[Solved] Copy and Paste of Internet not working properly

[Munchman]

Okay so I tried to search for this and couldn't find it but I can't be the only one with this issue.

When I copy text from the internet and paste it into Writer the words stop editing properly, when a word reaches the edge of the page it doesn't put the word down to the next line, instead the word just continues onto the next line, splitting it in half, and I've tried to find an on/off to this but can't find one.

Just to clarify:

Look up at the line above, when you see the words I've and Tried, you will see they are the whole word on different lines, this is the default formatting.

When I copy and paste from internet (most specifically from Facebook messenger in this case, but it's done it before with webpages) it does this:
(Pretend that the page is only 15 characters across)

Hello, my is Mu
nchman, I am ha
ving this weird
issue with pasti
ng text from th
e internet.

I can do a screen capture if people are still confused, but I think that explains my problem.

Before people ask, yes I've tried to select Default Formatting and played with options, even tried to write a sentence then take the pasted words after to see if that would work, it appears the option is obscure or I am simply not seeing it due to not being sure what I'm looking for.

[RoryOF]

In pasting from the Internet it is often useful to use /Edit /Paste special and select Unformatted text from the popup. If that doesn't solve your problem we will need hands on of an actual file, and perhaps also details of an accessible site that produces the problem.

[John_Ha]

Switch on non-printing characters by clicking the "backwards P" icon - it will tell you why it is happening.

When I copy what you typed in your post, see the line-feeds at the end of each line which cause a new line to be started (they can be input by shift/enter when typing). They need to be deleted to allow the text to flow normally. Web pages sometimes use text like this where the line feed is forced at the end of each line instead of allowing the text to flow to fill the available space as it controls where the line breaks occur on any type of screen.

It would be very helpful to diagnose fully if you could give an actual web page and the text causing the problem when you copy and paste it.

If this solves the problem, please edit your original post title to [Solved].

[Munchman]

Here does that help?

I just need to know the control to switch off to make the first pic format the text like the second pic.

[John_Ha]

That's strange.

It would be very helpful to diagnose fully if you could give an actual web page and the text causing the problem when you copy and paste it.

Or post the .odt file from which the first picture was made.

[acknak]

Many web pages are based on (invisible) tables. When you copy/paste into Writer, the table comes along with the text, where it interferes with the normal text layout (here it extends off the right side of the page).

Either use (as already mentioned above)

Edit > Paste Special > Unformatted text (pastes only the text and not the table or other formatting)

Or, use

Table > Convert > Table to Text > Separate at: Tabs

to remove the table.

This step may need to be repeated more than once, as many web pages use table inside other tables and the "Table to Text" only removes one table at a time.

[Munchman]

To John Ha: It's standard Facebook Message, as said in the pic I can't just paste the content as it's Private, I dunno if you don't use Facebook or what, but yeah, I used to copy text and paste it to Writer no issues, now it's doing this weird stuff.

To Acknak: no luck tried both ways, Unformatted Text and table, but it only let me convert to table, tried to see if that might help, but no,

Atm it looks like straight weirdness with no reason why, the thing is according to web searches and others, there simply is no option to turn this on/off and yet if I type new stuff it is formatting it this way in writer and not simply an issue with the texts original formatting, I'd say it's a writer issue but opening a new document doesn't have same issue, it's only when I copy and paste from certain internet sources, there is plainly and simply no short simple solution and it's peeving me off as don't really wanna rewrite all the posts out, but looks like I'm going to have to.

Edit: seriously wth, I tried to copy and paste the same text 3 times with option unformatted text and on the third try it suddenly worked, either my PC is whack or I dunno, sigh... Well seems to have worked in the end, still would be nice to know what the french biscuit was going on with the formatting but at least it's fixable, just gotta keep copying and pasting till it decides to do what I told it to do.

[RoryOF]

If you can find some non-sensitive message you can point us to, we can perhaps solve this - perhaps you could create and send a non sensitive message with this problem in mind? Without it, we are all in the dark.

[John_Ha]

... or post the .odt file from which the first picture was made.

... or obscure the contents without affecting the structure by changing every alphabetic character to an " x ", and every digit to an " n " with

Edit > Find and Replace
Tick Regular expressions (under More ...)
Find box [:alpha:]
Replace box x
click Replace all
and
Find box [:digit:]
Replace box n
click Replace all

[harlen]

Hello,

Why is this post marked "Solved"
I see no such acknowledgement from the OP.
I have the same problem & this was time wasted.
The suggestions did not work.

[John_Ha]

Why is this post marked "Solved"

Because Munchman's problem is solved so Munchman added the [Solved].

I have the same problem & this was time wasted.
The suggestions did not work.

Which means you do not have the same problem as Munchman.

Read the Survival Guide for the forum and create your own new thread. Do not hijack another thread.

[John_Ha]

For others searching on the subject Copy and Paste of Internet not working properly see Item 13. Pasting text and images from the internet - the images don't appear in [Tutorial] Some useful hints on using images.