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Still no Word style support?


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I may have overlooked something, but I'm not able to read in a long(ish) Word document, and keep at least the style definitions, basic formatting, font selection, size etc.

In short: Does Publisher V2 still not support a reasonably full Word docx file content import?

Yes, I know, I can import pdf-files. Still there is no style definitions, and the point for using (non-)Publisher V2 is not clear, if you have to edit anything by hand.

If not even basic word style support is supported, no need to test further.

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4 minutes ago, kfriis said:

In short: Does Publisher V2 still not support a reasonably full Word docx file content import?

Yes, it does.

But so does Publisher V1. So if you're having a problem with Styles from a .docx file perhaps you should describe them, and provide a sample document?

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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4 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Yes, it does.

But so does Publisher V1. So if you're having a problem with Styles from a .docx file perhaps you should describe them, and provide a sample document?

OK, I got it to work - somewhat.

Cannot create (Open) a new document based on a docx document (docx not selectable)

Right click on first, empty page, selecting “Add pages from File” to a new document, does not allow selection of docx file.

Import Content does not allow selection of docx file.

Place allows selection of docx file.

I uninstalled and reinstalled publisher, and now it imports styles.

Place does now respect the page size, but - boy is this cumbersome. Just as in V1.

This approach is simply too cumbersome and not viable for large documents. Especially, if you have many with various formats.

Since Publisher can read content, why can't it read the few extras, like page size, margins etc. and pull in content, as required. Everything is already defined in Word. Page size. Margins. Columns if any. Variable section formatting. etc. and so on.

Redefining the complete page layout from scratch before the document can even be imported and poured into the new framework, that is already present and completely defined in the source document is not my cup of tea.

Styles with the defined fonts are now there in my reinstalled Publisher, but the rest...

I'm not starting to replicate document layout each time I need to import documents of varying formats and page layouts via the "place-approach". That's too much.

Sorry. I'll not use version 2 of Publisher. It's too cumbersome in my view.

Still, I may have overlooked something.

If you can point me to an approach, that lets me open a Word docx document from scratch, and after reading the document present me with a reasonable semblance of the original word content and layout for the complete content, all pages, page breaks, varying sections and margins etc. and full text and style definitions, I'm game. I cannot find any way do do that.

Open would be an obvious choice, but I cannot select docx. I can select the pdf output from docx, but that is not usable (no styles defined that way), although positioning etc seems to be perfect. Source docx should be usable then, but no...

It's simply not flexible enough for my use cases. I'll not update any of my existing V1 licenses.

It seems to be a case of take it or leave it, and I leave it there - just uninstalled again ;-)

Regards

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Hi, FYI there's a list of supported file formats in the help system. You've figured this out now, but Microsoft Word files can be placed but not opened.

https://affinity.help/publisher2/English.lproj/index.html?page=pages/Appendix/fileformat.html?title=Supported file formats

Why can't you open a Word file rather than having to import it? MS Word is a word processor and page layout apps like Affinity Publisher and Adobe InDesign have always imported files from word processors into stories. People would typically write articles or chapters in MS Word and then provide them to the layout person who would import them into separate stories in the page layout app.

What you're asking for is reasonable though, especially if you've formatted your entire book in MS Word and then decided you need something more powerful. Maybe someday.

Download a free manual for Publisher 2.4 from this forum - expanded 300-page PDF

My system: Affinity 2.4.0 for macOS Sonoma 14.4, MacBook Pro 14" (M1 Pro)

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4 hours ago, kfriis said:

If you can point me to an approach, that lets me open a Word docx document from scratch, and after reading the document present me with a reasonable semblance of the original word content and layout for the complete content, all pages, page breaks, varying sections and margins etc. and full text and style definitions, I'm game. I cannot find any way do do that.

FYI: No page layout app can do what you want. Not InDesign, nor QuarkXpress. They both can import content and text styles (with various degrees of compatibility), but not the page layout properties from Word.

If you already did the page layout in Word, why do you need to open the file in Publisher?

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14 hours ago, tudor said:

FYI: No page layout app can do what you want. Not InDesign, nor QuarkXpress. They both can import content and text styles (with various degrees of compatibility), but not the page layout properties from Word.

If you already did the page layout in Word, why do you need to open the file in Publisher?

Well... Out of curiosity: Why would it interest me, what other tools cannot do either? Will that solve any of my needs?

