[Implemented] Publisher does not recognize WORD .docx files!

[Phil Martin]

I need to import .docx files and do not want to resave them as RTF. Briefly, please -- what file formats can be used for import or drag-and-drop?

[Magic-design]

pdf

[Phil Martin]

Of course! But I'm given a number of WORD (.docx) files, and conversion to an acceptable format is a time-consuming nuisance. I'm sure Publisher accepts a number of formats; I just wish to know which ones.

[Patrick Connor]

Agreed, hopefully this important feature will be added at a later date.

[Phil Martin]

Can you tell me what formats, other than RTF, maybe PDF, can be used?

[Phil Martin]

OK. It's a nuisance to have to open every .docx file, but copying the text and pasting it into a text box works. It works even better than placing an RTF file. Users of the beta version are going to have to resort to numerous work-arounds.

[Stevde W]

Copying a text file and  pasting into the document is ok but HOW do we change type face / style /;; size? I think for now ki may stick with  Page plus X9!!!

[Eugene Tyson]

Agreed - Excel files don't import either.

I would say this would be normal workflow. 

And it would also need to bring in bold/italic etc. where possible. 

[Stevde W]

Indeed, I did spot how to change the block of text brought in by copy / paste but it is cumbersome. Beats me = they had a good programme with P Plus, so why not just build on that. The only thing I would have liked in PP is double page view and my copy will not paginate to pdf nor will it create a table of contents! I suppose some whizz kid at the firm has made his mind up to create something newer, but worse!

[DanielC]

Hey - are you going to implement word doc import? Preferably a word doc that has styles set up and then can map those to publisher styles????

[Patrick Connor]

@DanielC & @Stevde W 

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums  

DanielC I have merged your post into this relevant suggestions forum thread. No doubt if we can implement this in an efficient way the styles would also be brought in. For now the only work around is RTF export and import into APu.

[FusionPilot]

I've only played with this program for a bit, but found that MSWord can export as a PDF file. This imports nicely if you keep the margins the same as the PDF document. 

One thing I had to do, though, was eliminate headers and footers before "Save-As PDF", so I could get the proper pagination. I then created a Master Page in APu to replace the missing footers.

I'm also chasing a font-substitution issue, as the Mac has a font which APu says it can't find. More on that later.

Good program though - glad to see something the caliber of inDesign, which I cannot afford to subscribe to. Some of the user interface seems strange but I'm sure I'll learn it and stop trying to remember inDesign techniques! 

Thanks for the opportunity to use the beta version - I'm looking forward to this program!

 

[Guyon]

10 hours ago, Stevde W said:

Copying a text file and  pasting into the document is ok but HOW do we change type face / style /;; size? I think for now ki may stick with  Page plus X9!!!

Easy guys.  This is just a pre-release Beta. 

[Phil Martin]

Once I found the "Character" panel, converting and working with fonts was a cinch. And I love the fact that my paragraph styles are placed in a drop-down, not in a floating panel (I look forward to finding a way to remove some of the default styles). This beta has abundant pros and cons; let's not rush the marketable release!

[Cineman]

On 8/31/2018 at 5:35 AM, Patrick Connor said:

Agreed, hopefully this important feature will be added at a later date.

The sooner the better. This is a nuts-and-bolts level feature for any layout app.

[dominik]

On 8/31/2018 at 6:09 PM, DanielC said:

 that has styles set up and then can map those to publisher styles????

I am able to import a document via copy and paste from Libre Office that transferred the paragraph styles and I could reuse and enhance them in APub.

d.

[rodbry]

I have just started looking at Affinity Pub.    First impressions quite good layout understandable to ppp uses.   Then i find out:

1.   I can't import Page Pkus files.

2.   I can't import or write.doc or .docx.

I edit the local village magazine as one project and I use PP, output to pdf for the printer.   Contributions are almost always in Word.   We have sub-editors using Mac and Word and other formats so transferring data is always a problem.     We have used pdf  as a way round some of these, but this is not always reliable and seems to produce varied results.    I understand that Affinity is aimed at professionals,  but what about the many ordinary users of Page Plus that will find no advantage in the new software unless it does what they need.   There will have to be better connectivity with other software before I could consider changing from PP.    Disappointed, I hoped Affinity might solve some of my existing problems.

 

  

[Luis Barros]

So far, I have not found a way to import text documents and this function is critical for paging books and magazines. Will this feature become available as the one in Indesign? And now. There will be some way to make Publisher compatible with the Indesign and Quark XPress documents. For those who have worked with these tools for years, it was imperative to open the existing documents in Publisher.

[Patrick Connor]

@rodbry & @Luis Barros

Welcome to the Serif Affinity forums  

Luis, I have merged your post from the bugs forum to this suggestions thread, where many others are also asking for this functionality. Hope that's OK

[Cineman]

8 hours ago, rodbry said:

I have just started looking at Affinity Pub.    First impressions quite good layout understandable to ppp uses.   Then i find out:

1.   I can't import Page Pkus files.

2.   I can't import or write.doc or .docx.

...   I understand that Affinity is aimed at professionals,  but what about the many ordinary users...

Plenty of professionals will count on the inclusion of a Word import feature from Day 1 as well. It's a core requirement of any page layout application as the vast majority of the business world and other sectors generate their copy in Word. This feature needs to be in the first release or many people who might otherwise adopter sooner, will wait and adopt later. Of all the basic features not yet fully finished or included, I'd probably put this at the top of the list, then for next release INDD / IDML files should be at the top of the list (unless driving adoption by InDesign users is not a goal, which it may not be for the first cycle or two).

[karipu]

To be able to import .docx files is essential.

[Seneca]

4 hours ago, karipu said:

To be able to import .docx files is essential.

You are able to do it now but not directly.

Download LibreOffice and open your Microsoft Document from within LibreOffice.

Copy it and paste into Publisher. This procedure copies majority of the styles and you may find that you need to do very little to correct the remaining issues.

Of course your mileage may vary but I think it's a very good way to preserve your work done in Microsoft Word.

By the way this was also pointed out by Dominic in an earlier post.

[ballardstudio]

Importing Word documents is bad practice when creating layouts. The carried over character attributes are known for causing various issues that can lead to a series of problems, including file corruption. You're better off creating a plain text document and reformatting it

[Seneca]

7 minutes ago, ballardstudio said:

You're better off creating a plain text document and reformatting it

You must be kidding.

[ballardstudio]

2 hours ago, Seneca said:

You must be kidding.

I am very serious. Carrying over attributes, especially from Microsoft, to any other application can cause issues with your files. I've seen it too many times and ask designers not to use imported or copy/paste text from MS Word. These issues also occur in digital design when copying text from Word and pasting it into an HTML document. In print, your provider may be charging you additional money for fixes in your files due to attributes and you wouldn't know because it's considered as a hidden production charge.