Faithful plain-text copy paste

[ST85 1]

Hi all,

I often write my notes in a plain-text editor (TextEdit, Notepad++, TextWrangler, MS Notepad...)  before firing up Evernote and pasting the whole thing.

I have 2 problems with keeping the format:

1) the whitespace is not preserved! That's bad across the board, but especially for the space I used for indentation...

2) I set my font to monospace, then as soon as I press enter or edit something inside evernote, the format reverts to the default font (I'm aware I can change that default font, although I haven't done it yet, but I'm talking about preservation of the font selected. I know some desktop text editors have this problem as well, but mostly at the end of the text, not in the middle like this...)

 

So, due to these problems, after copy-pasting, and a bit of editing, I have to:

• select everything and re-apply the (monospace) font
• manually hunt for collapsed spacing and fix it
• if I edit something, again select-all and re-apply the font, etc...

It's quite some trouble for a bit of plaintext...

 

[gazumped 11,657]

I must have a weird sort of mind - this hasn't been a problem for me because I go by what you see in the note isn't necessarily what you use for any given task.  I'll save the content in the note,  so it gets indexed;  but to actually copy or edit something which is layout-dependent and not currently well served by Evernote's (you should excuse the exaggeration) 'editor' I'll embed or attach a file in the note which contains the correct copy.

 

Having said all of which it would be nice to have a completely vanilla plain text option...

[GrumpyMonkey 4,319]

Hi all,

I often write my notes in a plain-text editor (TextEdit, Notepad++, TextWrangler, MS Notepad...)  before firing up Evernote and pasting the whole thing.

I have 2 problems with keeping the format:

1) the whitespace is not preserved! That's bad across the board, but especially for the space I used for indentation...

2) I set my font to monospace, then as soon as I press enter or edit something inside evernote, the format reverts to the default font (I'm aware I can change that default font, although I haven't done it yet, but I'm talking about preservation of the font selected. I know some desktop text editors have this problem as well, but mostly at the end of the text, not in the middle like this...)

 

So, due to these problems, after copy-pasting, and a bit of editing, I have to:

• select everything and re-apply the (monospace) font
• manually hunt for collapsed spacing and fix it
• if I edit something, again select-all and re-apply the font, etc...

It's quite some trouble for a bit of plaintext...

 

Hi. Welcome to the forums. 

 

Evernote uses its own fork of xhtml, and because none of the notes are actual plain text (there is a plain text option on most clients that will turn a note into a very close approximation), the only way to preserve the formatting exactly is to attach the .txt file to a note.

 

For most people, I am guessing that the plain text option in the app is sufficient, but I have found that tabs, for example, are not preserved, and this can cause issues if this is important to you (it is to me). I would be surprised if this changes in the future, given the way that the app is structured, but if the developers can manage it, I'd be thrilled!

[JohnnyJohnster 21]

Yeah, this sucks, BUT....

 

Here's a workaround thats seems to work for at least the whitespace problem. Let me know if it fixes your other problem. Hopefully it works for you.

 

1. Copy and paste your TextEdit text into a new Mail message.

2. Copy and paste the mail message text to your Evernote note.

 

If Mail is open, and your Evernote note is ready to accept pasted text, and you've got your TextEdit document open, then this process can be done quickly without having to use the track pad. While holding the command key, simply press these keys in sequence:

a (select all)

c (copy)

tab (or multiple tabs until it selects mac mail)

n (new message)

tab (multiple times until you get to the message body)

v (paste)

a (select all)

c 

tab (or multiple tabs until you select evernote)

v

Done!

 

Alternatively, if you don't care about the font preservation (like me) and only want to get rid of the extra line spacing text that Evernote adds, then just:

copy from textedit, then paste into Evernote using Command + Option + Shift + V.

[JohnnyJohnster 21]

WHAT? This worked for the note I tested it on, but then did not work for a new note that I created. WHAT IS GOING ON! 

 

Yeah, this sucks, BUT....

 

Here's a workaround thats seems to work for at least the whitespace problem. Let me know if it fixes your other problem. Hopefully it works for you.

 

1. Copy and paste your TextEdit text into a new Mail message.

2. Copy and paste the mail message text to your Evernote note.

 

If Mail is open, and your Evernote note is ready to accept pasted text, and you've got your TextEdit document open, then this process can be done quickly without having to use the track pad. While holding the command key, simply press these keys in sequence:

a (select all)

c (copy)

tab (or multiple tabs until it selects mac mail)

n (new message)

tab (multiple times until you get to the message body)

v (paste)

a (select all)

c 

tab (or multiple tabs until you select evernote)

v

Done!

 

Alternatively, if you don't care about the font preservation (like me) and only want to get rid of the extra line spacing text that Evernote adds, then just:

copy from textedit, then paste into Evernote using Command + Option + Shift + V.

