OmniDocHow to make an existing form into an online form: conversion steps
Organize existing tables (Excel files, PDF tables, or copied data) into tables that can be viewed and shared online. Explain the complete method of first judging the format, then converting, and finally checking, and explain which links require manual inspection.
Key points of this article
- First determine whether the table in hand is an Excel file, a table in PDF, or copied text. The conversion paths of the three are different.
- For .xlsx files that can be opened directly, keep the original and save a copy before converting or editing. You can roll back when an error occurs.
- The table in the PDF must first be confirmed to be a text version, and the numbers must be checked cell by cell after the scanned document is converted.
- Merged cells, formulas, drop-down options and multiple worksheets are easily lost during conversion and should be checked separately.
- After the conversion is completed, compare the row number, total value and key figures of the original table to confirm that it is correct before sharing it with others.
Many people already have a spreadsheet in their hands: it may be an Excel quotation accumulated over the years, it may be data copied from a PDF report, or it may just be a piece of content pasted from a web page. What I want at this time is not to create a new table from scratch, but to turn the existing table into a version that can be opened online and colleagues can view or collaborate.
This type of task is different from creating a new online table. The difficulty lies in the fact that the format of the original table is often irregular: there are merged cells, hidden formulas, and data scattered in multiple worksheets. When uploading or copying directly, numbers may be misaligned, headers may be lost, or formulas may become static values. After reading this article, you can first determine which situation your table belongs to, then convert it step by step, and confirm the result with fixed check items.
How to make an existing form into an online form? One sentence conclusion
The conversion method depends on the format of the original table. The table below can help you locate it quickly.
| your situation | Recommended practices | reason |
|---|---|---|
| I have Excel files such as .xlsx on hand | Keep the original, save a copy, open and organize it in OmniDoc, and then share the copy | The Excel file has a complete structure and the original is retained for easy rollback and comparison. |
| The table is embedded in the PDF and text can be selected | Process it in a PDF editor and export it to Excel if necessary and then organize it. | Text version PDF can export structure to reduce manual rearrangement |
| The form is a scanned copy or picture | First use OCR to identify, then check the numbers one by one, and then organize them into tables | The scanned document has no usable cell structure, and recognition errors require manual correction. |
| Just a copied text or web form | First paste it into a new table, separate it with columns, and then check the table header and alignment. | Pasting data does not have the original format and requires manual establishment of the row and column structure. |
| The form needs to be modified by someone else, but there are confidential contents | Remove or replace sensitive fields before deciding how to share them | Sharing online will expand the scope of visibility, so you need to think clearly about permissions first. |
Before you start: Confirm these points first
First confirm if the original file is available for the form. If the original is still available, do not replace it with a screenshot or copy. Structural information and formulas only exist in the original file. Re-extraction from PDF or web pages is only considered when the original cannot be found.
Confirm whether there are merged cells, formulas and multiple worksheets in the table. These three types of content are prone to problems during conversion. Merged cells may be misaligned after conversion, formulas may become calculation results, and only the first one of multiple worksheets may be retained. List them in advance so you can check them later.
Confirm whether the PDF is a text version. Use the mouse to drag a number in the table in the PDF. If it can be selected and copied, it means it is a text version; if it cannot be selected, it is usually a scan or picture, and OCR needs to be done first, and the recognition error must be manually checked.
Determine the scope of sharing. If there is personal information, customer list or internal costs in the form, it should be desensitized first before deciding who to show it to and whether it can be edited. Access permissions for online forms should be set up before sharing, not remedied afterward.
Prepare a clean copy. Save a copy next to the original file and make all changes on the copy. This way, even if the conversion result is not satisfactory, you can start over from the original.
Steps to organize existing tables into online versions in OmniDoc
The following steps use tables in Excel files and PDFs as examples. If your table is copied data, you can skip the first two steps and start directly with the new table.
- keep another copy. Open the original .xlsx file, save it as a new file name, and then change only the copy, leaving the original unchanged.
