Removing Bold from plain Text document

[robi1974]

Dear Community

Would like to ask for your support in following case.
After copy-pasting the text from website into the plain Text Doc, save it without bold text and put it onto my Pocket Book 628 and open it, it happens in numerous cases that the unwanted Bold text appearers. Once that's the case, the bold text creates unnecessarily a new page. For example, a 15 site text Doc on my laptop turns into a 20 site Text doc on my Pocket Book due to the bold text.

How can I remedy the issue? How can I prevent to open the Text Doc file on my e-reader without littered with bold text.

Thanks a million for your support
Cheers
Robert

[retiredbiker]

When you copy text from a web page, you are almost sure to get some styling with it. If you paste it into a pure text editor like gedit or notepad, the styling should be stripped off. You don't say what tools you are using. If you are pasting into a word processor or some smart editor, try using shift-ctrl-V to paste, and select 'unformatted text". Or maybe the editor will let you do that some other way, maybe with a right-click. Or the editor might have some way to "remove all formatting", like ctrl-M does in LibreOffice. If none of that works, try a really simple pure-text editor.

[robi1974]

Originally Posted by retiredbiker

When you copy text from a web page, you are almost sure to get some styling with it. If you paste it into a pure text editor like gedit or notepad, the styling should be stripped off. You don't say what tools you are using. If you are pasting into a word processor or some smart editor, try using shift-ctrl-V to paste, and select 'unformatted text". Or maybe the editor will let you do that some other way, maybe with a right-click. Or the editor might have some way to "remove all formatting", like ctrl-M does in LibreOffice. If none of that works, try a really simple pure-text editor.

Thanks for your speedy reply.
I use a normal Text Doc, Notepad, if you will [see attachment], and as you said it strips all those styles, normally. But sometimes it doesn't, for example if I copy all and there is a picture too, the text below the picture appears bold on my reader eventually.
Funny fact: the very same text document appears bold free on one of my e reader, however, the other one [also a Pocket Book] shows those bold styles.
Please advise if there is something I can sort out this issue.
Gratefully
Robert

[Quoth]

What retiredbiker says ^^^^^


Or Notepad++ in Windows, or KATE on Linux. But regular Notepad works.

Don't copy/paste into a wordprocessor unless you either edit all the styles, or Special Paste As Unformatted text (not as reliable as Notepad).

[robi1974]

Thank all of you for your support

Basically I use Plain Text Doc [note pad, if you will], meaning if I paste the text in there the Text Doc is able to strip all styles, bold, etc. And it, in fact, does, but not always, and funnily, the same Text Doc appears on one PocketBook bold-free, and on the other doesn't. The bold style occurs mostly if I copy all, pictures included, and although the pictures get stripped, the text below the picture remains bold.I uploaded an example
I am eternally thankful for your advices, so please keep them coming in, in case there is more you are kind enough to share. Thanks a MM
Robert

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by robi1974

Thank all of you for your support

Basically I use Plain Text Doc [note pad, if you will]

Which actual program / application? Plain Text in some arbitrary program that CAN do styles is not notepad.

A wordprocessor (even Wordpad or MS Write) can do formatting. Modern ones also have styles.

A real text editor can't even display bold. It has no formatting at all other than line-wrap options. It won't even store bold.
Copy & paste to a text editor and only tabs, spaces, special spaces, line breaks remain. Copy & past that into something else, or save and there is NEVER any formatting like bold.

The only exception is if you do a Smart Paste in to a Word Processor with auto formatting on then
*text* becomes text
_text_ becomes text or text
/text/ becomes text
-text- might get strike out

*at margin might become a bullet
"text" to “text”
'text' to ‘text’

-- might give –
--- might give —
... might give …


Make sure on a Wordprocessor that Autoformat is off and you Paste Special unformatted text.

I disable most Autoformat in MS Word or LO Writer for "as you write" as well as Autocorrect.

If you type "some text" and it is automagically “some text” then you are using a wordprocessor, not a text editor like notepad! So called smart quotes. As an aside, almost all wordprocessors do '60s as ‘60s instead of ’60s. Or 'tis as ‘tis it should be ’tis. They all use ’ and ” for feet & inches or degrees or time. Those should be ′ and ″, the prime and double prime. An italic straight quote and double quote looks similar ' ", but it's a specific character.

Actual straight quotes are for programming and originate with typewriters. There is usage for ' to break up some non-English words or sometimes show syllables.

[robi1974]

Originally Posted by Quoth

Which actual program / application? Plain Text in some arbitrary program that CAN do styles is not notepad.

A wordprocessor (even Wordpad or MS Write) can do formatting. Modern ones also have styles.

A real text editor can't even display bold. It has no formatting at all other than line-wrap options. It won't even store bold.
Copy & paste to a text editor and only tabs, spaces, special spaces, line breaks remain. Copy & past that into something else, or save and there is NEVER any formatting like bold.

The only exception is if you do a Smart Paste in to a Word Processor with auto formatting on then
*text* becomes text
_text_ becomes text or text
/text/ becomes text
-text- might get strike out

*at margin might become a bullet
"text" to “text”
'text' to ‘text’

-- might give –
--- might give —
... might give …


Make sure on a Wordprocessor that Autoformat is off and you Paste Special unformatted text.

I disable most Autoformat in MS Word or LO Writer for "as you write" as well as Autocorrect.

If you type "some text" and it is automagically “some text” then you are using a wordprocessor, not a text editor like notepad! So called smart quotes. As an aside, almost all wordprocessors do '60s as ‘60s instead of ’60s. Or 'tis as ‘tis it should be ’tis. They all use ’ and ” for feet & inches or degrees or time. Those should be ′ and ″, the prime and double prime. An italic straight quote and double quote looks similar ' ", but it's a specific character.

