If you are accustomed to copying & pasting from other programs, especially Microsoft ones — Word, Excel, PowerPoint, Access, FrontPage— you will frequently encounter text that is difficult or impossible to format.

This happens because Microsoft products use formatting commands and code that are unique to Microsoft.  When this formatting is imported into the Queens web publishing Story Editor, it conflicts with the simpler code, leading to scenarios where the Story Editor receives contradictory instructions and cannot display the page properly.  Think of it as a behind-the-scenes "train wreck" of HTML code. 

There are two helpful procedures to remedy formatting conflicts.  The first can be used to untangle formatting that is already in the Story Editor, while the second can prevent such formatting from appearing in the first place.

Preventing bad formatting from appearing in the first place

Deleting all those  and  tags can get tedious.  My recommendation is to use Notepad as an intermediary stage.  Notepad is included free with all versions of Windows, and can usually be found in the  menu, within Programs —> Accessories.

1. Copy the desired text from the original program.
2. Paste it into Notepad.
3. Now copy the text from Notepad and paste it into the Story Editor.

This solves 90% of copy/paste formatting problems before they happen, by stripping out all formatting.  The text will all come into the Story Editor in the "Normal" style, and new formatting can now easily be applied.

Clint Patterson
Web Support & Development Coordinator
Queens University of Charlotte
704 337-2207 direct
704 337-2503 fax