Removing Hard Returns

Well this is supposed to be an MS forum so are they listening? Removing line breaks was simple in the old Write. Removing this function was just plain evil.

MS: If you keep reducing my productivity with every new version, I am going to buy a Mac. I am so angry and frustrated. This is just one example of the aggro of upgrading. Don't get me started on other MS programs.. 

Thanks, Graham, for the hot key info; I rarely if ever use Word. Even Wordpad has become a bore with glitches and weird formatting where I don't want it. I usually just use Notepad now, and sacrifice prettifications, although even the new Notepad has bugs.

Yes, it is possible to do this in MS Word, but only after going though enough mouse menu selections to cause repetitive stress.

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I STILL WANT A simple SOLUTION for removing line breaks, either in Wordpad.exe or in Notepad.exe.   I clip and paste numerous text blocks from emails that have excessive line spacing and I NEED this. Does anyone have a solution? Nothing I've read in this column works.  Jay from Canada

Just because you want something, it doesn't mean you can have it. Wordpad and Notepad do not provide this search function.

As for your comment about mouse selections, that is simply drivel. CTRL+H will display the replace dialog in any Word version. There is no need to even touch the mouse.

Word and Wordpad (and Notepad) are different programs. So it is not surprising that features found in one are not found in the others.

If you require a solution that works in Wordpad or Notepad, and are opposed to merely importing into Word, I would suggest starting a new thread in a forum devoted to one of those programs.  I would also suggest posting just your question, as rants frequently result in knowledgeable people ignoring the entire post.

Another option, not involving MS Office, would be to use a text editor that allows find/replace of special characters, or has implemented regular expressions in the Edit section.

I have had several versions of Wordpad and none have a Show Code feature. I have Win7 Pro and whatever wordpad.exe it came with. The old Write program (and I do mean Write) allowed easy removal of line breaks by searching for ^p and replacing with space.

This option is gone from Wordpad. Even highlighting the invisible paragraph mark and attempting to paste into the find box fails. Yes, it is possible to do this in MS Word, but only after going though enough mouse menu selections to cause repetitive stress. Anyway MS Word is bloatware for most casual prose writers.

I also have no idea another contributer means by alt F11. Absolutely nothing happens.

When Windows took away Write, it was a bloody crime. I can't port it over to new machine as it does not work in 64bit and running WinXp in a separate window isn't worth the trouble.

I STILL WANT A simple SOLUTION for removing line breaks, either in Wordpad.exe or in Notepad.exe.   I clip and paste numerous text blocks from emails that have excessive line spacing and I NEED this. Does anyone have a solution? Nothing I've read in this column works.  Jay from Canada

On Sat, 28 Aug 2010 19:14:21 +0000, JoelGlobal wrote:

I've arrived at the promised land.  Thanks again Ron.

Glad to help.  Enjoy the milk and honey!