Actual straight quotes are for programming and originate with typewriters. There is usage for ' to break up some non-English words or sometimes show syllables.

Thanks for your speedy reply.
I use a normal Text Doc, Notepad, if you will [see attachment], and as you said it strips all those styles, normally. But sometimes it doesn't, for example if I copy all and there is a picture too, the text below the picture appears bold on my reader eventually.
Funny fact: the very same text document appears bold free on one of my e reader, however, the other one [also a Pocket Book] shows those bold styles.
Please advise if there is something I can sort out this issue.
Gratefully
Robert

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by robi1974

I use a normal Text Doc, Notepad, if you will [see attachment], and as you said it strips all those styles, normally. But sometimes it doesn't, for example if I copy all and there is a picture too, the text below the picture appears bold on my reader eventually.

Sorry but I can't even make an image paste on Notepad or Notepad++ under Windows 11 (both of them are pure text editors) since having an image on the clipboard gives a greyed out paste option. If I try using the Windows key-V combo, I can see the image on the clipboard but again it will not paste.

What operating system are you using and what application are you pasting those images into?

[Quoth]

I see no bold in that. It is just a text document. But it has multiple //textmarked// lines. That might cause issues when TT.txt is imported into something.

Paste into MS Word (or LO Writer, but use native save in odt). Save or Save As a copy in docx AFTER fixing headings and paragraph styles.
Then use Calibre to convert the docx to an epub.

Never load plain text direct to an ereader, but use epub (or convert epub to mobi, dual mobi or azw3 for a kindle). The renderer in the ereader must be interpreting something as a command to do bold.

I opened your TT.txt in Linux xed (similar thing to Windows Notepad). No bold.
I opened it in the WINE version of Windows Notepad. No Bold.

I've NEVER had bold show up in any plain text editor on Windows (All verssions from 3.0 to 10 except win8), Mac OS9, Linux, Xenix, CP/M, MSDOS, or Android.

I put the document in Word 2003 (on WINE) and LO Writer 6.x. No Bold.

So conclusion is that you are copying plain text to an ereader. Just don't! Make an epub using Calibre. Best from a docx (never edit a docx in LO Writer, only extra Save As).

I loaded the TT.txt directly into Calibre and made an epub. I did get this at the end

Reviews Paul Norman

11 Jan 2021
facebook

Calibre converted the bold line into a <h2>11 Jan 2021</h2>
A heading style, which will be bold.

My guess is that your ereader is recognising some lines as headings and thus automagically doing bold.

SOLUTION
Do not ever copy plain text to an ereader. Paste the web pages into LO Writer, save in "odt", fix styles & headings, or make all plaln text. Extra Save As in docx and convert to epub using Calibre.

You can use MS Word instead.
You can use Sigil instead of Calibre.

The ebook export plugins for Word and Writer are inferior to Calibre or Sigil.

[Quoth]

Originally Posted by DNSB

Sorry but I can't even make an image paste on Notepad or Notepad++ under Windows 11 (both of them are pure text editors) since having an image on the clipboard gives a greyed out paste option. If I try using the Windows key-V combo, I can see the image on the clipboard but again it will not paste.

What operating system are you using and what application are you pasting those images into?

The problem is actually copying plain text direct to an ereader! It's automagically creating bold headings!

So I can imagine that the text left under removed images is sometimes bold. I'm not sure what combination of empty lines triggers it.

[DNSB]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The problem is actually copying plain text direct to an ereader! It's automagically creating bold headings!

So I can imagine that the text left under removed images is sometimes bold. I'm not sure what combination of empty lines triggers it.

I tried copying the plain text to some of my Kobo ereaders since .txt is a supported format. I did not get bold text in any of my tests. But then the OP mentioned that one of his Pocketbook ereaders showed bold and the other didn't.

[Quoth]

Once I saw the text file and re-read that it was only sometimes on some pocketbook I decided the problem was sending plain text to the ereader.


I think Kobo SW is better than Pocketbook.


I only tried the Calibre viewer of the conversion of text file to epub and got a spurious heading.

I remember years ago trying plain text direct on ereaders and results such that making a styled docx converted to epub was far better.

Similarly I've found mobi on Kobo & Boyue Mars poor. So if it's not a Kindle make an epub from docx automatically with Calibre or edit HTML & CSS in Sigil.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by Quoth

The problem is actually copying plain text direct to an ereader! It's automagically creating bold headings!

So I can imagine that the text left under removed images is sometimes bold. I'm not sure what combination of empty lines triggers it.

For crying out loud, people, he's said NUMEROUS times that he's copying it to Notepad.

????? I agree, it's confounding, but that's no reason to insist that he's not doing what he's said, repeatedly, that he's doing.

Hitch

[pdurrant]

The sample posted is plain text.

What styling the renderer on a Pocketbook ebook reader applies to that plain text is rather up to the renderer.

If you don't want the renderer to decide when text should be bold, don't use a plain text file, but an actual ebook format.

[Hitch]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

The sample posted is plain text.

What styling the renderer on a Pocketbook ebook reader applies to that plain text is rather up to the renderer.

If you don't want the renderer to decide when text should be bold, don't use a plain text file, but an actual ebook format.

Yes, the sample IS plain text, which is what he said he created when he pasted to the presumably empty Notepad file.

It's peculiar if it's displaying random bold hither and yon. (For example, he said the text after the images is bold. I mean, wowzers.) I can't explain it at all.

Hitch