Thread: Need help translating a full paragraph of imperial measurements text to metric

Don't know about a "scan and convert all" program but an Excel spread sheet will do it. Just enter the imperial figures and it will convert To metric. You can have it round up or down or leave as is or show all three

You can also import the text to columns to save you on right clicking - Text to Columns in Excel - EASY Excel Tutorial
You'll need to find/replace first to decimate the fractions though.

Many thanks gents for the replies.


Been in IT for 37 years now.

I've learned to stay away from excel.

You'll spend 100 times more effort in excel.

Especially if you're trying to figure out someone elses work.
Especially trying to debug someone elses mistakes.

Converting this is way too complicated in excel.

Would be easier to convert each measurement using the app then search and replace like I usually do.

i.e. excel does not recognise 1/2 and 1/4 as a single character.
So won't convert to numeric.

And prefers 1/2 as 3 characters. etc.

Nor would excel recognise 123/4 as 12 3/4.

Using excel to convert perhaps 3 or 4 times more info might be faster.
But only if the data if more unique. i.e. not repetitive.

For this limited amount of conversion this would not be time well spent.

Hence, my request for a translator already built, tested and working.

thanks again

Excel DOES recognise 1/2, 4 3/4, etc.

I've just written one that you enter your imperial measurements in eg. 2 3/4 etc and it converts to metric then uprounds to the next whole number.

It set up with all the parameters you put in your original post re:

Quantity. Width. Thickness. Length. Total length. Wood type. Comments

LOL

Good one!

Post it here.
Or it didn't happen

The last 6 items on the third measurement is what I'd be checking.

We're running Office 365 on iMac here.

This is the original post before I started editing it:
2 ¾" x 4" x 76" poplar (upright)
2 ¾" x 4" x 14" poplar (top block)
8 ¾" x 4" x 9" poplar (spacer block)
2 ¾" x 4" x 6" poplar (bottom block)
5 ¾" x 6" x 32½" poplar (backsplash)
2 ¾" x 4" x 123⁄8" poplar (side splash)
2 ¾" x 4" x 153⁄8" poplar (side splash)
2 ¾" x 4" x 18" poplar (side splash)
2 ¾" x 4" x 21" poplar (side splash)
2 ¾" x 4" x 24" poplar (side splash)
1 ½" x 113⁄8" x 33¼" birch plywood (shelf bottom)
1 ½" x 143⁄8" x 33¼" birch plywood (shelf bottom)
1 ½" x 17" x 33¼" birch plywood (shelf bottom)
1 ½" x 20" x 33¼" birch plywood (shelf bottom)
1 ½" x 23" x 33¼" birch plywood (shelf bottom)
5 3⁄8" x ¾" x 32½" poplar (edging)

Here it is.

timber conversion.xlsx

Too Cool!

Ta

oops.
Thanks anyway.

I could write a program to do this but I'd need to get some income for my time. To get a free one you want to get a teacher to make it a class assignment.

Sent from my SM-G935F using Tapatalk

LOL

I'd write it myself if I wanted it that bad.
But I'm over the inherent complexity of IT and software development.

I could make a suggestion on a developers forum.
And they could publish it cross-platform.
And at the very least get their experience from it if it doesn't sell.


Still looking for a translator page to convert a paragraph of Imperial measurements to Metric.

So I guess you didn't like the idea if having to enter the data yourself in the spreadsheet

Even to have a translator translate a whole paragraph your going to have to write Something down at sometime

I believe you could scan a page into a PDF, then upload that into the spreadsheet and parse it and it will work BUt I would think it would be quicker to just type in the measurement.

As mentioned,
I'm over IT and Software Development.
Especially in Excel.
Especially trying to decipher and test someone else's' freeform work in Excel.

So pasting a paragraph into a web page text box and pressing translate with an immediate result would be my preference.

Still looking.

(Already built the current project from scratch using Sketchup.
Which I find to be a better way of confirming all my measurements and build methodology.)

When I saw your first post, I thought "this can be done in Excel" so I sat down and 15 minutes later I had what I posted. I can't see why you would need "to decipher it"; to test it just enter the data and it does what it does - turns imperial into metric and allows you to enter fractions of an inch. It's not pretty and it's basic.
Good luck with your search and thanks for " testing someone else's' free form work in Excel"

Yeah. Been there. Done that.

Where I would try and turn everything into an app.
But my more professional challenge was to build one where everyone could use the app without having to test by error.

To do that in excel is an incredible waste of time.

So won't be adding to that incredible waste of time testing someone else's Excel work.
Ever.

Hope we can put this to rest as I have other things I can use my time on to actually accomplish.

Still looking for a web site to translate a paragraph of imperial measurements to metric.

P.S.
As an after thought, just paste the single character ½ into the appropriate cell.

Originally Posted by barrysumpter

P.S.As an after thought, just paste the single character ½ into the appropriate cell.

and it gave me 1/2 in the "imperial cell", 12.7mm in "metric cell" and 13mm in "metric round up to next whole number cell"

Your point is??