RE: converting word to html

["Christensen, Kent" <lkchris -at- sandia -dot- gov>]

re:  Editing tables in a Word-formatted Web page tends to wreak havoc on the
code.

Regarding tables, it's best to remember to never, ever (almost) specify
pixels for table widths, since doing so really then assumes a particular
screen resolution, which is a bad assumption. (Use % if you must.) Chances
are pretty good you can take out everything Word inserts as regards cell
widths and heights without doing yourself in, and if Word indicates pixels,
you should.

Using Word's save-as html capability is useful when what you have is already
done and formatted using Word, and, indeed, there are tables.  Otherwise, it
may prove just as easy to copy/paste the paragraphs into an html editor and
add the paragraph markings and line breaks yourself.  In any event, the
utility of using Word's save-as html declines quickly when there are no
tables.  I wouldn't expect much from conversion of a Word document using tab
stops, and would convert this to tables first.

Using Word save-as html is also useful in getting Word graphics converted to
.gif.  There can be sizing issues, however.  And you won't like the
filenames.

And remember, you can use Word itself to clean up Word html--simply
temporarily rename your htm/html file as .txt and then use multiple
find/replace to get rid of the Word junk.  Then use HTML Tidy.  Use HTML
Tidy in any event.  I've never tried the latter on just-converted-by-Word
html, but I'm sure it would retain cell sizing tags and I'm not sure it's
smart enough to know only one cell in a multiple column row requires a
height tag and that only one (for example) first cell in a multicolumn and
multirow table requires a width tag.

Word can be useful for "quick and dirty" html creation but that's about
it--one should know html.

Finally, don't forget that your Word document is likely designed for
printing and therefore likely specifies a serif font such as Times.  For
screen reading, sans serif fonts such as Verdana or Arial are generally
preferred--convert your Word document prior to the save-as html operation.
If you're putting the information on the Web so users can print it, convert
to .pdf instead.


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