- Open the copy in OmniDoc. use the OmniDoc desktop client or web version to open the Excel file and make sure you can see all worksheets and data ranges. If there are more worksheets, click on them one by one.
- handles merging cells. find the merged cells in the header row and grouping row. If they are only used for beauty, you can keep them; if they affect sorting and filtering, it is recommended to fill in the content manually after splitting.
- check the formula. for formulas such as totals and proportions, confirm whether the calculation results are correct one by one. If you need to retain the calculation logic, make sure that the formula still exists in the online version; if you only need the result, you can replace it with a numerical value, but indicate it in the table description.
- if the form is in PDF, export it first and then organize it. after confirming that the table text can be selected in the PDF editor, export to Excel format, and then go back to step 2 to process the exported file. The scanned parts are first identified by OCR and then exported.
- if bilingualism or translation is required, handle the copy separately. if there are foreign language fields in the form, you can upload the Excel file in omnidoc.top, select bilingual control or translation only, and download the result and then compare it with the original table. The translation results need to be checked manually.
- set the header and description. write clearly the table name, data date and unit in the first line to prevent others from not knowing the caliber of the number after opening it.
- generate an online version and set permissions. generate a link based on the online platform or OmniDoc sharing method you use, set it to read-only or visible only to the specified person, and then open editing after confirmation.
# check item by item after completion
Conversion is only the first step, and at least one round of checks should be done before sharing. The following check items can be performed directly.
| Check item | What do you think? | What if there's a problem? |
|---|---|---|
| Number of rows and columns | Compare the number of rows and columns of the original table, especially the last few rows | When missing, go back to the original and find the breakpoint, re-export or copy the corresponding area. |
| Key number | More than 10 numbers are randomly selected and compared with the original table one by one. | Check the decimal, thousand and text numbers when the numbers are inconsistent, and then check the total after correction |
| Totals and formulas | Calculate a total value manually and compare it with the results in the table | If the formula is lost, make up the formula, or indicate it as a static value in the description. |
| Header and alignment | Check whether the header is in the first row and whether the columns are misplaced. | Most of the dislocations come from merged cells, which are split and re-filled in. |
| Worksheet | Verify that all worksheets exist and have the correct name | When missing, go back to the original and export or copy one by one. |
| Authority | Open a link with an unlogged-in browser or other account | When you see something you shouldn't see, immediately tighten your permissions and change the link |
If it is the result of scanning or OCR, it will take a little more time to check. OCR recognition may identify 0 as O and 1 as l, with emphasis on checking the amount and number. The important part of machine translation or recognition must be confirmed manually.
# frequently asked questions (FAQ)
1. The form is a picture, can you directly convert it to an online form?
The picture does not have a cell structure, so you need to do OCR identification first, and then organize it into a row. The identified content must be checked against the original picture one by one, especially the number and amount.
2. Will the formula be lost after conversion?
It's possible. If the formula becomes a fixed value after conversion, you need to rewrite the formula back in the copy, or indicate what the calculation results are in the table description. Check the total value calculated by hand before sharing.
3. There is sensitive information in the form, how can it be safe to share it?
Delete or replace personal information, customer name, and internal costs before generating links. The link permission is set to read-only, sent only to those who need it, and close or change the link in time when it is not needed.
4. Can I edit it offline?
You can edit the copy in the desktop client, confirm it, and then upload or generate an online version. Save the version when editing offline to avoid content overwriting caused by multiple people modifying the same file at the same time.
5. The format is messy after conversion, how to fix it quickly?
First find out which format went wrong: whether to merge cells, fonts, column widths, or numeric formats. Category-by-category repair is faster than overall rearrangement, and then check it with the checklist above.
# Summary
To make an existing form into an online table, the key is to first judge the original format, then retain the original, convert it on the copy, and finally check it with the number of rows, key numbers and permissions. Only in this way can others rest assured that the converted online form can be used.
