Is there a way to copy/paste an Excel table, retaining the column spacing, in a post? I tried the BB code tags “code” and “pre”, but neither maintained the correct spacing. Thanks in advance, I will likely promptly forget the how to, but at least by creating a thread I can always go back and search!
Let’s see
copy/paste:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 10 0 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
Code tags:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 10 0 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
When a spreadsheet is copied in, tabs are assumed to separate columns. They appear to be maintained. The problem is that if a large number misaligns the fixed tabs. For example:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 545554686 44 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
To address such as situation, paste into a text editor. Then monkey around with fixed spacing. Tack on another tab as appropriate. Paste into box. Preview. Rinse and repeat:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 5454686 44 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
Code tags work properly on the desktop theme, but not on the mobile theme. PHP tags work correctly on both, but have odd color-coding that only makes sense for PHP code, and may occasionally have odd side-effects with non-PHP.
I note that I have already fixed that problem in my tweaking addon, and will gladly hand write the entire fix out (along with ones for a couple other things, like spoiler boxes in quotes and the highlighting issue) so that anyone with access to the skin or putting a style tag on the site can fix it.
I’ll redo my post, substituting php for code tags:
copy/paste:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 10 0 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
Code tags:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 10 0 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
When a spreadsheet is copied in, tabs are assumed to separate columns. They appear to be maintained. The problem is that if a large number misaligns the fixed tabs. For example:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 545554686 44 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
To address such as situation, paste into a text editor. Then monkey around with fixed spacing. Tack on another tab as appropriate. Paste into box. Preview. Rinse and repeat:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 5454686 44 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
Woops, looks like I need more editing in php:
time nuts bolts oranges
1985 1 8 2
1986 8 10 1
1987 8 5 7
1988 5454686 44 6
1989 4 8 6
1990 9 6 0
1991 2 6 9
Thanks, all. Looks like, BigT’s fix notwithstanding, it’s going to always be a pain. I’ll try PHP:
Stays Drive time Days Place
LA 0 5
6 1 Phoenix, AZ
6 1 Las Cruces, NM
6 1 Lubbock, TX
6 1 Austin, TX
6 1 Baton Rouge, LA
8.5 1 Jacksonville, FL
Jacksonville 0 5
7.5 1 Rocky Mount, NC
9 1 New York, NY
NY 0 5
6 1 Pittsburgh, PA
6 1 Indianapolis, IN
8 1 Eau Claire, WS
7.5 1 Bismark, ND
6 1 Billings, MN
8 1 Spokane, WA
4 1 Seattle, WA
Seattle 0 5
7 1 Medford, OR
6 1 Modesto, CA
6 1 LA, CA
119.5 38
Ugh, way too time consuming to tweak the spacing over and over.
Ugh is correct. But you get better after a while. I recommend working with a text editor as well the vBulletin window.
Don’t have a decent text editor? Get one (MS’s Notepad won’t display invisible characters). Don’t wanna? Then I’d recommend not posting tables; the process is indeed a PIA, though I do it from time to time.
In order to avoid the problems the new theme has with code tags, and also the general ugliness of code boxes, I go with [post=21230323]courier and hidden dots[/post].
That’s my new and improved format, which I’m quite happy with. The [post=21202105]previous version[/post] left a lot to be desired.
If you want to go with the hidden dots approach, I recommend keeping your lines 60 characters wide or less so phones have a reasonable chance to display them properly in landscape mde.