Odd behaviour of Format Painter

Hi folks.

I'm getting some very odd behaviour with Format Painter in Word 2016. First of all, I know how format painter works, I have been using it for years!

However, on this new installation of both Windows 10 Pro (ver 2004) and MS Office Pro Plus 2016 Version 2005 (Build 12827.203336) I'm getting a very curious and unexplainable effect.

I'm compiling a document which has been pulled from webpages. After putting the copied text through Notepad (to get rid of any embedded formatting), the text is pasted into Word.

Each newly-pasted piece of text needs to be formatted the same as the previous section - and this where the problem arises.

To demonstrate. Here is the document after a new piece of text has been pasted, but not formatted.



So, I highlight the title ("2. Dirt and Grime"), click on 'Format Painter' and then swipe (for want of a better word) across the text that needs re-formatting ("3. Blocking Views") and this is what I get ...



Any ideas (a) what is going on and (b) how to fix it??

Art

Just to eliminate the possibility that something is coming over through your Notepad pasting process could I suggest pasting directly into document.

Copy the text in original document, then in Word click the little down arrow under the Paste icon you will see several options. One is to keep text only so none of the original document formatting is maintained.

Something to try.

Caledon Ken said:

Just to eliminate the possibility that something is coming over through your Notepad pasting process could I suggest pasting directly into document.

Copy the text in original document, then in Word click the little down arrow under the Paste icon you will see several options. One is to keep text only so none of the original document formatting is maintained.

Something to try.

Hi Ken,

Thanks for the suggestion.

I misunderstood what you had said about pasting - I guess I read the first paragraph and then lept to the document without reading the rest.

Anyway ...

I wrote two short passages of text. One in Arial italic 11pt and the other in Berlin Sans FB Bold 14pt.

Before:



I then 'Format Painted' the Arial text onto a part of the Berlin Sans text and Format Painter worked as expected.

After:



Will now try your suggestion which replicates what I was doing but avoiding the Notepad step.

Art

UPDATE:

Well, I went to the web souce and copied some text then pasted it into my docuement using the 'Paste Special', 'Paste as Unformatted Text' and I got the copied tect from the web in the same font as the line above (as expected since Word hadn't changed the formatting).

I then took two different font styles from further up the document to test using Format Painter.

The first worked as expected, keeping the font bold but changing the text from Berin Sans FB 14pt Bold to Arial 12pt bold.

The second didn't work as expected. The font style selected for copying was Arial 24pt normal but using Format Painter it changed the style from Berin Sans FB 14pt Bold to Arial 12pt bold - i.e. keeping the bold text option/flag (whatever).



Something very odd going on and, as you intimated, some sort of 'formatting carry-over' fromNotepad.

Most curious.

Art

So the paste option you are using is "Keep text only" for your paste.

Caledon Ken said:

So the paste option you are using is "Keep text only" for your paste.

Hi Ken,

For the previous test, I wrote out the text in the first box and then for the second piece of text I simply used'Copy' and 'Paste' (so presumably I used the default 'Keep Format' option). Then I tried Format Painter from within the same document of two different font styles. The first worked as expected [on the text that was written from fresh], copying the style exactly whilst the second retained the 'bold' setting when it shouldn't have [which was the copied text, pasted using the 'Keep Format' option].

So another test ...

From the same document I have been using for these tests, I have copied a brief section then pasted using 'Paste' > 'Paste Special' > 'Unformatted Text'. This has been done twice. This text style is Arial 12pt normal.

Then I 'Format Painted' the main document title which is in Arial 24pt normal (which worked as it should) and in the second piece of test text I 'Format Painted' Arial 14pt bold (which again worked as it should) [image below]



The problem seems to arise when text is pasted keeping the original formatting and then reformatting the text (or part of it) using Format Painter'.

I will keep a close record of what I do in the next document so that I can report back exactly what I did and the effect.

Certainly it was unusual in the first instance as it seemed that Format Painter wasn't behaving exactly as it did previously.

An interesting point - with Format Painter 'locked' (i.e. double-clicked), going over the text a second time where it didn't work correctly the first time, formats the text as intended.

Art

I would strongly suggest using styles, instead of copy formatting. At least for headings and text body. Give your styles shortcuts (I have ctrl + numbers for headings, and Ctrl+n is default for normal).

You'll be much faster, and layout will be as expected. Format painter is for the parts that are different than defined styles (you play with part of the text .. then copy the formatting)

As you see, Notepad is not good enough for clearing the formatting from text.

AndreTen said:

I would strongly suggest using styles, instead of copy formatting. At least for headings and text body. Give your styles shortcuts (I have ctrl + numbers for headings, and Ctrl+n is default for normal).

You'll be much faster, and layout will be as expected. Format painter is for the parts that are different than defined styles (you play with part of the text .. then copy the formatting)

As you see, Notepad is not good enough for clearing the formatting from text.

Thanks for the reply.

BIB: It always used to be in the past!

Art

Well you did say you are on V2004.


I never install a feature release for at least two month after release. I let all you brave ones dive in.

Caledon Ken said:

Well you did say you are on V2004.


I never install a feature release for at least two month after release. I let all you brave ones dive in.

Thanks Ken - I think!

Art