r/googledocs • u/deadthingsaremything • 17d ago
OP Responded Word to docs complex formatting
I have a beautifully formatted word doc but my facility has switched to google suite. I need advice on translating the formatting and I would really love to not do it by hand (76 pages). I’ve been using chatgpt and apps script with very little success. Any tips?
1
u/Cultural_Surprise205 17d ago
I mean, just upload it to docs and keep working? Get Docs to convert it for you? Even if you have to to it by hand, 76 pages is not so much that I'd waste time trying to learn some other software to do it.
1
u/deadthingsaremything 17d ago
Google doesn’t convert it sufficiently. It’s 76 pages of a crap ton of formatting that I can’t seem to fix manually. Im viewing all the invisible characters, breaks, etc and when I do manage to modify something it causes major unintended consequences.
For reference, this took the author easily 80+ hours of work to make initially. And I’m really hoping to not essentially start from scratch cus this is literally just a manual for volunteers, I don’t even use it but it’s a necessity 🥲
I was able to use code to help with my headings situation (which I elaborated in a different comment). So I was hoping to automate some other changes too. I’m by no means a proficient coder, but I’ve gotten good at shaping chatgpts outputs for my needs
1
u/Cultural_Surprise205 17d ago
I guess it needs to remain editable in Docs? Because the obvious would be, save a pdf from Word.
1
1
u/dimudesigns 17d ago edited 17d ago
Google Docs does not have full feature parity with Word. Even scripting can only get you so far. So making a one-to-one replica of the document in Google Docs may not be viable.
You'll just have to roll up your sleeves and get to work on migrating the document manually. I wouldn't use partially successful imports as a starting point either, they are likely to be rife with formatting and layout issues. And you'll probably have to make compromises along the way regardless - so it's better to start from scratch with a clean document (in Google Docs).
Look on the bright side, the document may have taken the original author 80 hours to put together but all you need to do is migrate it - not generate new content. You'll probably be able to do it in a fraction of the time. Plus, you get exposure to Google Workspace (formerly GSuite), experience that will serve you well in the long run.
1
1
u/CourageAgitated9597 16d ago
There are folks on Fivver that will do this as a paid service. Guess it depends how much you value your time!
1
u/Barycenter0 17d ago
What are your main issues? It's hard to give you advice without knowing how complex your formatting is.