Copy table text w/o table (Word 2002)

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Is there a way to copy text in a table to another table without inserting new rows and/or columns? Specifically, I have some labels which are in a table, but it is not the correct label definition. I want to copy the text into a new table created with the correct label definition…..same number of rows and columns. In previous versions of Word I thought it would bring across JUST the text if you left the end of row markers out of the copied selection. I’ve noticed that once you copy table text, the paste command changes to Paste Columns or Paste Cells. I want to paste JUST the text and have it go into corresponding rows and columns in the new table. If I Paste Special Unformatted, it tries to put all of the text into one cell.

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Hi,

With both tables in the one document you can mark the range you want to transfer and simply drag it to the destination. Only the data goes – table structures remain unchanged.

Cheers

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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Hi,

With both tables in the one document you can mark the range you want to transfer and simply drag it to the destination. Only the data goes – table structures remain unchanged.

Cheers

Cheers,
Paul Edstein
[Fmr MS MVP - Word]

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If you select the matching number of rows and columns in the destination table before using Edit>Paste Special…>Unformatted, then the destination cells’ properties (e.g., height, internal margins) should be unaltered, but the paragraph formats of the destination cells seem to get reset to their styles (e.g., “Table Grid”).

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Hi Jefferson:
In Word 2000, if you select the same number of rows & columns, you can paste the text with Ctrl+V; you don’t have to use Paste Special/Unformatted. Has this changed in 2002?

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In Word 2002 you get a different result if your copy selection includes the last cell in the table. I often find I have to add a blank row in the table to be copied just so I can select the rest of the table before copying it. I don’t recall having the same problem in Word 2000 and earlier.

If the copied table includes the last cell then the table gets nested inside the other table when it is pasted.

I note that Jefferson mentioned that the paragraph styles get set to ‘Table Grid’ – this should be slightly corrected to read the paragraph styles get set to ‘Normal’. Word 2002 has a little oddity that when your cursor is sitting in a Normal (styled) paragraph inside a cell, the style box displays the name of the Table style applied to the table rather than the paragraph style applied to the paragraph. This does not happen with other paragraph styles as far as I can tell.

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Hi Andrew:
Thanks for the explanation. Your memory is correct. You don’t get that behavior in Word 2000.

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Hi Andrew:
Thanks for the explanation. Your memory is correct. You don’t get that behavior in Word 2000.

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Thanks so much Andrew. That’s the ticket, selecting less than the full table, coupled with adding a blank row if necessary. This has been a REAL irritant and your approach atleast gives it some simple logic.

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Thanks so much Andrew. That’s the ticket, selecting less than the full table, coupled with adding a blank row if necessary. This has been a REAL irritant and your approach atleast gives it some simple logic.

Reply | Quote

In Word 2002 you get a different result if your copy selection includes the last cell in the table. I often find I have to add a blank row in the table to be copied just so I can select the rest of the table before copying it. I don’t recall having the same problem in Word 2000 and earlier.

If the copied table includes the last cell then the table gets nested inside the other table when it is pasted.

I note that Jefferson mentioned that the paragraph styles get set to ‘Table Grid’ – this should be slightly corrected to read the paragraph styles get set to ‘Normal’. Word 2002 has a little oddity that when your cursor is sitting in a Normal (styled) paragraph inside a cell, the style box displays the name of the Table style applied to the table rather than the paragraph style applied to the paragraph. This does not happen with other paragraph styles as far as I can tell.

Reply | Quote

Hi Jefferson:
In Word 2000, if you select the same number of rows & columns, you can paste the text with Ctrl+V; you don’t have to use Paste Special/Unformatted. Has this changed in 2002?

Reply | Quote

If you select the matching number of rows and columns in the destination table before using Edit>Paste Special…>Unformatted, then the destination cells’ properties (e.g., height, internal margins) should be unaltered, but the paragraph formats of the destination cells seem to get reset to their styles (e.g., “Table Grid”).

Reply | Quote