Convert text boes to text

[SueG]

I have a document with a number of text boxes in it. How can I move the text
from the boxes onto the page, so that it behaves like ordinary text, without
cutting and pasting every box?
Thanks

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

Convert the text boxes to frames and remove the frames (Ctrl+Q will likely
do the latter). After you've converted the first text box to a frame (which
is an option on the Text Box tab of Format Text Box), F4 should handle each
subsequent one.

 

[SueG]

Thanks that worked OK but how do I now get the text from the frame onto the
page without cutting and pasting every one?

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

When you remove the frame, it will be just ordinary text.

 

[Madeleine D.]

I have a very similar problem. In the document I am working on, text and
tables are placed in text boxes that are placed in drawing canvas. I need to
put everything back in a regular text format. The text boxes have various
sizes, some contain only one word and some contain almost a full sentence.
The tables are filled with a large amount of very little text boxes too... it
would take me forever to re-type everything. I was hoping to find a way of
taking out the boxes and keeping only the text and tables.

I tried to do Ctr + Q on selected text boxes but nothing happened... They
probably weren't frames. When I select one or many text boxes, a text box
toolbar appears, but I don't see the option that converts a text box to a
frame. How do I do this? Thank you very much!

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

The Convert to Frame option is on the Text Box tab of the Format Text Box
dialog.

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Madeleine D.]

First of all, thank you for your quick response!

I'm feeling closer to the solution now, but my problem is not solved yet...

I found the Text Box tab of the Format AutoShape dialog (for me, it's not
Format Text Box that appears in the menu when I right-click on the text box,
it's format AutoShape). When I get to the Text box tab, I can see the option
"Convert to Frame" but it's in pale grey (I can't click it). I tried checking
and unchecking the two boxes that are there (Word wrap text in AutoShape &
Resize AutoShape to fit text) but it didn't do anything about that and I
still couldn't click on the "Convert to Frame" button. What do I do now?

Thanks again!
Oh, and please note I'm working with Office 2003.

 

[Stefan Blom]

If you change the Text Wrapping of the AutoShape to something other than "In
line with text," the Convert to Frame button should be clickable.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Sorry, I have to take that back. :-(

It seems as if, in Word 2003, AutoShapes cannot be converted to frames at
all.

 

[Madeleine D.]

Well, I tried all the other wrapping options (for the Drawing Canvas that's
around the text box - I can't change the wrapping for the text box only), and
I still couldn't click the Convert to Frame button...

 

[Suzanne S. Barnhill]

That means that the text box is part of the AutoShape (this is what happens
when you right-click an AutoShape and choose "Add Text"). This document
sounds more and more like something I'm glad I'm not faced with!

--
Suzanne S. Barnhill
Microsoft MVP (Word)
Words into Type
Fairhope, Alabama USA
http://word.mvps.org

 

[Graham Mayor]

Interesting - If you add text to an autoshape then it should be possible to
convert the shape to a frame, however if you change the wrap option of the
autoshape top in-line the convert to frame button becomes greyed and then
may not become available again if you convert back to 'in front of text'.

If the wrap of the autoshape is 'in front of text' the following macro
should convert the selected shape to a frame then remove the frame.
http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm

With Selection
.ShapeRange(1).ConvertToFrame
.Frames.Delete
With .ParagraphFormat
.Borders(wdBorderLeft).LineStyle = wdLineStyleNone
.Borders(wdBorderRight).LineStyle = wdLineStyleNone
.Borders(wdBorderTop).LineStyle = wdLineStyleNone
.Borders(wdBorderBottom).LineStyle = wdLineStyleNone
End With
End With

I would strongly urge you to attack the autoshapes one at a time as changing
them all at once (which could be achieved easily enough with a small
modification to the macro) is likely produce an even bigger mess to sort
out.

--
<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>
Graham Mayor - Word MVP

My web site www.gmayor.com

<>>< ><<> ><<> <>>< ><<> <>>< <>><<>

 

[Stefan Blom]

Well, what I found when I tested this was that it didn't seem to work in a
reliable way--from the user interface that is. Maybe it will be safer using
VBA.

 

[Madeleine D.]

Thank you to everyone for your help and your ideas. Unfortunately, none of
the solutions you suggested seemed to work.

I think the problem is that I can't change the AutoShape wrap option. When I
right-click the shape, go in the "Format AutoShape" window and choose the
"Layout" tab, I can ajust the horizontal and vertical position in diagram
from the top left corner or the center... but I don't get the icons with the
little dog (in line with text, square, tight...). I can only get these
wrapping options when I go in "Format Drawing Canvas". I read in the help
section that it's only the Drawing Canvas that has wrapping options, not the
shapes inside the canvas.

I also tried to follow the steps to create and run the macro you suggested,
but I'm not familiar with this and I couldn't get it to work. But... if I
can't even get the AutoShapes to become frames by hand, it won't work with a
macro either, am I right?

I finally re-copied all the pages of my document that had the text in
shapes, in order to meet my deadline, but I would really like to know if
there is anything else I can try - especially since I was just told I would
have another similar document to correct later today. I'm out of ideas... But
there must be a way of doing this! Just let me know if you think of anything
else. Thanks again!

 

[Stefan Blom]

From your description it seems as if the AutoShape is inside a drawing
canvas. In order to see a full set of Layout options for the AutoShape you
will have to drag it out of the canvas.

 

[Madeleine D.]

That's right, it worked!

It's perfect for putting titles and sentences back to text again... but for
the tables (90% of the document), I believe it won't be much faster than
typing them all over again: it doesn't keep the lines or formatting, all the
text is going to be scattered around the canvas and I will have to replace it
in the table, cell by cell.

I noticed I can drag multiple AutoShapes out of the canvas all at once, but
then I have to convert to frames and remove the frames one by one.

It may be the best we can do, and it's better than nothing! Thank you very
much!

 

[Stefan Blom]

I'm glad I could help.

 

[Textdoktorn]

"SueG" skrev:

I have a document with a number of text boxes in it. How can I move the text
from the boxes onto the page, so that it behaves like ordinary text, without
cutting and pasting every box?
Thanks

Hi,

Did you ever consider the possibility of printing the document to a PDF file
and then copying the text from that file back to Word? It might mess up the
text sequence but it's quick and you don't have to bother about empty text
boxes. Also, most of the formatting is retained.

 

[Stefan Blom]

Alternatively, try a macro such as this one:

Sub GetRidofTextBoxes()
Dim t As Shape

For Each t In ActiveDocument.Shapes
If t.Type = msoTextBox Then
t.TextFrame.ContainingRange.Copy
t.Anchor.Paste
t.Delete

End If
Next t

End Sub

For assistance with the macro, see
http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm.