).
In King Herod's day, the corri

dor was designed to lead directly into the palace courtyard — but archaeologists determined during the excavations that it didn't get much use. Instead, they say it was back-filled when the palace was converted into Herod's burial monument.

 

Example B

 

 

Notice that example B has both paragraphs together instead of spaced out. Also notice that there is erroneous spaces throughout the paragraph.

To fix this, Open Notepad, paste the copied text into Notepad. After the text is pasted into Notepad, highlight the text, copy the text and then paste it into the program that you want the text to go to.

 

Notepad strips the formatting of the text so it is just plain text. This will allow it to show up correctly in other programs.