Need Import option to import doc and docx files

passionate2023 · 2023-12-10T11:06:51.623Z

Operating system

Windows

Joplin version

2.13.8

What issue do you have?

Need Import option to import doc and docx files

laurent · 2023-12-10T12:22:52.817Z

This is probably out of scope, but you can use a tool such as a Pandoc to convert any document, including doc and docs, to Markdown, and then import these files in Joplin.

passionate2023 · 2023-12-11T18:22:53.055Z

Can it be done internally by Joplin...That would be great....

passionate2023 · 2023-12-30T04:59:00.047Z

Is it possible to integrate Pandoc or any third party to Joplin Cloud internally to do the conversion....That would be really nice

dpoulton · 2023-12-30T21:45:33.046Z

passionate2023:

Can it be done internally by Joplin...That would be great....

passionate2023:

Is it possible to integrate Pandoc or any third party to Joplin Cloud internally to do the conversion....That would be really nice

I believe that these questions were answered here...

laurent:

This is probably out of scope, but you can use a tool such as a Pandoc to convert any document, including doc and docs, to Markdown, and then import these files in Joplin.

passionate2023 · 2023-12-31T00:42:00.305Z

On importing text (.txt) files, a simple rename of all the files to (.md) internally will solve the problem. Not sure why we need to have the user to go through a complex process.

Please consider.

dpoulton · 2023-12-31T02:47:18.080Z

passionate2023:

On importing text (.txt) files, a simple rename of all the files to (.md) internally will solve the problem.

Because a markdown file is a text file. In fact a text file is even simpler than a markdown file because it contains no markdown or other type of formatting at all.

passionate2023:

Not sure why we need to have the user to go through a complex process.

Because a docx file is a compound file (zip) full of many xml and other files used to control the layout as well as the content (document.xml). This is why a text file containing the text "This is a docx doc" is only 18 bytes in size whereas a docx file containing only the same text is 4.2kB and looks like this when you open it up.

image950×629 48.9 KB

Digging all this out, decoding it and turning it into markdown requires a conversion program designed specially to do that, such as Pandoc.

Also the Joplin project owner has stated above that putting such conversion software for importing directly into Joplin is "probably out of scope" which suggests to me that he does not see it as something that fits into the parameters he has set for the future development of Joplin.

However if you copy the content of a Word document onto the clipboard and paste it into the Rich-Text Editor a lot of the formatting, including tables and images, may be preserved. Then switching to the markdown editor will complete a basic conversion to markdown which you can edit and tidy up. I assume that Pandoc would be able to handle more complex documents.

image813×1039 66.9 KB

image1177×1095 92.1 KB

whitewall · 2024-01-01T04:41:54.060Z

passionate2023:

Not sure why we need to have the user to go through a complex process.

Because it would be an even more complex process for the developer to go through, lol.

Also, .doc/.docx is a really really complex format. For simple documents it probably wouldn't be an issue. But once importing is officially supported by Joplin then people will complain to the devs that their documents aren't importing correctly. So it's better to put the burden on the user to deal with the import and the cleanup themselves.

Really, pasting into the richtext editor as @dpoulton has explained is a very simple process.

passionate2023 · 2024-01-02T17:03:38.475Z

I'm talking about normal .txt file to .md and NOT doc or docx

dpoulton · 2024-01-02T21:20:13.538Z

passionate2023:

I'm talking about normal .txt file to .md and NOT doc or docx

No you are not. Right up until you used that as an example of a simple import process the entire thread has been about importing Word files (doc / docx to markdown).

For instance the title of this thread is Need Import option to import doc and docx files and you said,

passionate2023:

What issue do you have?

Need Import option to import doc and docx files

passionate2023 · 2024-01-03T03:20:42.817Z

I agree...i started with doc and docx and once it is confirmed it is not doable, atleast expecting text (.txt) can be supported which doesn't have these issues

dpoulton · 2024-01-03T05:10:39.384Z

So the complex process you mentioned two days ago was about having to rename txt files to md to import them?

That is not exactly "complex", however
I have just realised that back in August 2023 I actually told you that you do not have to do that. The md importer will accept txt files.

Admittedly you pointed out that it was not clear that the md importer accepted txt files and although someone suggested that such a change would just be "cosmetic" Laurent agreed with you. And that brings us to ...

Have you actually looked at the import menu since your suggestion?

passionate2023 · 2024-01-04T03:39:58.133Z

I am not able to see this import options....Can you help me how to navigate to this? step by step screenshot?

dpoulton · 2024-01-04T03:43:08.492Z

No. You appear to have moved on from asking for help to trolling.

passionate2023 · 2024-01-04T03:46:12.945Z

You didn't understand...It doesnt show up in the recent version . Please check

dpoulton · 2024-01-04T03:55:54.008Z

You check that you are using the latest version. Anyway, I am adding you to my ignore list.

passionate2023 · 2024-01-04T13:53:53.920Z

@dpoulton I un-installed and re-installed the software and the menu appears now...Thanks a lot

system · 2024-02-03T13:54:32.424Z

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