Hi
Just for your information, I use Jaws 13 with Excel 2007. Let's get started with convert text to column wizard. You can use this wizard in excel to convert the text which is formatted as tabular data into columns. For example, the text that was exported from adobe reader or lotus can be pasted in a worksheet in excel and then the same text can be splitted into different columns. To get to the convert text to column wizard in excel 2007, press Alt + A, E. In the first screen of 3 screens you have an option to select the type of data you are converting to columns. There are two options - Delimited and Fixed width. Choose delimited if the data fields are separated with commas or tab stops. Choose fixed width if the data fields are separated with just spaces. (Note: I've noticed that in excel 2007 if the data is indeed separated by tab stops, it is automatically arranged into columns) In the 2nd screen, the wizard allows you to define the column breaks. Sighted users set the columns by doing a single click or tap on the desired position to creat column breaks, or by doing a double click or a tap to delete it. (Lines with arrows signify the column breaks). But we blind folks need to use Jaws cursor and navigate to the desired position and simulate single click / double click to create and delete the column breaks. Tip: to ensure the best success, use Jaws cursor and examine the space between the columns where you want the break to be, and then position the cursor in the center of the imaginary column and press left mouse button, sorry, I don't have a better workaround to deal with this accessibility limitation at the moment but if anyone on the list knows better, feel free to jump in. In the 3rd screen the wizard allows you to select each column and set the data format. For example, if one of the columns contains dates, you can use Jaws cursor to navigate to that column and press left mouse button to select it, and then choose the appropriate date format using the radio buttons above. Again, the accessibility sucks here, so I'd be glad if there's any workaround. Many a times I find the data fields separated by tab stops. In such cases, I just copy the stuff and paste it in a new excel sheet and it gets pasted in to the right columns automatically. All I need to do is just format the stuff and I'm done. But sometimes I even find the data separated with spaces. When I paste this in excel, excel does not separate it in columns. Why? Because there's no way it can understand what data has to go in what column without the tab stops. That's when I play around with text to column wizard. Wait, before I even bother the wizard, I have something better to do. I paste the text in notepad, and sift through it to examine if the data fields are separated by equal number of spaces. If that's so, then I'm better off by replacing the spaces by a tab (control + h) and pasting the same in excel, which get's arranged into the right columns as this time there is a tab stop separating the data. If on the other hand the data is not being separated by an equal number of spaces, then I go launch the text to column wizard and do what other folks do. Register at the dedicated AccessIndia list for discussing accessibility of mobile phones / Tabs on: http://mail.accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/mobile.accessindia_accessindia.org.in Search for old postings at: http://www.mail-archive.com/[email protected]/ To unsubscribe send a message to [email protected] with the subject unsubscribe. To change your subscription to digest mode or make any other changes, please visit the list home page at http://accessindia.org.in/mailman/listinfo/accessindia_accessindia.org.in
