Is there a way to snap loose textboxes to placeholdesr in PPT 2003?

[Mary]

I recently upgraded from PPT 2000 to PPT 2003, which I'm running on Windows
XP.

I often clean up presentations where the content owners, who are not very
skilled in PPT, will type the title text and body text in free-range text
boxes. In other words they are not using the slide master -- they may either
use the blank slide layout or use the correct layout but somehow do not
insert the text into the autolayout placeholders.

In PPT 2000, I could drag a text box on top of a placeholder and the text
would seem to snap into place and I would then reapply the master. But now
in PPT 2003, I find that I have to copy and paste the text from the
free-floating text box to the correct placeholder. The "snapping" thing no
longer works for me. Is there a way to get this to work as it did in 2000?

 

[Echo S]

I do the same thing, Mary, and so I also wish there were a way to reactivate
the drag-and-drop-into-the-placeholder function. Unfortunately, there's not.

 

[Geetesh Bajaj]

Mary, whatever Echo said - and this:

You can have both PowerPoint 2000 and 2003 on the same machine even if you
upgraded - and since the file format is the same you can still open files
edited in PowerPoint 2003 within the older version. However, do all your
edits in PowerPoint 2000 before you apply any new animations or transitions
in PowerPoint 2003.

I know this is not exactly the solution you are looking for - but thought
this might make things easier for you.

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

You can't just drag stuff into text placeholders any longer (which is in some
respects a GOOD thing, though not for your immediate porpoises).

But try this:

Click anywhere in the text box the user created then press ESC.
Press Ctrl+C
Click inside the placeholder text box
Press Ctrl+V

Once you're confident that this works, you can add another step, right after
the Ctrl+C: press Ctrl+X to delete the freeform text box.

 

[Geetesh Bajaj]

That won't work - it's too uncomplicated... <g>

- Geetesh

 

[Steve Rindsberg]

That won't work - it's too uncomplicated... <g>

Giving me back some of my own attitude, eh?

I've taught him too well, I fear. ;-)

 

[Mary]

Geetesh:

I've only been working with PPT 2003 a couple of weeks, and so far this is
the only feature I wish I had from the 2000 version. Are there other reasons
why I might want to reinstall 2000?

If I did reinstall PPT 2000, would it sit happily with PPT 2003 as long as I
installed it to a different folder? Would files automatically open in the
later version (2003) unless I chose to open them in 2000 or does it depend
on which version was used to create them?

 

[Mary]

Steve:

I like your uncomplicated solution. It's a lot easier than copying and
pasting that way I was doing it and then going back and trying to find and
delete the empty textboxes on the slides. It also saves the step of moving
the source textbox out of the way each time to find the placeholder
underneath.

 

[Sonia]

It is recommended that the oldest version be installed first and to it's own
folder. That would mean that you would first need to uninstall PowerPoint 2003,
install 2000, and then re-install 2003.

 

[John Langhans [MSFT]]

[CRITICAL UPDATE - Anyone using Office 2003 should install the Critical
Update or Service Pack 1 for Office 2003 as soon as possible. From
PowerPoint, choose "Help -> Check for Updates".]

[TOP ISSUE - Are you having difficulty opening presentations in PowerPoint
that you just created (you can save, but not open)? -
http://support.microsoft.com/?id=329820]

If you (or anyone else reading this message) think that it's important that
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OR, NEXT BEST METHOD:

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It's VERY important that, for EACH wish, you describe in detail, WHY it is
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working around a specific limitation of the current product, etc. Remember
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IMPORTANT: Each submission should be a single suggestion (not a list of
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John Langhans
Microsoft Corporation
Supportability Program Manager
Microsoft Office PowerPoint for Windows
Microsoft Office Picture Manager for Windows

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