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Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 1:55 am
by unclepup
I am using OpenOffice4 and Windows10. When I PASTE data highlighted in IMDb (Internet Movie Data base) into a new text document the format is lost, meaning the columns are run together. Tried using Ctrl Shift V and got a similar result but jumbled in a different manner. I transfer lots of data from IMDb and this is really hurting, please help!

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:01 am
by robleyd
Can you provide a link to an IMDB page that causes the issue for you? It may be that the way the IMDB page is formatted is not compatible with AOO formatting.

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 2:45 am
by unclepup
I will try to post a link here: https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0001784/ Another way there is to Google Gloria Stuart imdb. I am trying to print from the heading "Filmography" on down. Thanks!

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:42 am
by robleyd
As I guessed; the web layout is done using CSS which Writer does not seem to be able to convert; were it laid out with tables I suspect you would have no problems..

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:51 am
by Bill
I don't see a problem using Firefox to copy and paste the Filmography data. The data is not pasted in columns, it is pasted as normal text. What Web browser are you using? When you select the Filmography data are you also selecting other data outside the Filmography area?

If your data is pasted in columns, then it may be in a table which has the column widths set incorrectly. Right-click in one of the columns. If "Table" appears on the context menu, clcik "Table" to open the Table Format dialog and check the table settings.

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 3:59 am
by robleyd
Same for me with PaleMoon browser where the text is pasted without columns; the appearance of columns on the website is an illusion - the years on the right are placed there not by a Table structure in HTML, but by causing the text to be set to Float:right and Textalign: right. Writer can't interpret that as a separate column because it isn't.

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 4:21 am
by unclepup
I am using Mozilla Firefox. Just tried highlighting a small portion of the filmography of another actor. None of the ads at the right of the screen were highlighted. OpenOffice once again moved the year over and put it in front of the movie title. Since I am using the data by title, the year being forced in front of the title is very distracting. In the past I have laboriously made screenshots (Windows key plus PrtScn key) of the data page by page. This works but when the pages print out they are rotated 90 degrees counterclockwise - in other words in landscape.

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 5:16 am
by robleyd
I think you are out of luck; I just tried with LibreOffice Writer and Calligra Author, the other word processors that I have, with exactly the same result.

None of them see a separate column, because there isn't a separate column in the IMDB pages: think of it as more like using a bunch of spaces to align the text the right of the page.

Re: Cannot import highlighted text from IMDb.

Posted: Fri Feb 22, 2019 6:56 am
by unclepup
OK, thanks folks for trying to help! At least now I know what the problem is - will just have to continue to brute-force it with screenshots.