Atlantis Word Processor Forum

[James Follett]

I recently wished to remove double spaces from a text file and replace them with a hard return. Atlantis wouldn't permit this. Up came a message asking me to type in some text.

Come on, fellers. Search and Replace should not be locked to text only alterations. All manner of oddities, not always text, sometimes need to be removed or replaced when altering a file, particular an imported file.

My WordPerfect 4.2 of twenty years ago does permit search and replace of keyboard commands other than text.

An example: when writing a book I usually leave inserting chapter numbers until the book is finished. I show chapter breaks with three hard returns -- this ensures that the gap shows up easily. But searching and finding those gaps with Atlantis is impossible.

BTW, Atlantis is the best WP package on the market, and I've tried a few.

James Follett

Please don't come up with a tedious workaround.

[Robert]

Hi, James!

Sorry but this has never been a problem with Atlantis.

Here is how to proceed, taking into account your specific requirements (substituting 2 space characters with 3 hard returns):

1) Press CTRL+H
2) Type 2 space characters in the "Find" edit box (using the keyboard).
3) Press the "Paragraph End Mark symbol" small button on the right of the "Replace With" edit box.
4) Choose "Paragraph End Mark" in the pop-up list.
5) Press the "Paragraph End Mark symbol" small button again.
6) Choose "Paragraph End Mark" in the pop-up list again.
7) Repeat the above 2 steps to insert a third "Paragraph End Mark".
8) Click the "Find Next" button.
9) Click the "Replace" button when actually required.

Important: use the "Replace All" command/button ONLY if you are certain that it won't insert unwanted items in wrong places.

Note that Atlantis has an AutoCorrect feature that will take care of double spaces when they are mistypes. You can even customize the AutoCorrect rules to your liking. Launch "Tools | AutoCorrect Options...", then click on the "Rules" button to the right of the "Smart Space Management" check box option.

Cheers
Robert