(old)Puppy Linux Discussion Forum

I am thoroughly confused and disappointed with Abiword. I am trying to save a list of about 2000 names, simply separated by comma (+space). Abiword wants to divide this sizeable list into pages, which is unnecessary and distracting for this list. From one page to another, a two-part name may be divided, with first name on one page and last name on the next page. When I used Enter to move a first name to the next page, I mysteriously lost about 4 entire pages of text. Then the document froze, and became inoperable. I managed to reopen this document, and recovered it to some extent, was satisfied that all information was there, and then saved the document. When I reopened the document, it was one page in length, so I lost maybe 6 pages of text (names), representing a loss of about a half hour of painstaking work.
1. How do I get rid of the page format? I want a single page which is at least as long as the list itself.
2. What am I doing wrong? Do I need to edit backwards from end of document, or edit forward from front?
3. Can Abiword perform this task?

I plan to add names to this alphabetical list (and several other lists) on a frequent basis. If I can't add names by editing Abiword, then I need another app to document this list.

I still can't get rid of the page format, and would like to. As a workaround, I have divided the long alphabetical list of 2000 full names into 5 parts, which are each less than two pages long. Hopefully, Abiword will be able to sort an edit down to the end of a shorter list, instead of freezing/choking/truncating.

Might this one help?

http://murga-linux.com/puppy/viewtopic. ... 480#615480

This may sound strange, but have you considered just using Geany to create and save your 2000 name document?
And barring that , you could use word in the libreoffice SFS and use "Load SFS on the fly" when you wanted to use it.

Also, a problem with Abiword is not necessarily a Puppy problem.
I would give feedback to the developers of it to see if they can duplicate your problem and come up with a patch/remedy for Abiword.

nubc,

While I am not clear on exactly what you are trying to achieve, I would seriously consider using a spreadsheet for this task.

Monsie

The list is an alphabetical index. In the interest of saving space, the names are just listed as text, separated by comma+space. The names are not columnated, and don't require pagination. Organizationally, I am not completely satisfied with alphabetizing by first name, but given the way I am listing the names, to put the last name first would introduce a very confusing comma. (Interestingly, when a name is given in Japanese, the last name is often given first.) Another pertinent fact (observation) is that first names are not evenly distributed throughout the latin alphabet, rather, the first half of the alphabet (A thru M) is much more heavily populated. This list is a backup to another project, and necessarily conforms to the limitations of this other project, which is not of my design. I think I will try Geany, as 8-bit suggests. What is important is that an addition (edit to add a name) to the list can be sorted down through the list without causing errors. And pagination is not needed at all.

nubc wrote:...In the interest of saving space, the names are just listed as text, separated by comma+space. The names are not columnated, and don't require pagination...

You save more space using jhust 1 name per line.

Check yourself:

# ls -l index_*
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 8894 Dez 12 18:02 index_commaspaced
-rw-r--r-- 1 root root 6893 Dez 12 17:59 index_oneperline
#

adding:
echo "bla1001" >> index_oneperline
gives you pagination

last name and first name(s) should be separated by a separator | might be handy

A space cannot be a separator because (first and last) names may contain space

Hope that helps

This list is a backup to another project, and necessarily conforms to the limitations of this other project, which is not of my design.

The project I am backing up severely limits my ability to document work. One of those limitations is that names must be alphabetized by first name, and because of that quirk, I must remember full names by first name. Not an ideal circumstance for easy recall, I know. Diacritical marks and special punctuations are not allowed in this format. This project also limits my use of text space, and the list I have made is the optimal use of that space. I merely copy&paste the text from the project to Abiword. I don't want to waste time alphabetizing multiple lists by last name, the longest of which is some 2000 names, when I don't really have need for a formal (last name first) or columnated list. I remember by first name; really, no choice.

When I tried to copy&paste text to Geany, I got a single L-O-N-G horizontal line of text, so I guess I have to format it like a typewriter. If I tick a setting under Document > Line Wrapping, the text appears in desired form, BUT Geany does not remember this setting (Line Wrapping enabled) when I Save or Overwrite the file.

nubc wrote:...If I tick a setting under Document > Line Wrapping, the text appears in desired form, BUT Geany does not remember this setting (Line Wrapping enabled) when I Save or Overwrite the file.

enable first check box in geany > preferences > Editor > Features

Ya, that's better. I'll probably switch to Geany for my index lists, of which there are 40 so far. Cross-referencing is essential to my project.
Dave
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aHGMDf42lw
Ravi
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk60ObnbIOk

namaste

Thanks for the fine music