I Am Unable To Copy Text

[RandyScott]

I was browsing the forums today, saw some information I wanted to copy (when I want to 'keep' some tip/technique/idea/etc., in a permanent manner, I create a document, title it and move it into an 'archive folder' where I can access it as needed. I then 'copy and paste' the text/photo/etc., into the document.) into my archive document. As soon as I pasted the text, I realized the text was.... well, all sort of mixed up.. it was like portions of it were cut and repasted at random. And, I then realized I had encountered this before and became really frustrated and simply quit trying to save these tips, etc.. When I attempted to 'straighten it out' in my document, it sometimes will work and sometimes it simply will not let me. I use this technique on multiple websites and this is the only one where I encounter this problem.

I am running on a DSL with near T1 download speed, through a router with a dynamic IP address, into a server running Windows XP OS and MS Office Suite of products.

I was able to successfully copy and save text and then, one day it started to scramble the text. I have my profile set to auto sign me on when I access the site. I don't 'log off' either, just close the browser or enter another URL address and go. I will give that a quick test, and if it clears it up I will post the new status.

I can simply use a screen capture program and do it the hard way, but I like the ease of save and paste the text and photos as needed.

Hmmm... just learned one can not cut and paste text within this box... i.e., move a bit of text from one paragraph to another.

Anyone have any ideas on resolving the initial issue?

Thanks

[hivemind]

Might be you're grabbing more of the website than you need to, that is, you're grabbing characters outside the text box you're actually interested in. Most websites these days aren't laid out in straight text like ten, or even five, years ago. Now everything is tables and CSS stylesheets and stuff like that.

I have two suggestions:

1. Be very careful to just highlight the precise text you're after, don't try and grab entire web pages.

or

2. You don't need a special program to take screen shots, just hit Alt+PrtScn then paste into a Word document.

[RandyScott]

Hivemind,

I am careful when grabbing the text, for example: #1 above appears, when pasted into my doc as ".t try and grab entire web pages'don ,re after'Be very careful to just highlight the precise text you" and I only saved the sentence.

As to #2, that process grabs the entire visible screen page.. all I want is a paragraph, a text snippet, perhaps a photo, not the entire page. The screen capture program I use permits me to 'draw a box around what I want'. Some forums have a feature that permits one to view a 'print version' of the screen which 'cleans up' and displays the content of the thread and not all the avatars, signatures, etc. LW doesn't have that feature as far as I have been able to ascertain.

[Johanna]

On the left side of the page. at the bottom of every topic there is an envelope (email the topic) a printer (print this topic) a box with a green arrow, (download and save) and a share to FB.

~J

[dirtclod]

I learned something new today and that's a good thing.

[RandyScott]

Johanna,

Thanks for the info... I had forgotten all about those icons! When I click on the printer icon, it displays all the text in the thread right justified against the right margin, yet when copied and pasted into a Word doc, it scrambles the text as before and, additionally, is right justified.. net result, no gain. The download function saves an html image of the entire page.. just way too much when all I want is text and/or a photo.

Am I the only one this is happening to? If so, then there is no further need to seek resolution as it is on my side of the fence and not yours.

Randy

[jeeperaz]

just curious, have you tried pasting into something besides Word.... Notepad perhaps.

[RandyScott]

just curious, have you tried pasting into something besides Word.... Notepad perhaps.

Nope, didn't even think of it.... however, I tried it and it works!

Thanks for the suggestion!

[busted]

I was browsing the forums today, saw some information I wanted to copy (when I want to 'keep' some tip/technique/idea/etc., in a permanent manner, I create a document, title it and move it into an 'archive folder' where I can access it as needed. I then 'copy and paste' the text/photo/etc., into the document.) into my archive document. As soon as I pasted the text, I realized the text was.... well, all sort of mixed up.. it was like portions of it were cut and repasted at random. And, I then realized I had encountered this before and became really frustrated and simply quit trying to save these tips, etc.. When I attempted to 'straighten it out' in my document, it sometimes will work and sometimes it simply will not let me. I use this technique on multiple websites and this is the only one where I encounter this problem.

I am running on a DSL with near T1 download speed, through a router with a dynamic IP address, into a server running Windows XP OS and MS Office Suite of products.

I was able to successfully copy and save text and then, one day it started to scramble the text. I have my profile set to auto sign me on when I access the site. I don't 'log off' either, just close the browser or enter another URL address and go. I will give that a quick test, and if it clears it up I will post the new status.

I can simply use a screen capture program and do it the hard way, but I like the ease of save and paste the text and photos as needed.

Hmmm... just learned one can not cut and paste text within this box... i.e., move a bit of text from one paragraph to another.

Anyone have any ideas on resolving the initial issue?

Thanks

Edited December 22, 2010 by busted

[LNLeather]

Hmmm, Have you tried to just save the page as a PDF file?

Then you could cut & paste from there...

[terix]

Tried this? I use it a lot!

http://html-to-pdf.n...-converter.aspx

[RandyScott]

Hmmm, Have you tried to just save the page as a PDF file?

Nope... the work around mentioned above works for me.... quick, easy, copy what I want, ignore the rest..

thanks for the suggestion.

[RandyScott]

Tried this? I use it a lot!

http://html-to-pdf.n...-converter.aspx

I was not aware of this application... neat tool for some uses... my work around suffices for the moment.. I added the link to my 'bullet collection', i.e., nifty little bullets (tools) in my gunbelt for future possible use.

Thanks for the link.....

[hivemind]

Randy, have you done a repair on your Microsoft Office installation? May fix this for you.

Go to Control Panel>Add or Remove Programs and find the Microsoft Office entry. Click "Change" and follow along until it offers you a "Repair" option, then let it do it.

[RandyScott]

Randy, have you done a repair on your Microsoft Office installation? May fix this for you.

No... I acknowledge that my situation must be unique in that no one else reports this issue (of the forums I frequent, it only happens on LW), I have a work around that is not onerous, and I am a tad leery of undocumented 'fixes'. The operative word is 'May'... Better the devil I know... thanks for the suggestion, but I will pass on it.

For the record: I download all the MS updates promptly; I did walk all the way into the Add/Remove programs.. selected Help and searched for 'repair' and read the applicable items therein... and did not find anything that provided me with the assurance I need to pull the trigger.

[hivemind]

Randy, a repair will not harm anything. It might not fix it, but it definitely will not harm it. If it does, I'll personally remote into your computer and fix it for you.