Can I import a selected list of activities from a MS Word document into Merlin as tasks?

Merlin can import various file formats.  For a complete list please check related topic in Merlin online help.

MS Word documents are most commonly used for long texts and maybe project or task scope description. Lists are usually recorded in MS Excel, GTD applications, or even mindmapping software. To import tasks out of an MS Word document, you should export it into a compatible format.

• So you select in MS Word File > Save as… > Plain Text
• MS Word prompts for the desired formatting and encoding
• You save the file
• You drag the plain text file to Merlin’s project listing and
• map the field in the plain text to Merlin’s <title> column.
• Merlin will then import the list into the existing project.

To quicken things however, we have created a small Applescript sample, which handles the current MS Word selection, goes through its paragraphs and enters them as tasks into an existing Merlin project.

If interested, feel free to download, use or modify as you like.  Continue reading →