TextEdit vs more feature rich alternatives!

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Also, if you update a doc via "textedit", and lets say you are happy with all until section 1, but dont like what you updated recently in some parts of section 2, how can can you only undo your update in some of those parts of section 2 to an earlier version i.e yesterdays?

Meaning you update the changes to section 1, but get back to the yesterdays version for some parts of section 2, is this possible?

Yes, it's possible, but I only know one way. You must open yesterday's version of the file from a backup copy and cut and paste the unchanged part into the new document which has the other changes you want to preserve.
 
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Hi,


thank you both for your suggestions.

Hughvane, I worked on that doc a whole 15hrs being stressed out and my eyes flying around through text. I was in fact seeking "a dialogue warning me that closing or quitting will result in loss of changes" but unfortunately, I havent received! As far as I am aware all my settings are default.

In the moment of lost attention, I did click the wrong button...!

Are all your suggestions tried & tested?

if, so I will try the most useful ones and get back with some feedback...
 
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In the moment of lost attention, I did click the wrong button...!

I worked for some years as a proof-reader, so I know the visual stress you're going through. Why the warning dialogue didn't appear, or you didn't see it, could be attributed to a number of things, but it's almost a certainty that both TextEdit and Word do present the warning.

Are all your suggestions tried & tested?

Short answer - yes! I tutored Computer Studies, as they used to be known, for ten years, and those keystrokes and other techniques I suggested were used time and time again.

Did you know, btw, that you can save a TextEdit document in Word format? It's accessible through the Save As function. It's useful as a backup, which is where this thread began, if I recall correctly, ie. autosave and temporary files, saving changes, losing changes and so on. Save As in Word format leaves the TextEdit document where you last left it, nothing is overwritten. Word format is also more readily compatible cross-platform.
 
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Hi Hughvane,


yes as you these days in fact its a proof reading / correction and add-on of functions to few large text docs that will be converted to PDF later. Doiing this for a while it goes heavy on the eyes, doing this for few days my dreams are about text, fonts and what else you have to that reference:)

I did try quickly the 1st of your suggestion yesterday, but it didnt work thats why I was asking - maybe I didnt do it in a correct way, is that supposed to work on all Mac OS versions?

I did check again, yes I have the default settings. After editing a doc it asksme, if I wanted to save the autosave version, were you talking about that one?

As to word format or anything related to windows, I am rather very much tired of its unreliability, also it keeps asking me for my security code etc. I am trying to use openoffice.com as often as I can, but as I lost too much time recent on the last version of the docs I didnt have time to bother much to leave "textedit" for the moment. But, will do so after the basic are finalized!

Thank you again, for your general suggestions very much appreciated. Especially, from someone who knows what he is talking about, through his everyday practice of the topic...!
 
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Hi Tomacsh,


as to your suggestion yes thats how I am doing it normally, but if the doc you are working on is a big file with various functionality, and yopu doing correction in differing sections of that doc, its not very easy to do your suggestion in practice. You can easily loose your orientation and end up messing - up everything...
 
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Oh, I know! I wish there was a better way, but how would the software know which sections to keep and which not to keep?

Now, if you're using Word, it has a "Track Changes" feature. When turned on, it will show deleted text with a strike-through, and new text in a color. You can "restore" deleted text at any time, and of course delete new or old text. To print, you change the setting to show the current "accepted" state of the document. Then you can make everything visible again to work on it further.
 
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I did try quickly the 1st of your suggestion yesterday, but it didnt work

In hindsight I note I didn't include the instruction that pressing Return cancels the Cmd-Z function. In other words, you have to see/realize the error you made and press Cmd-Z right away. Word is much more accommodating with the Cmd-Z function, and 'remembers' further back than TextEdit.

is that supposed to work on all Mac OS versions?

For sure.

After editing a doc it asks me, if I wanted to save the autosave version, were you talking about that one?

Probably. I've just checked TextEdit 1.3 Prefs, and I note that I'm using Default settings, which delete the backup file. I can only assume that happens when I save a document manually.

Word is a very powerful/useful text processor, but I agree somewhat with your reservations, in my case/experience the way it tries to second-guess and sometimes preempt one's intentions. Formatting and spell check are but two examples. Working one's way thoroughly through the Preferences I've found to be helpful.

Why Word should keep asking you for your security code puzzles me. Is there not a dialogue and check box that says something like 'don't ask me again'?
 
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Hi Tomacsh / Hughvane,


thank you both...!

Hughvane, would you be able to give me some hints. I have been using textedit for few large docs to edit.

Now for such a one, through the editing cut / paste of files / pics etc, the document has turned into a puzzle kind of doc, tabs, margins etc are all over the place.

Because of openoffice added features and its simplicity, I am considering to take this doc to that and integrate with the help of openoffice. With integrate I mean I have to have for certain sections same fonts / size, and an overall unity of the document in general incl. margins, settings etc depending on the specific sections!

What would be the best way doing so, just cut the doc from textedit and paste it into openoffice, or open that particular textedit doc with openoffice, or do you have a more effcient and effective process that you could suggest?

"Why Word should keep asking you for your security code puzzles me. Is there not a dialogue and check box that says something like 'don't ask me again'?"

I just cant find word user oriented, it has many features maybe too many no question. But, just while you need something is not compatible with word or with some other windows products, causing crashes / freeze what have you not...!

Well, I havent a clue I typed that code many times, and now cant even bother to remember it! Pls, remember its not an issue because of the code, its in general my negative experiences with windows related software. Most often as a stand alone product they are good, but if you start integrating the various window related software functionality into one doc trouble starts.

I am not an expert as you, but I do believe simplicity, user geared products are all that we need. Because of that I havent been much a fan of windows products...
 

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