Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!uwm.edu!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!usc!randvax!jhenry
From: jhenry@randvax.UUCP (Jim Henry)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac
Subject: Re: Word - How do I reformat lines into a single paragraph?
Message-ID: <2329@randvax.UUCP>
Date: 11 Dec 89 21:16:08 GMT
References: <1989Dec10.025722.424@smsc.sony.com>
Reply-To: jhenry@rand-unix.UUCP (Jim Henry)
Organization: RAND Corp., Santa Monica, Ca.
Lines: 31


The following procedure will convert text which has a paragraph mark at the
end of every line into text with one paragraph mark per paragraph.  This is
easier to do than to read so don't be discouraged.  ALWAYS work with a copy
since mistakes will tend to be disasterous.  I'm sure that this procedure
could be adapted to work on a text selection rather than a whole document
but I haven't really given that any thought.

1) Figure out the pattern that means paragraph break in the original text.
Common patterns are two consectuative paragrapgh marks (a blank line) or
paragraph mark followed by a tab or by several, hopefully a constant number
of spaces (an indent).  I'll assume it is two paragraph marks in the
explanation below.

2) Figure out an ASCII character that does not appear in the original text,
for use as a paragraph marker.  I'll use { as an example in the following
discussion.

3) Replace all instances of the paragraph break pattern with the paragraph
marker.  For example replace ^p^p (Word notation for two paragraph marks)
with {, choosing "Change All".

4) Replace all remaining paragraph marks with either a space or with
nothing so that everything turns into one big paragraph.  The need for a
space is determined by what the line ends look like in the original.

5) Replace the paragraph marker with a paragraph mark, i.e. Replace { with
^p.

Once you get the hang of this, it really is quick and easy as long as the
original text isn't too heavily "formatted".