Some of my documents, are up to 17 years old - Publisher was not even a gleam in anyones eyes, then - and where PDF output is a prerequisite, a different approach could be interesting to look into. If I have to transfer around 80+ documents (with up to a couple of hundred images, some illustrations and whatnot), I'll need all the help I can get in the transfer process.

Without "direct Open" Publisher is plain out.

The remaining documents, even more intricate to handle (including also video, animations and sound) is moving to a new tool, allowing both PDF - not optimal - and very good ePUB output: it's the ePUB output that is required.

Publisher is excluded even before entering the fray. 

So: Ask not why... ;-) 

Regards

P.S. Without Publisher, I'm in no need of any Affinity Products, and all my V1 licenses for all my platforms (iPad, Mac, Windows) will not be renewed. Most have been uninstalled, leaving only the bare necessity active on a single machine for maintenance reasons.

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19 minutes ago, kfriis said:

Without "direct Open" Publisher is plain out.

You cannot Open a .docx file in Publisher, but you can Place it, which will give you basically the same capabilities as Opening one.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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22 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

You cannot Open a .docx file in Publisher, but you can Place it, which will give you basically the same capabilities as Opening one.

No, it won't.

Have checked.

Open the pdf produced by the Word document. Perfect, but no styles (obviously) so not fit for any continued use, editing, revisions, modifications or updates of content over the coming years.

Then repeated the process with place based on the same docx, that produced the pdf imported perviously. Both the docx and the pdf version look identical on any of my computers (old or new, Mac or Windows).

After a few "adjustments" of basic page setup and document size, I was ready for... a huge, big'e, colonormous shock followed by a screeching halt. The same document, containing also around 120-125 images all over the place etc.Other details missing (in docx place, not after pdf open). Not even fit for starting a conversion process worth the name.

Why would I do this to myself?

Regards

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3 hours ago, kfriis said:

Open the pdf produced by the Word document. Perfect, but no styles (obviously) so not fit for any continued use, editing, revisions, modifications or updates of content over the coming years.

Suddenly you have switched to talking about an exported PDF. Of course that doesn't have any styles. PDFs don't support styles. For continued editing you would save a .afpub file and work with that.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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9 hours ago, walt.farrell said:

Suddenly you have switched to talking about an exported PDF. Of course that doesn't have any styles. PDFs don't support styles. For continued editing you would save a .afpub file and work with that.

No, not suddenly.

It was the whole and sole purpose of this maneuvre to produce advanced PDF’s in the future, but based on existing content in my current docx portfolio. What is it you do not understand here?

You stated: “You cannot Open a .docx file in Publisher, but you can Place it, which will give you basically the same capabilities as Opening one

I described my approach and the reason, why I cannot use “Place” in real life.

Either you haven’t bothered to check, or you’re simply ignoring facts. What is it?

For years, I and others, had suggested that a way to “Open” (in your terminologi) docx documents for direct import with true formatting (as is possible from pdf from the same docx), instead of using the - in my eyes - feeble “Place” approach, would be a nice feature to have. Just like - in my case - export to ePub “fixed format”. (NOT “floating” format, as some seem to assume in any debate).

You’ve made your Policy choice. Fine.

I now have made mine: No money flowing into your coffers 😇

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2 hours ago, kfriis said:

I described my approach and the reason, why I cannot use “Place” in real life.

Sorry, but if you have explained that, I didn't see it.

Placing and Opening a .docx file will give you nearly identical results.

Your problem seems to be with Opening or Placing a PDF file, as that won't give you Styles. And I've explained why it won't. Your problem is that you're switching to using a PDF file for input. That is not a good workflow, regardless of the application you're using.

-- Walt
Designer, Photo, and Publisher V1 and V2 at latest retail and beta releases
PC:
    Desktop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 64GB memory, AMD Ryzen 9 5900 12-Core @ 3.00 GHz, NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3090 

    Laptop:  Windows 11 Pro, version 23H2, 32GB memory, Intel Core i7-10750H @ 2.60GHz, Intel UHD Graphics Comet Lake GT2 and NVIDIA GeForce RTX 3070 Laptop GPU.
iPad:  iPad Pro M1, 12.9": iPadOS 17.4.1, Apple Pencil 2, Magic Keyboard 
Mac:  2023 M2 MacBook Air 15", 16GB memory, macOS Sonoma 14.4.1

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