preserving drawing objects

[Markie]

Using PPT 2003: I spent a while drawing an object using the line-curve tool
and edited it using the "edit points" tool. I continued editing and modifying
it for different uses using the "edit points" tool. But then one day all of a
sudden it's no longer editable. When I select it, the "edit points" tool is
now greyed out and I can no longer edit the points on the object. The shape
is now fixed.

Curiously, I just opened it on another computer with PPT 2007 and it is
editable, but it is not editable on PPT 2003.

What is going on here? What could have I done to make the drawing object
that I created no longer editable on 2003? And why is it still editable in
2007?

Thanks
Mark

 

[bkolba]

Did you happen to open the file in PPT 2007 and save it? If you do this, you
will no longer be able to enter Enter Points on the object in PPT 2003. There
is a workaround to re-enable Edit Points in PPT 2003: copy the object, paste
special as a metafile and ungroup it (twice, if I recall - once to convert
from a metafile to a group of shapes and once to convert from a group to
individual shapes). After doing this, you will be left with two object, one
of which will be a shape that you can once again enter edit points on (feel
free to delete the other).

Bobby

 

[Markie]

Yes, i think I have taken it back and forth between 2003 and 2007. But when
working in 2007, I always save it in 2003 format because I go back and forth
between the two computers. As long as I keep the file in 2003 format, the
object should remain editable in 2003, shouldn't it?

 

[Bill Dilworth]

No. PowerPoint does some things to preserve appearance at the expense of
functionality. PowerPoint is not completely portable between 2003 and 2007
even when you save it in 2003 format.

It could be considered a bug, since it should do what you say, but doesn't.

Bill Dilworth