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flat6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2004
244
0
I don't understand this thing. When I open up the file with the default Finder viewer, I can see the text. Open it up in anything else, everything is blank. Furthermore, the Finder viewer doesn't allow to copy, edit, or anything. What the hell was Apple thinking? [Or am I just doing this wrong?]
 

matticus008

macrumors 68040
Jan 16, 2005
3,330
1
Bay Area, CA
flat6 said:
I don't understand this thing. When I open up the file with the default Finder viewer, I can see the text. Open it up in anything else, everything is blank. Furthermore, the Finder viewer doesn't allow to copy, edit, or anything. What the hell was Apple thinking? [Or am I just doing this wrong?]

It's a text clipping, not a text document. It's like cutting a piece of a newspaper article and putting it on your refrigerator. Don't think of it as a document to edit or a normal text file. That being said, all you have to do to copy it is cmd-C (or Edit>Copy from the menu bar) and drop it into TextEdit or Word or OpenOffice Writer.
 

flat6

macrumors regular
Original poster
Oct 24, 2004
244
0
matticus008 said:
It's a text clipping, not a text document. It's like cutting a piece of a newspaper article and putting it on your refrigerator. Don't think of it as a document to edit or a normal text file. That being said, all you have to do to copy it is cmd-C (or Edit>Copy from the menu bar) and drop it into TextEdit or Word or OpenOffice Writer.

I don't know why, but I can't get that to work in what I'm running (Tiger). Can anyone else confirm this?
 

matticus008

macrumors 68040
Jan 16, 2005
3,330
1
Bay Area, CA
flat6 said:
I don't know why, but I can't get that to work in what I'm running (Tiger). Can anyone else confirm this?
I have Tiger, and it works fine. Double click on the text clipping. The menu bar at the top should be a Finder bar. Are you saying that copy is disabled in the Edit menu?

If you're just trying to copy text from one application into another, you can also just highlight the text you want and drag it over. There's no need to go through a text clipping. What is the source of the text for the clippings you're making?
 

wrinkles

macrumors newbie
Mar 16, 2006
2
0
How to use a textclipping

You don't have to "open" (ie doubleclick on) the textclipping. Just drag the textclipping document icon into any open word or text processor window. You can then edit the text within your word/text processor.

I don't understand this thing. When I open up the file with the default Finder viewer, I can see the text. Open it up in anything else, everything is blank. Furthermore, the Finder viewer doesn't allow to copy, edit, or anything. What the hell was Apple thinking? [Or am I just doing this wrong?]
 

glitch44

macrumors 65816
Feb 28, 2006
1,121
156
i'm not a big fan of .textclipping files. i work back and forth between PC and Windows and they don't translate well.

i wish dragging and dropping from a window would just create a .TXT file. has anyone found a way to do this?
 

hergun

macrumors newbie
Aug 30, 2014
2
0
txt format

i'm not a big fan of .textclipping files. i work back and forth between PC and Windows and they don't translate well.

i wish dragging and dropping from a window would just create a .TXT file. has anyone found a way to do this?

Go to text clipping
Open Edit --select all--Copy

I have open office on my mac so I opened Open office word
Edit--Paste
File--
Save as--(name the file and choose where you want to save the file )
and click on the File Type; text(.txt)
Save--
So you just created txt file on your computer.
If you want to open the txt file in excel
Go to txt file you just created and open
Edit--select all--copy
Close

Open open office spreadsheet
on the first cell (1A)
Edit--Paste--don't forget the check the box which says "Detect special numbers"
ok

you just created excel sheet for the text documents such as reports from any type of financial programs.
 

matrix07

macrumors G3
Jun 24, 2010
8,226
4,891
How can you make text clipping? I'm using Trackpad and I can't seem to do it.
 
Last edited:

hergun

macrumors newbie
Aug 30, 2014
2
0
Textclipping

I am not pro but I played around and did some searches to be able to convert reports into excel from Ibank 5 funancialprogram. I don't know about trackpad. All you need to find out how can you save the report as a txt file on your desktop. Ask the software developer people.
 
Last edited:

matrix07

macrumors G3
Jun 24, 2010
8,226
4,891
highlight the text, release the trackpad, then click anywhere on the highlighted text and drag n drop it to desktop or a finder window?

I managed to do it, a few times. Too bad with Trackpad it's not easy. Your movement has to be right. If you're too quick or too slow you'll lose your selection.
The natural way would be selecting the text. Hovers mouse over those selected texts and pointer will turn to be an arrow, then you drag. Done. If you click, you clear the selection. If you click somewhere else, you also clear the selection.
 
Last edited:

snorkelman

Cancelled
Oct 25, 2010
666
155
hehe yeh I can see how it could be awkward especially on mackbook trackpad versus the standalone Magic trackpad (the natural lip between desk and front of the standalone one can make hold and selects a little easier)
 
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