office2003/ASCII file

Is anyone using Word 2003? If so have you figured out how to make a true
ASCII text file (*.ASC) which can be imported into AutoCAD. Word 2003 has a
option to save as a so called ASCII file, but it saves the file as a .TXT
file and does not import cleanly into AutoCAD as in the pass versions of
Word.


Thanks

 

Have you tried just renaming with a .asc extension? I am using Office 2003;
however, I usually open .txt and .asc files with notepad or wordpad. I have
never had a problem with just changing the extension. Hope this helps.

 

I have renamed the file but still get the same result. The text imports
into autocad but has lost all its formatting etc.
I could send you file converted using word 2000 and word2003 so you can see
what I am looking for.

Word 2003 saves the file as USASCii, but they omitted the save as 'ms dos
text with layout' which created a true ASC file in older versions of Word.

 

I would try Dean's suggestions. They seem to have fixed most of the Excel
issues with 2003, but not Word. Try making either Wordpad or even Notepad
your default editor as he suggested. You may even try importing the info.
into Excel and pasting to AutoCAD from there?

 

no neither of those work for large text files, we have 24x36 and 30x42
sheets full of genreal notes

 

Ok, not sure if I'm talking in circles here yet, but if Word won't hold the
formatting, can you open the document in Notepad or Wordpad, save it as .txt
or .asc in either of those two applications, and physically copy/paste from
that file into the Mtext window in AutoCAD? Sorry if I'm just confusing the
issue here.

--
John Michalik
Drafting and Design
LDD/CAD Development & Standards

 

Tom P.: Think you're missing a basic issue here. By definition, ASCII files are devoid of proprietary formatting. You can't expect anything else; no formatting, no nothing; just words.

The other issue is that AutoCad is a vector-based drawing program and as such, its creators put little emphasis on importing text-type information.

Better do as Dean suggests and prepare a platform for text to land on....

 

Yes I can expect more because it has worked for years, by coverting a word
file to MS DOS TEXT WITH LAYOUT (.ASC file) then importing directly into
AutoCAD and yes the imported text maintained its basic paragragph structure
etc... This is not so much a AutoCAD issue as it is a Word2003 issue.

files are devoid of proprietary formatting. You can't expect anything else;
no formatting, no nothing; just words.

such, its creators put little emphasis on importing text-type information.

 

You might want to consider using a word processor to its best use, that is writing specifications.

Having worked years ago for a firm that didn't use written specifications, many of our "general" notes were contractual topics that belong in a specification volume.

When we finally convinced the boss that this was the best way to go, general note became project specific.

Since Autocad is lousy at word processing anyway, you could solve two problems at once....

I'm guessing that the reason some of these "notes" aren't in a specification volume is because the perception is that "nobody reads the specs anyway..." Hate to rain on your parade but the same people that don't read specs aren't going to read a couple of drawing sheet size pages of notes either.

 

I am with Tom on this one. We also are finding that the (*.ASC) save as
feature is no where to be found in Word 2003. (2002 yes) We have been
using this for years. I realize this is not an AutoCAD problem, but a
Microsoft problem. I have tried office 2003 convertor pack by microsoft,
but this does not seem to add any addtional text convertors. I am also
led to believe that we are not the only ones that are using this
procedure to get text into AutoCAD.

If anyone else finds a solution or cares to start this conversation up
again please do so.

thanks,
jamie