Removing Unwanted Paragraph Marks from a Text File

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a, 2.0, 2.0a, 2.0a-CD, 2.0b, 2.0c, 6.0, 6.0a, 6.0c
• Microsoft Word for Windows 95, version 7.0

SYMPTOMS

When importing a text file into Word, the file may have a paragraph mark at the end of each line. If you want the lines to wrap automatically, you must remove the appropriate paragraph marks.

RESOLUTION

Word 6.0

Word version 6.0 includes a feature to replace paragraph marks at the end of each line. To use this feature from the Format menu select AutoFormat and choose Options. In the Adjust dialog box, select the Paragraph Marks check box.

Word 1.x, 2.x, 6.x, 7.0

You can create a macro to automate this process with Macro Record by doing the following. This procedure assumes that there is a blank line between paragraphs.

1. Move the cursor to the beginning of the document or select the specific text.

2. Choose Edit Replace. In the Search For field, type "^p^p" (without the quotation marks). This indicates two consecutive paragraph marks for the search field. In the Replace With field, type "$$$" or another set of unique characters. These characters will mark the end of each paragraph. Uncheck Confirm Changes and choose OK.

3. Choose Edit Replace. In the Search For field, type "^p". The Replace With field can be left blank or you can enter a space with the SPACEBAR, depending on your document's format. Uncheck Confirm Changes and choose OK.

4. Choose Edit Replace. In the Search For field, type "$$$" and in Replace With, type "^p^p". Uncheck Confirm Changes and choose OK. The two consecutive paragraph marks will now be restored.