[jefito 5,589]

You'll have to be a little more specific about what didn't work, if anyone is to help you.

[Jeng 26]

Yeah, this sucks, BUT....

 

Here's a workaround thats seems to work for at least the whitespace problem. Let me know if it fixes your other problem. Hopefully it works for you.

 

1. Copy and paste your TextEdit text into a new Mail message.

2. Copy and paste the mail message text to your Evernote note.

 

If Mail is open, and your Evernote note is ready to accept pasted text, and you've got your TextEdit document open, then this process can be done quickly without having to use the track pad. While holding the command key, simply press these keys in sequence:

a (select all)

c (copy)

tab (or multiple tabs until it selects mac mail)

n (new message)

tab (multiple times until you get to the message body)

v (paste)

a (select all)

c 

tab (or multiple tabs until you select evernote)

v

Done!

 

Alternatively, if you don't care about the font preservation (like me) and only want to get rid of the extra line spacing text that Evernote adds, then just:

copy from textedit, then paste into Evernote using Command + Option + Shift + V.

 

JohnnyJohnster thanks so much!! This trick has saved me hours of typing again! 

[Alan Williams 1]

I copy and paste for mail into Evernote a lot.  A real drawback for me is that Evernote changes font and line spacing etc and it take me ages to reformat.

One work around is copy the text into a text editor, copy again and then paste into Evernote.  This works, but it not perfect.

 

I have read other topics on this subject and some assert that it is asking too much of Evernote to accurately represent the text as was.  I am not an expert, but I do know that Microsoft OneNote manages this takes very well: when I copy from mail I am offered a number of options on how I want the text to be inserted.  It works well.

 

I pay for and really like Evernote, but this is getting too time consuming for me.  A solution would be very much appreciated.

[gazumped 11,657]

Hi.  You might be able to use something like Phrase Express to good effect - you can add email addresses,  standard phrases,  email signatures,  calculations,  dates and times (amongst other things) in plain text,  just by typing a short code.  #AW forinstance might generate "Alan Williams".  It takes a little while to build up your library of options,  and I'm still learning what's possible;  but copying and pasting incoming emails,  and copying and pasting your completed response is a lot quicker than doing the >text> conversion dance with each paragraph.

 

http://www.phraseexpress.com/

[Alan Williams 1]

Many thanks for this, I appreciate the response.  I will give Phrase Express a try.

[CalS 5,280]

Have you tried CtrL-A Ctrl-C in the email body and then Ctrl-V in a new note?  It seems to preserve most formatting for me.  It is part of a PhaseExpress Macro I wrote to by passing forwarding emails to EN and losing content.

[74A 2]

Yeah, it is a huge bummer that there is no way to paste anything with tabs VERBATIM.

 

I use Evernote to store examples of how to run certain programs, and some of them require tabs to actually stay as tabs.

 

This is particularly true with Python code, which is essentially unpasteable into Evernote, especially since "clear formatting" obliterates all whitespace.

 

If Evernote had the ability to have certain styles (for example: "this region is SOURCE CODE, so don't mess with it"), that would be very helpful.

 

As it is, Evernote is very difficult to use with Python code or snippets of any other programming language, although there are awkward workarounds.

[Metin Kaya 0]

+1. I'm developer and having hard times with this copy/paste problem. I'm about to cancel my premium subscription...

[Alan Williams 1]

The only way I have got around this is copy and then paste into a plain text editor then copy and paste into Evernote.  It's a real shame Evernote doesn't address this.  Microsoft OneNote does this well.  

[yamoinca 4]

I agree. I can't believe it is too much to ask for a "verbatim"/"quote" style formatting entry.

I often keep bullet point list of "things" and then want to copy and paste a snippet of text under a bullet point as a sub bullet point. But Evernote completely misses the point, so to speak, and wants to format the pasted text as multiple bullet items etc.

Desired:

• 1
• 2
  • a block of text that is meant as a single sub-item for number 2.
• 3
• 4

What you get

• 1
• 2
• • sub item line 1
    •     sub item line 2
  •     sub item line 3
  •     sub item line 4
  •     sub item line 5
•     sub item line 6
•     sub item line 7
•     sub item line 8
•     sub item line 9
•     sub item line 10
•     sub item line 11
•       sub item line 12
•           sub item line 13
• 3
• 4

Note that it also went from a sub-item back to the main line item in the pasting.

No difference when using CTRL-V vs SHIFT-CTRL-V

This sucks and I agree, one of the main reasons for me to look for an Evernote replacement.

 

[gazumped 11,657]

I use Workflowy - https://workflowy.com/ - which is a maestro of bullets,  lists and formatting;  it also allows copy and paste into Evernote.