been experimenting with Infoqube ... it has an import option for OPML but none for a plain old tab-indented text outline. I tried cutting and pasting the tab-indented text but the indenting (i.e. the parent-child relationships) was not preserved by Infoqube.

I was able to paste the tab-indented outline text into Fargo and export it to an OPML file, which I was then able to import into Infoqube, and successfully preserved the parent-child relationships between items.

My question is - what other tools (either for Windows, or cross-platform, or web-based) would be good for this purpose? Fargo is a bit hard to get used to.

jim

I found this earlier thread on the subject -

http://www.outlinersoftware.com/topics/viewt/1137/

results of my experimentation tonight -

fargo preserved the indents in pasted text, and its native format is opml.

opml editor (http://home.opml.org/ - same.

tried noteliner - it preserved the indents in pasted text, but provided no opml export option that I could see.

tkoutline, checkvist - preserve the indents, and does provide opml export.

treeline, treepad - couldn't find a way to paste the indented text into the tree. These appear to be 2-pane outliners that accept only short titles in the tree. I could be wrong.

I've also put in a suggestion to Pierre that Infoqube preserve the indents in pasted text.

TKOutline can do it. It's under File -> Export To...

Oh, wait, you said that...I should not post while tired. My apologies.

thanks anyway!

related question - what programs can open/import a plain-text tab-indented outline, and save/export to the same format?

here are some results of my quick experimentation:

tkoutline - file/open, drag and drop of txt file does not work; file/import from/indented ascii does work. File/Save saves to a format I don't recognize - specific to tkoutline? File/Export To/Ascii option.

opml editor - file/open opens up a tab-indented txt file and preserves the indents. File/Save saves to OPML format. No option to save or export to tab-indented text format.

Fargo - File/Open opens up only OPML files stored in Dropbox folder. I don't see a way to open up a plain-text tab-indented outline file. Don't see a way to save/export to a tab-indented plain text file.

noteliner - crashed when I tried file/open to open a plain-text tab indented outline. no file/import option. Has File/Save As/Text option.

treeline - has "file/import/tab-indented text, one node per line" option, but I got a "improper format" option when I tried to import my tab-indented outline. Has File/Export/Text option, didn't try it.

ConnectedText can import OPML files and export to indented text files.

And the reverse as well.

Notecase Pro can read and write a variety of formats, including OPML (1.0 I believe) and tab indented text. It can also work directly with such formats, if you find them convenient for permanent use. I seem to recall that it can't handle inline notes in OPML but this should not be a problem with transfering info between OPML and tab indented text, because the latter also doesn't support inline notes as such--it saves everything in a similar way, making no distinction between 'titles' and 'content', other than the hierarchy level.

thanks Alexander. I've been experimenting with Notecase Pro just now. When I opened up my test tab-indented plain-text outline file - either by File/Open or File/Import - it all appears as a single note, rather than multiple notes (parents and children).

When I selected File/Import, the "Import from File" dialog does allow you to select "Tabbed text file (*.tab)" as the format of the file to be imported. Then you can browse for *.tab files. I renamed my test file, changing the extension from .txt to .tab. When I imported the text from the renamed file, each line was imported as a separate note. The parent/child relationships between the notes was shown in the navigation tree pane on the left.

So, it appears that Notecase Pro can do the job, but you have to change the file extension first.

I should note that it's pretty easy in Ecco to import from a plain-text tab-indented outline, and to export to the same format.

1. Make a new notepad just to hold the text you're going to import.\
2. File > Database > Import. Import the tab-indented text file. Text is imported as parent/child items as indicated by indents in imported text.
3. Work with it in the Ecco Notepad using the usual Ecco outlining tools.
4. File > Database > Export. Export Notepad dialog appears.
5. "All items in Notepad" is already selected.
6. Select Select "Outline Only (tab-indented)" as format to export to.
7. Browse to destination of exported file, enter file name. Click OK twice.
8. Result is plain-text tab-indented outline file.

for people who are used to working with the Ecco outlining tools - this is a good way to work with plain-text tab-indented outlines.

unfortunately as far as I know the Ecco Extension does not provide OPML import/export.

it would be nice if there were a file conversion tool just to convert a plain-text tab-indent outline file to OPML format. no need to do the file/open or file/import, followed by file/save as or file/export etc. maybe there is one, but haven't seen it yet.

jimspoon wrote:

it would be nice if there were a file conversion tool just to convert a
plain-text tab-indent outline file to OPML format. no need to do the
file/open or file/import, followed by file/save as or file/export etc.
maybe there is one, but haven't seen it yet.

Can pandoc do it?
http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/

jimspoon wrote:

So, it appears that Notecase Pro can do the job, but you have to change
the file extension first.

Yep, that's the way it's done. I should have mentioned this minor inconvenience. Notecase uses extensions to determine the type of file and how to import it.

Dr Andus wrote:

jimspoon wrote:
it would be nice if there were a file conversion tool just to convert a
>plain-text tab-indent outline file to OPML format. no need to do the
>file/open or file/import, followed by file/save as or file/export etc.
>maybe there is one, but haven't seen it yet.

Can pandoc do it?
http://johnmacfarlane.net/pandoc/

It might! But I did not succeed. I installed Pandoc and took a stab at a command to convert "test.txt" (my tab-indented outline) to "test.opml" - but I ended up with a 2-byte file. For now I don't want to take the time to try to figure out how to do it with Pandoc. Big user manual. Also huge executables - three .exe files, each of them at 23MB each. Wow!

jimspoon wrote:

It might! But I did not succeed. I installed Pandoc and took a stab at
a command to convert "test.txt" (my tab-indented outline) to "test.opml"
- but I ended up with a 2-byte file. For now I don't want to take the
time to try to figure out how to do it with Pandoc. Big user manual.
Also huge executables - three .exe files, each of them at 23MB each.
Wow!

Yes, I also found pandoc a bit daunting. But if you happen to have CT, it's fairly easy to simply right-click in a new outline, import the tab-indented text file, and then "save as" .opml, html, or .mm.

jimspoon wrote:

been experimenting with Infoqube ... it has an import option for OPML but none for a plain old tab-indented text outline.
jim

Hi Jim,

Just a quick note to inform you that v0.9.26PreRel13 is now available and includes Tab-indented importing. Select File > Import > Hierarchical Data. It auto-detects the following formats: OML, OPML, URp and Tab-indented.

HTH !

Pierre Paul Landry
IQ Designer
http://www.infoqube.biz/download

thanks Pierre! have downloaded the latest version. this is a useful feature.

jim