WD97: How to Convert Multiple White Space Characters to Tabs (155312)


The information in this article applies to:

  • Microsoft Word 97 for Windows
This article was previously published under Q155312

SUMMARY

This article describes how to change multiple spaces or tabs in a Word document to a single instance of a tab or other white space character.

You may want to perform this type of replacement in order to take advantage of some of the formatting commands in Word.

MORE INFORMATION

Some text or word processor files use multiple spaces or tabs to create tables. In Word, this type of formatting makes alignment and other types of formatting impossible.

To convert multiple instances of white space characters such as spaces or tab characters to a single instance of a character, use the following advanced criteria in the Find What box in the Find And Replace dialog box

x{y,}

where x is the character you are searching for, such as a space, and y is the minimum number of instances that the character must appear in order to be replaced.

The following procedure will replace all occurrences of two or more spaces with a single tab character.

For example, if the text appears as

Filet Mignon<space><space><space><space><space>$21.95

it is converted to:

Filet Mignon<tab>$21.95

by following these steps:

  1. On the Edit menu, click Replace.
  2. In the Find What box, type

    <space>{2,}

    where <space> is the character you get when you press the SPACEBAR once.

    NOTE: There is no space between the comma (,) and the right brace (}).
  3. In the Replace With box, type "^t" (without the quotation marks).

    NOTE: ^ is the caret symbol and is inserted by pressing SHIFT+6.
  4. Click More, and then click to select the Use Wildcards check box.
  5. Click Replace All.

REFERENCES

For more information about how to clear or move tab stops, click the Office Assistant, type "Tabs," click Search, and then click to view the "Use Tab Stops" topic.

NOTE: If the Assistant is hidden, click the Office Assistant button on the Standard toolbar. If Word Help is not installed on your computer, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

120802 Office: How to Add/Remove a Single Office Program or Component

Modification Type:MajorLast Reviewed:11/14/2000
Keywords:kbhowto kbualink97 KB155312
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