The import from Microsoft Word functionality enables you to import .docx files into an existing Inkdoc.
Understanding the Conversion Process
Inkling designed the Import from Word capability to convert a Word document into the best possible Inkdoc representation. Unlike Word, which is intended primarily for printed materials with a fixed layout, an Inkdoc has a flexible page layout to optimize the reading experience across various digital devices.
During the conversion to valid HTML5, Inkling preserves information and structure but not visual styling, revision control, or document properties.
The conversion functionality has been optimized for project templates created since March 2016. Templates that pre-date this period may appear differently on import. If you see an issue in your import, contact EchoInk Support for more assistance.
The conversion process also handles different types of Microsoft Word page breaks differently:
- Soft (or automatic) page breaks are ignored.
- Hard page breaks are preserved as an Inkdoc page break.
- Hard section breaks of all types are preserved as an Inkdoc page break.
The conversion process does not import embedded objects, such as audio and video files, to the Inkling platform. It instead creates placeholder images in the converted Inkdoc. You must replace the placeholder images with audio and video patterns from the pattern drawer and upload all media files to the new Inkdoc.
The following table describes the editable and uneditable fields for pages, chapters, and units.| Item or element | Converted or not converted |
|---|---|
| Text |
|
| Images |
|
| Other embedded objects: video, audio, OLE objects |
|
| Headers and Footers |
|
| Hyperlinks |
|
| Paragraphs |
|
| Headings |
|
| Lists |
|
| Tables |
|
| Columns |
|
| Soft page breaks |
|
| Hard page breaks |
|
| Section breaks |
|
| Text formatting: bold, italic, underline, strikethrough, subscript, superscript |
|
| Other text formatting: font face, size, color, shadow, glow, rotations |
|
| Custom Word styles |
|
| Custom table styling: borders, cell spacing, cell padding, colors |
|
| Custom list styles: bullet symbols, numbering, indentation |
|
| Comments |
|
| Tracked changes |
|
| Document properties, password protected documents, master and sub documents |
|
Prepare Your Documents for Import
Before you import Word files into your project, confirm the following:
- The file size does not exceed 50 MB.
- The file is formatted as a
.docxfile in Word 2003 or later.
To convert .doc files to the .docx format, open the file in Word 2003 or later, and perform a Save As.
Import From Word
Inkling performs a two-step process to upload and convert the content to a valid Inkdoc.
- Click Configure Project > Edit Structure.
- Click Import File.
Select a document.
You can convert only one document at a time.
If you do not cancel the import during Step 1 of the import process, you must delete the imported chapter from the Inkdoc.
- Click Open.
- You can cancel the import during Step 1. Click Cancel in the Import File window and OK in the confirmation dialog.
- If Habitat displays a wrench icon during the import process, this indicates that data is still being converted.
- Click Continue when the process has finished. The converted document displays as a new chapter at the end of the structure view.
Reimport a Document
There is no limit to the number of times that you can reimport a document.
Inkling gives all new chapters created from the same imported document the same name. For example, you import the file test_document.docx twice. Once to see how well it converts, and a second time after you have edited the content to improve the conversion. This means that two chapters named test_document.docx appear in the structure view. To avoid confusion, we recommend renaming or deleting any existing chapters in the converted content before reimporting a file.