NOTE: this software is for Classic Mac OS (eg: OS 9) and cannot be used on Mac OS X.
Nisus Writer Classic is no longer for sale. This page is only for archival purposes.

Nisus Writer FAQs
Tables

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Question:
How do I convert text to and from a Nisus table?

Answer:
     The Nisus Table Tool is a special additional application that runs within Nisus Writer. Because the Table Tool is a separate application that works within Nisus Writer, not all Nisus Writer features are available in the Table Tool. For example, in the Table Tool you only have one level of Undo and Redo and one (uneditable) Clipboard. Noncontiguous selection does not work. Neither Nisus Writer macros nor the glossary are supported within the Table Tool. With the Nisus Table Tool, you can quickly create complex tables and insert them into your document with a single mouse click. These tables can be edited at any time simply by double-clicking them. This portion of the manual will introduce you to the basics of creating and editing tables. In sections that follow, you'll learn about the numerous options available for styling and customizing your tables.

To convert text to (or from) a table:
     The File menu's Import and Export commands allow you to select which formats Nisus Table Tool uses for reading and saving files. The following formats are supported: SYLK (import only) SYLK is Microsoft's format for interchanging data with other programs, especially tabular and numerical data. Some styling information is brought to Nisus Table Tool in SYLK files, generally column width and numerical and date formatting.

To convert Excel data
     SYLK was originally developed for Microsoft's first spreadsheet, Multiplan, and has evolved over time. A SYLK file consists of plain text, formatted in such a way that another program can reconstruct a complete representation of the original Multiplan or Excel worksheet it was saved from. Spreadsheets are unusual in that they may not contain actual data in every cell, but sometimes contain formulas. SYLK format sidesteps this issue by providing both the formula and the calculated value, if necessary. In addition it provides information about the alignment in the cell (Left, Right, Center.), numerical and date formats, and can even reference additional worksheets. Nisus Table Tool does its best to understand SYLK worksheets. What Nisus Table Tool doesn't understand, it skips over.

To import numbers from Excel
     SYLK is not the format in which Excel normally stores its values. You need to tell Excel to export a worksheet in SYLK form.

1. Choose Import from the File menu.
2. In the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog that appears, choose Excel SYLK. Select the file you just saved in Excel. Click Open (or press return ) to complete the action. Your Excel worksheet should appear in a new Nisus Table Tool document window. Dates and number formats should be intact. Cell widths may be somewhat different, since Nisus Table Tool does not allow text to "spill over" into adjacent, empty cells as does Excel.

To export tables to Excel
     Nisus Table Tool does not write SYLK format files. Therefore, we suggest that you save files in Tabbed Text form for export to Excel. Tabbed Text is not the format in which Nisus Table Tool normally stores tables. You need to tell Nisus Table Tool to save a worksheet in Tabbed Text form.

1. Open the table you want to export in Nisus Table Tool.
2. Choose Export from the File menu.
3. In the dialog that appears, use the pop-up menu at the bottom to choose Tabbed Text format.
4. Type a new name for the file in the edit box, if desired (Nisus Table Tool supplies a .TAB-TEXT at the end of the name to distinguish it, so it is not necessary to supply a new name).
5. Click Save (or press Return).

     Excel doesn't have an explicit Import command. Excel recognizes SYLK, Excel, Text, WKS, and Multiplan files directly.

Tabbed Text
     This is a generic format that contains no styling information, and which separates table entries with ASCII Tab characters. Each row in a tabbed text file is separated by a Return.
     Tabbed text is generally regarded as the word processing standard for exchanging tabular data. Virtually all word processors can read and/or write tabbed text files. A tabbed text file consists of plain text. Each "record" in a tabbed text file consists of a single line of data, with a tab separating each "field" in the record (blank fields result in consecutive tabs with no data between the tabs). The figures below illustrate a simple table and its tabbed text equivalent.

To import tabbed text data

1. Choose Import from the File menu.
2. In the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog that appears, choose Tabbed Text. Select the file you just saved in the other application.
3. Click Open (or press Return) to complete the action. Your data will appear in a new Nisus Table Tool document window.

     You may also wish to convert a tabbed-text portion of your Nisus Writer document to a table. While Nisus Writer does not have an automated "text-to-table" feature, you can achieve the same result manually by copying the desired text to the Clipboard, inserting a table with the correct number of rows and columns, and pasting your data into the new table.

To export tabbed text data
     Tabbed Text is not the format in which Nisus Table Tool normally stores tables. You need to tell Nisus Table Tool to save a table in tabbed text form.

1. Open the table you want to export by double-clicking it in your Nisus Writer document.
2. Choose Export from the File menu.
3. In the dialog that appears, use the pop-up menu at the bottom to choose Tabbed Text format. Type a new name for the file in the edit box, if desired (Nisus Table Tool supplies a .TAB-TEXT at the end of the name to distinguish it, so it is not necessary to supply a new name).
4. Click Save (or press Return) to complete the action.

Comma Text
     This is a generic format (usually called Comma-Delimited Text), again with no styling information. Each entry is separated by a comma-explicit commas in an entry are allowed by surrounding the entry with straight quotes, and an explicit quote is created by putting two quote characters back to back. Like tabbed text, each row in a comma-delimited file is separated by a Return.
     Comma-delimited text is generally regarded as the database standard for exchanging data. Virtually all database programs and most word processors that support mail merge can read and/or write comma-delimited text files. A comma-delimited text file consists of plain text, formatted in such a way that another program can reconstruct a complete representation of the original database it was created from. Each "Record" in a comma-delimited text file consists of a single line of data, with a comma separating each "field" in the record (blank fields result in consecutive commas with no data between the commas). If a comma appears within a field, you must surround the entire field with straight quote characters. Consecutive quote characters indicate a literal (individual) quote character. See below for an example of a table and what it looks like in comma-delimited form.
     Three distinctly different types of "records" (rows) have been created from the table above. The first record had explicit quotation marks, which resulted in two sets of double quotes in the name. The second record had an explicit comma in the address field, so the whole field has been surrounded by quotes. The third record is a simple one that has no special formatting requirements.

To import comma-delimited data
     Comma-Delimited is not the format in which programs usually store their data. Most likely, you'll need choose special options to save the data in comma-delimited form.

1. Choose Import from the File menu.
2. From the pop-up menu at the bottom of the dialog that appears, choose
3. Comma Text. Select the file you just saved in the other application.
4. Click Open (or press return ) to complete the action. Your data should appear in a new Nisus Table Tool document window.

To export comma-delimited data
     Comma-Delimited is not the format in which Nisus Table Tool normally stores tables. You need to tell Nisus Table Tool to save a worksheet in comma-delimited form.

1. Open the table you want to export in Nisus Table Tool.
2. Choose Export from the File menu.
3. In the dialog that appears, use the pop-up menu at the bottom to choose Comma Text format. Type a new name for the file in the edit box, if desired (Nisus Table Tool supplies a .DB-TEXT at the end of the name to distinguish it, so it is not necessary to supply a new name).
4. Click Save (or press return ) to complete the action.

     PICT (export only) This format contains all styling and formatting information and allows other programs to "draw" the table Nisus Table Tool creates.
     EGO Stands for Embedded Graphic Object. This is Nisus Table Tool's default format. It allows the complete table, with all formatting intact, to reside within a Nisus Writer document, rather than in a separate file. The original table can be edited by double-clicking it in the Nisus Writer document.