Spaces inserted in wrapped text

[dcmurrin]

PowerPoint 2008, SP1, OSX 10.5

It seem SP1 has caused a problem. When I open a PowerPoint document
not ORIGINALLY created with PPT 2008 SP1 (PC file, PPT 2004 file, even
these files opened and saved as a 2008 file) I get a space in front of
every line under the first when the text wraps to the next line of a
paragraph.

For example a normal paragraph would look like this when wrapped
without hard returns:

This is the first line and
this is the second line and
this is the third

This is what i get from SP1:

This is the first line and
this is the second line and
this is the third line

An extra space in front of every subsequent line. There is no
indenting going on. I double checked each document on a non-SP1
machine and it showed no problems there. I can do a hard return to fix
the problem, but that would screw up word wrapping if i ever change
any text or resize the text box itself.

I've heard of others with this problem
http://www.schwieb.com/blog/2008/05/13/mac-office-2008-sp1/#comment-35085

...but no fixes. Anyone seen this or have a fix?

 

[Gabriele]

Hi dcmurrin,
yes I have experienced the same problem. This really upsets me!

Did you try to justify the text? It looks spaces are added in an even more casual way.

Anyone from Microsoft would like to reply??? This is really a bad problem.

 

[danielck]

I'm get this too. I thought I was just seeing things. This seems like a rookie coding error, just putting the linefeed before a space instead of after. Hopefully easily (and quickly) fixed.

 

[dcmurrin]

I'm sorry you guys are having the problem, but also relieved that I'm
not the only one. It is such a blatant error that I assumed when I got
online to figure it out there would be a simple solution.

I've had some success with smaller presentations that entirely conform
to masters (NO custom formatting). I create new masters in a new
separate 2008 file and then apply that design to the file that is
having the problems, overriding the old pre-08 masters. Of course it
is only easy if every slide follows the masters style perfectly.

I wish I could uninstall SP1, but now my Database file (personal
settings, Entourage email) has been moved to SP1 and is incompatible
with non-upgraded 2008, so I'm stuck. I'll end up keeping 2003 on my
machine and using the PowerPoint version of that until a fix comes
along. I have hundreds of presentations, some with more than a hundred
slides. i cannot go through and hand fix these. it's just not worth
it.

 

[Tim Murray]

I'm get this too. I thought I was just seeing things. This seems like a
rookie coding error, just putting the linefeed before a space instead of
after. Hopefully easily (and quickly) fixed.

At least I am comforted in knowing that it's not passed on to Windows users.
As the lone Mac user in a corporation of Windows machines, the last thing I
need to hear is something about that damned Mac screwed things up when I send
files to my fellow staff.

 

[John_Cunningham]

I'm seeing the same thing. Only if I open a document created using Powerpoint for Windows (I only have 2003, so can't comment on 2007), or using Office:Mac 2004.

I do have a work-around though: If I copy the slides from the old document into a new one, then the work wrapping is fixed.

Still, this is a pretty obvious bug. Any news on progress?

Version Info:
PowerPoint 2008 for Mac, version 12.1 (080409); Last installed update 12.1.0
MacOS X 10.5.3
MacBook Air 2.0GHz

 

[John_Cunningham]

I'm seeing the same thing. Only if I open a document created using Powerpoint for Windows (I only have 2003, so can't comment on 2007), or using Office:Mac 2004.

I do have a work-around though: If I copy the slides from the old document into a new one, then the work wrapping is fixed.

Still, this is a pretty obvious bug. Any news on progress?

Version Info:
PowerPoint 2008 for Mac, version 12.1 (080409); Last installed update 12.1.0
MacOS X 10.5.3
MacBook Air 2.0GHz

er...that would be a MacBook Air 1.8GHz. But I can dream, can't I?

 

[Federico Borrego E.]

I'm seeing the same thing. Only if I open a document created using Powerpoint for Windows (I only have 2003, so can't comment on 2007), or using Office:Mac 2004.

er...that would be a MacBook Air 1.8GHz. But I can dream, can't I?

This works. But it seems obvious that it is a Bug. :eyeroll:

Thanks,

FBE
AyudameMac.com/blog

 

[John_O_Hair]

Here's a solution I really don't like to use but have. Create the presentation in PowerPoint and present in Keynote. Just about everything works (including the word wrap), but there can be a few gotchas in formating; so, you have to run through the presentation in Keynote's play mode.

Pretty sad that this problem has been around so long with no response from Microsoft...