Looking for a way to clean up the bloated Microsoft code what copying/pasting content from Word or Excel into a knowledge article

[jaspiranti]

We continue to struggle with the formatting when creating knowledge articles.  Whether using the import feature or copy/paste from Word, it's a real pain to work with.  Conflicts between any code ServiceNow is using and whatever Microsoft is bringing often creates such a mess that it's easier simply to rewrite the article from scratch.

I personally use Notepad++ for all my tweaking and cleanup efforts, then I copy/paste into SN with a pretty good degree of success.  This is not an option for our content owners/writers and I'm not comfortable with using some random online "text cleaner" (of which none of those are great either).

Would welcome ANY ideas, thoughts, or paths you may have taken to solve for this.

[Kim27]

I really struggled with HTML and I started to use one of the online HTML schools to try to learn it. I discovered they have a "try it" feature where you can create the HTML and see the result. I will often copy the HTML into the try it tool, clean it up, and then paste it back into the editor.  This is the one I use, but there are many out there. https://www.w3schools.com/html/html_lists.asp

I think the most valuable HTML tips are:

• Manually changing the numbering - you know when you are on step three and suddenly your numbering is back to 1. 
• Changing how the text wraps to allow the numbers to stand out by changing the style from "inside" to "outside":
  

[andrewfb]

I've been complaining to the ServiceNow account managers of all my clients since day 1 that this is rubbish and sets back expectations for the client on what they get with this "fantastic😠 feature" but it has been ignored - bottom line client gets sold "Hey you can import all your knowledge articles from word" - Sale done
Client expectation - Great
Client realisation - not great and too much rework
One of my current clients has 1,928 articles in their production instance (large Government organisation) and when they were sold "you can import...." and realised the headache of reformatting etc they were not happy so over the last 3 1/2 years they have been using my solution - basic article with Short description & Description with a url redirecting to source and manually creating them when they have time 

[linniesea]

Just curious Andrew. Where are you redirecting them to for them to see the entire article? An intranet site or?

[Kim27]

I undo all number/bullets in word prior to copy/paste into SN. It's so much easier that way. My process:

• Remove number or bullet formatting
• Copy text up to the first image
• Paste it into SN
• Number as needed
• Copy the text immediately after the image up to the next image
• Paste and validate the numbering is correct
• Find where the first image will go - shift+enter to add non-numbered empty spaces
• Copy or re-snag the image if it needs annotation or clean up
• Paste the image where it belongs
• Rinse...repeat...

We also use custom templates so I don't believe using the Word import is even possible. I guess that's a blessing in disguise? 

[Lauren Methena]

This is a problem, for sure. I've answered it sooooo many times in the community. LOL! I'm copying/pasting from another one I just answered (because it takes too much time to go find the other answers I've posted. But let me know if you have follow-up questions. Here are some other practical ways to clean up your copy and easily copy-paste into ServiceNow.

These work a little better than "clear format," because at least some of your formatting is retained. Saves a little bit of work.

The trick to working in Word first and then copy-pasting your work into ServiceNow is to not use any of the "styles" or pre-programmed formatting. Don't use the automatic double spacing. Don't use the "header 1," etc. Just normal text.

If you do this, then you can copy/paste content relatively cleanly into ServiceNow. (Without all the extra coding that mucks up editing later, such as font=10pt; calibri, etc.)

Your basic formatting, such as bold, italics, links, paragraphs all will translate over. (I can't remember if bullets do, too, but they might - or they do with very little clean-up after.) Tables transfer over, too. (Tables actually work better when you create them and format them in Word first and then copy it over into ServiceNow.)

Check out the template I created for our subject matter experts, so they would start with the "normal" Word doc and I could get their content into SNOW more easily.

Second trick - copy-paste your content in Word > alt click with your mouse (or CTRL-alt-click in newer versions) to bring up alternate menu > paste as plain text. 

You'll have to put some of your formatting back in, but it's still easier than creating in SNOW.

Hope this helps! Let me know if you have follow-up questions. 

P.S. Some of what you'll see in this doc is specific to our style guidelines, such as how to use subheads. We always did simpler subheads instead of heading 1, 2, etc. Just personal preference.