[DerekM]

I've been playing around with AppleScript and created this script that can copy a column to another OO document. I don't know if this would be of use to anyone as it has limits but here it is.

To use it, run it from the source document with a column highlighted. It will copy to the 2nd document you have open and you need to select a row in the destination document where you want to start the pasting. If a column with the same name as the one you've selected exists, it will paste into that one, otherwise a new one will be made.

The outline structure of the source data will be recreated if it doesn't exist in the destination. So you could actually copy a column to a blank document and make it the topic column.

[Armanini]

Thanks Derek, I find this script really useful: I put OO under some stress recently, creating gigantic OO files packed with dozens of columns (all of them indispensable!) only to find out too late that I also need to copy or export them singularly in order to share data with other applications. I wish this Copy Column function will be included in the next version of OO.
Stefano

[JohannesSchulte]

Hi Derek, I have just found your script to copy a column. But it does not work with my OO-documents. Can you help me to fix this problem? Please find enclosed a small test document. Such kind of columns I have to copy from one to an other OO-document.
Thank you for helping
Johannes

[DerekM]

It's failing due to the inherited styles you have applied to entries on those two columns. I'm not sure why off-hand but I didn't do anything to account for styles when I wrote the script so it's not too surprising. It's unlikely this is an easy fix so I'll have to get back to you later, sorry.

If you want to use the script now, you can either remove the styles from those entries, or remove the styles themselves then save and reopen the file.

[JohannesSchulte]

Hello Derek, I have to wait still you have found a solution. Removing the styles is not possible because the styles itself are the informations. (We use the styles like a traffic light: red: work not yet started; green: work done and approved.) After using OO for more than one year as project overviews in our development department merging of documents is now a big issue.
Regards Johannes

[DerekM]

So you need to actually merge files as in copying a column to another already existing file with data? If you just need to copy a non-topic column to the topic of a new file, it's possible to do that without a script by placing the column you want to copy to be the first one on the left in the document. I'll explain this better if this is a possible solution.

[DerekM]

Sorry for taking so long to get back to you. The problem is due to named styles being applied directly to the text in those cells. OO's AppleScript isn't able to handle this when you're going between different files and I'm not sure why off-hand. I also haven't been able to find a way to make it work. If I find something I'll update the script but it's not looking likely.

[JohannesSchulte]

Hello Derek,

I understand you answer dated 2009-01-22 in that way, that there is at the moment no way to copy a column with named styles from one document to an other document by Applescript.

Originally Posted by DerekM

So you need to actually merge files as in copying a column to another already existing file with data? If you just need to copy a non-topic column to the topic of a new file, it's possible to do that without a script by placing the column you want to copy to be the first one on the left in the document. I'll explain this better if this is a possible solution.

No, the topic columns have in every document always the same content. The content of the topic column describes the "things to do" within a product development. And this things are always the same because it is a kind of check-list (If you plan to develop a new software product I am sure there are a lot of thinks you have to do in every development like quality test, documentation, etc.) Every non-topic column stays for one product we have to develop within a product family. And the contents of non-topic column describes the state of the development for this product.

And now one product shall move from one product family = one OO-document to a new product family = new OO-document.

Does this explanation help to understand my problem better? Do you see any chance to find a solution?
Regards Johannes

[DerekM]

I don't believe it will be possible to write a script to do what you want with the current version of OmniOutliner. The problem isn't named styles exactly, it's named styles applied to individual text. If those named styles were applied to the row, it wouldn't have this problem. However that doesn't help you at all.