I've got a PPT file that I'd like to convert to an RTF file. However,
everytime I do so, I get an incomplete file! Has anybody seen this behavior
in PPT before? Here is how I encountered this problem:

1. Create a PPT file with 3 text objects - all overlapping to some degree
(think of a Venn diagram with 3 overlapping circles.)
2. Select File, Save As and then choose the RTF format. Name the file
something distinct, e.g. Missing_Text.rtf
3. Now open the file Missing_Text.rtf in MS Word.
4. Examine the word document for the content of all 3 text objects.

I have repeated this quirk in both PowerPoint 2003 and 2008. I suspect that
the output routine is somehow getting confused by the fact that the text
objects overlap. However, all of the content should be in the resulting RTF
file. Anyone found a solution to this circumstance? I really need a complete
RTF file.

--
Bradley Roberts
Bradley@Robert.net

In article <D8E22156-6C69-43F8-BA81-2F9F9C12589C@microsoft.com>, BE55Roberts
wrote:
> I've got a PPT file that I'd like to convert to an RTF file. However,
> everytime I do so, I get an incomplete file! Has anybody seen this behavior
> in PPT before? Here is how I encountered this problem:
>
> 1. Create a PPT file with 3 text objects - all overlapping to some degree
> (think of a Venn diagram with 3 overlapping circles.)
> 2. Select File, Save As and then choose the RTF format. Name the file
> something distinct, e.g. Missing_Text.rtf
> 3. Now open the file Missing_Text.rtf in MS Word.
> 4. Examine the word document for the content of all 3 text objects.
>
> I have repeated this quirk in both PowerPoint 2003 and 2008. I suspect that
> the output routine is somehow getting confused by the fact that the text
> objects overlap. However, all of the content should be in the resulting RTF
> file. Anyone found a solution to this circumstance? I really need a complete
> RTF file.

As far as I know, PPT won't make and has never made complete RTF files.
If you look at the option in the Save As dialog box, it says "Outline/RTF"
which hints at what the feature's supposed to do: give you the text from PPT's
outline view in RTF format.

I suspect it's nothing to do with whether or not the shapes overlap.

If you get some of the text in the RTF it's because it's in a text placeholder
(ie, Title, Body, Subtitle "click here" box). Text in shapes you've drawn on
the slide won't be exported to RTF though.

That's my theory but I can be unstuck from it if you can explain how to make
RTFs that include more than just placeholder text. <g>

If you just need to get all of the text from a PPT file, there's some handy VBA
code to do the job here:

Export Text to a text file, extract text from PowerPoint (Mac or PC)
http://www.pptfaq.com/FAQ00274.htm

-----------------------------------------
Steve Rindsberg, PPT MVP
PPT FAQ: www.pptfaq.com
PPTools: www.pptools.com
================================================