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

[ballardstudio]

44 minutes ago, Fixx said:

How would styles help if ÖÄÅØÜß are all wrong characters? 

Errors like this are usually due to attributes that aren't translating properly. Now imagine this being added into a Affinity Publisher file and not seeing the errors on the front-end because you used a Word file import. For you, everything looks perfect...you're golden! On the back-end, it's a complete disaster! There are comments here from prepress operators about these issues earlier in the thread.

[Fixx]

Cleaning Word file is important skill – maybe english speaking world can ignore it using TXT format, but it is not an option for other users.

[geeksquare]

I miss this feature too. There should be a way to import content from office suite. In fact Open Office files should also be supported.

[360texas]

MS Word and MS Office products use special FORMATED font and text that often do not convert directly into other software. 

That is why copy and paste the MS text (read character style set) directly into Mac READER ? or MS Notepad  strips the format and displays straight ASCII text.   the ASCII text can be directly pasted into Affinity Publisher then re-formated for font style, size, color etc.

.docx file type might not strip out all the special font style text.

[AlainP]

If you save you word file in "RTF" format then you can insert it in a text box and it will keep his formatting.

[Stevde W]

Formatting etc does not concern me too much BUT I still need to find out how to create COLUMNS usually 3 on an A4 page. Or am I missing something logical?

[walt.farrell]

42 minutes ago, Stevde W said:

Formatting etc does not concern me too much BUT I still need to find out how to create COLUMNS usually 3 on an A4 page. Or am I missing something logical?

Perhaps I've lost track of what's being discussed, but can't you just specify the number of columns using the Columns specification in the context menu for a Text Frame, or via the more comprehensive options in the Columns section of the Text Frame panel (View > Studio > Text Frame)?

[drako]

Just to say that importing Word documents is a must and matter of normal workflow. I publish books of all shapes. sizes, types. Having to convert doc/docx to PDF before importing is a big step backwards, notwithstanding ballardstudio's comments above. I'm sure he has a point, but for me, the PPX facility to Import Text File does what I need.

[Stevde W]

Tried again on a test file. Saved docx as plain text, that's fine. But no way I could find to continue flow of text at bottom of text block, to continue the flow of text.

Think I will stick with PagePlus  X9....Reckon this new programme will have to be bargain basement for me to actually purchase it. Sorry Serif, why not improve on PP ???

[Fixx]

40 minutes ago, Tom Blyth said:

Having to convert doc/docx to PDF before importing

Better save it as rtf. Then it can be imported normally. Docx import should be coming though.

 

6 minutes ago, Stevde W said:

But no way I could find to continue flow of text at bottom of text block, to continue the flow of text.

Shift-click the link arrow in the text frame, it will make needed amount on pages and insert text in text frames cloned from the original.

[drako]

Many thanks. It's good to know that the developers are working on the .docx import. It's important (at least for me), but happy to use .rtf until the issue is resolved.

 

[lettergothic]

On 9/3/2018 at 6:32 AM, Luis Barros said:

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.

I second the absolute need to import/open/convert InDes. and QXP files in Apu. I use Quark 2017 *much* more than InDes.

thanks 

[lettergothic]

On 9/6/2018 at 4:50 AM, TonyB said:

The ability to import .docx files is on our internal roadmap. Implementing .doc files is much, much harder so we can't commit to doing that work at the moment but we will continue to track its importance.

 

Ever since I got my first Mac back in 1987, I can't recall getting ever getting even one single file from a client that was *not* an MS Word file. Word files are ALL that one gets from clients. As such, it seems to me that to be able to   open / import / convert / work with   Word files in Apu should be of primary importance rather than being "on our . . .roadmap". Also, the ability to seamlessly open / convert legacy documents from InDes. and QXP in Apu is very important and, it would seem to me, would only hasten the conversion of potential customers.

thanks

[adam1762]

Without creating ebooks this program will be useless for me.

[Rocketdrive]

Because Word sucks, most people also do not care about using it properly, i.e. using styles throughout, but rather use direct formatting. I seldom relied on direct import of Word docs, bacause it always introduced problems further down the road. For best results, I convert the content to plaintext first, then go over the entire text (be it a four page folder or a badass 200 page business report) and reformat it properly in the target application, that mostly being Indesign. When the most used styles are bound to shortcuts, formatting plain text is extremely fast, and You have very good control over it.

I totally see that importing word files is important for many, but in the meantime it is still easy to get work done with little workarounds.

[Stevde W]

Totally agree, most "untrained" users of Word NEVER format job correctly, especially TABBED lists. The number of times I open files to see spaces used to align figures / text in columns - makes me mad. I always tell them to USE THE TABS AND ONE TAB PER COLUMN - and that it matters not if their screen shows a raggy page, it is up to me / us to set p the correct tabs within P Plus and so I usually have to go right through their document, with the spaces (view) tab clicked, remove all spurious spaces and replace with one tab. I usually charge them extra for this!!

 

Still nobody advised me how to create columns and to flow text manually from overflow.

[Paul Sherfield]

If this software is to be used in the publishing area, it must be able to import Office docs. I know all the formatting issues, so you do have to review the import, soft returns and all, that, but that is just being professional.

[BlessedWind]

Definitely agree with other participants. Word docs without conversion must be able to be imported.

[Roy Stedall-Humphryes]

As many others have pointed out regarding Publisher, this software needs to enable, recognize 'Microsoft Word' files when scrolling down to, 'Insert Text From File'.

[Stevekelly]

.doc import please. I need this app to import .doc files.I am considering a move to this platform so need to know if it will be happening. My client uses ‘word’ the most widely used word processor in the world, I’m hoping you can make this happen. 

[Stevde W]

~I am sticking with Page Plus X9, it does nearly everything a good DTP platform should

[Stevekelly]

I’m a Mac user, so never used pageplus.  being doing this for over 20 years now and am fully willing to support affinity. I started off on quark, and then adobe came along and promised to provide a better cheaper solution. Which they did with indesign for a while. Now they basically steal my money on a monthly basis and provide me with  a hideous bloated, bug ridden expensive monster. Affinity can have all the input they want from me if it helps us designers out and ends the Adobe monopoly. Yes .doc import is simply a must.  I’m fully behind you Affinity!

[Stevde W]

I started using "Pagemaker" a lifetime ago, then moved on to InDesign, But as you rightly comment, they now want a crazy monthly subscription to place it on the latest MS platforms, so that's why I migrated to P Plus, even though I had tried it in earlier versions and did not like it, but with X9 it suits me perfectly.

[Andyz]

Are they going to build in, import .doc and .xls files as I've not seen any reference to this or, are they just not going to bother?

[drako]

I've also used Page Plus since the PPlus 5 days and have been delighted with every update and enhancement. I edit, design and publish books of every description and PPlus X9 does all I want in terms of input, processing, outputs, and fantastic Community support. I work with other designers, for whom InDesign is king, but they learned it in college: I never had time to do that, and the Adobe suite is, for me, well described by Stevekelly, above. 

However, Serif won't maintain X9 except as a legacy programme. I have great confidence in the Serif/Affinity developers and I accept their reasoning for a complete rework of their publishing software. I'm sure that Affinity Publisher will (after early problems) be a superb programme, but it needs at the very least to provide the facilities that we enjoy in X9, including .docx inputs, BookPlus, and ideally, eReader outputs. It's good to see that .docx input is now on the developers' list of requirements.

PPX9 wasn't very stable when first launched and I had to revert to PPX8 for 12-18 months. I guess the same thing will happen with APublisher. I'll examine the Beta releases, and will move across when the commercial release is stable enough not to loose a book.