Is anyone in the Yahoo MasterCook CL recipe formatting group?

[Gracie]

I signed up for the Yahoo group that formats CL recipes for MasterCook. I'm quite computer-literate, a very fast typist and very willing to input my assignment recipes to share with the group.

I do feel a little overwhelmed though as I received a few different emails with what seems to be daunting instructions on how to do it. What's helping me feel that way is that I just got MasterCook last week and I still have yet to feel very comfortable with it.

Can anyone who's part of the group give me any reassurances that participating in the group isn't as overwhelming as it looks? And can anyone "boil down" those massive instructions I received?

Thanks!

Loren

[CHRIST1NE]

Grace,

I joined the group in December. I assume you are in the one moderated by Jamie. And yes, I know exactly what you mean about all the complicated "directions". I actually almost quit after reading all that. It's actually not as hard as it sounds. I looked at quite a few other posted recipes and saw how they looked and basically just went with that. And, if you notice from the posting subject lines alone - not everyone follows the directions.

It's not too bad because you only have to do 4-5 recipes per month. And it has been a real time saver to get the recipes I need from there as I go along.

Give it a month or two and then decide.

Welcome aboard!
Christine

[cher48603]

I also signed up in the past week and felt the same way when I received the instructions. I'm sure it'll just take time (and possibly trial and error) but I know we'll figure it out!
Cheryl

[nancy_east]

Hopefully I will be receiving Mastercook (it's on backorder where I ordered it from--where did those of you who recently got it, get it?!) Anyway, I'd love to join this group to share recipes--does anyone know the address or is it more of an invitation only kind of thing? TIA!

[Ralph]

Thanks for bringing this up again, Loren! I will respond to that initial e-mail I got and feel a little more comfortable that I've got some friends on-board with me. As long as I can opt out if it's not quite what I'm looking for....

And, Nancy, here's the post from last week about where some of us had been able to find it: http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20288

[ElinorC]

Ralph,
I couldn't find any mention of the ebay program on your url. Is there another one? I might be interested in participating. TIA

[Ralph]

Originally posted by ElinorC
Ralph,
I couldn't find any mention of the ebay program on your url. Is there another one? I might be interested in participating. TIA

I didn't mention anything about eBay. I think you misunderstood my last post, and I might not have been entirely clear. The above link (http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/sho...&threadid=20288) is for the thread on where to get MasterCook.
I searched and found the prior thread about this Yahoo group: http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=19916&highlight=yahoo
The direct link to the group is: http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mc-cookinglight

Hope this clarifies things.

[Molli526]

I just signed up to join.

If we get enough of us, we'll only have to type 1-2 a month!

If this doesn't pan out, I am sure we could start our own group here :D

[dmcgreevey]

Glad to see it wasn't just me....I too almost quit after looking at the instructions, but when the recipes started coming in, I thought it was pretty cool. I refuse to pay $7 per month for recipes I already pay for through the print subscription.

I guess we'll have to wait and see how hard it is when we get the March issue.

[leightx]

I signed up too! I was actually thinking about letting my subscription run out, and just purchasing the cookpacs, but I think this will be better. And I can pitch the magazines (gasp!) after I put all the recipes in MC.

leightx

[ElinorC]

Thanks Ralph,
I signed up for the group. Hopeit works out!

[JKS]

I had been delaying replying to Jamie's message. But it sounds like it is worth a try. Depending on how many recipes we have to type in, seems like it could be worth it. Crossing my fingers!

[nancy_east]

Thanks for the info, Ralph ! I am on my way to join the yahoo group as well. And this weekend my husband and I are driving to Knoxville, TN for a 1/2 marathon, and lucky me, they have CompUSA store there that has MC Cooking Light in stock!

[Mamasue]

Hmmm....this is interesting. What are the rules? Just need to know more before I sign up. :D

nancy_east....I love your avatar. Do you remember where you got it? :)

[BethR]

I tend to think of myself as fairly computer-literate, but I seem to be having a problem. I tried to join this group but I've heard nothing from anyone. I think I did something wrong. I'll try again, but are there any sharp cookies out there who might know where I've messed up? Is there an extremely common mistake that I've probably made? THANKS!
Beth

Nevermind! I just tried again and got an email right away! Must have gotten it right this time.

[navandoren]

i just signed up as well! i agree with not wanting to pay another $7 a month when i already pay for a subscription. hopefully enough people will join that we can cut down the numbers we have to do each month.

[nancy_east]

Mamasue, I can't remember where I got my avatar! I know it was one of the sites that I heard about here--sorry! I love it too because I love living in a region of the country that has 4 distinct seasons.

I tried to join the yahoo group last night and I haven't heard back from anyone--but it's only been about 12 hours or so! Do you have to e-mail someone directly, or do you just click the link "Join this Group?"

[BethR]

Originally posted by nancy_east
I tried to join the yahoo group last night and I haven't heard back from anyone--but it's only been about 12 hours or so! Do you have to e-mail someone directly, or do you just click the link "Join this Group?"

What worked for me on the second try was to follow the link above to the group. When I clicked on Join this Group it prompted me to sign into Yahoo (I already had a Yahoo ID). After I signed in, I clicked on Join this Group again, filled out the little form, and clicked the Join Group (or something similar) button at the bottom of the page. I got an email within minutes. Good luck!

[lengels]

I just signed up as well and like most others I felt a little overwhelmed when I received the emails with the instructions. But true to my character I did not read them all and figured I would just wing it. I will read about how it is to be formatted. With all of these people just joining we should be able to get this down together.

[Mamasue]

I just joined too! :D

[Molli526]

ok, I got all those daunting instructions. Can't I just input it into my Mastercook, then copy and paste it there? It would be muc easier.

Let me know what you think.

Thanks!

[AzAnne]

I've signed up too!


I agree with Molli.."If this doesn't pan out, I am sure we could start our own group here "


Anne

[madpots]

I signed up and received the email requesting more information to see if I 'qualify'! Haven't received the awesome instructions yet. I used my regular email address - but one time I joined one of thos lists and I got so many emails...everybody wanting to be taken off the list. Does anyone know if I can get a yahoo address?

[leightx]

I have a yahoo address, and that is the one that I use for registering for absolutely everything online. Only close personal friends and family get my "real" email. The yahoo address is free, but you get a TON of junk mail (everything from porn to debt consolidation, to "university diplomas" :rolleyes: ). I probably get 15 junk emails a day, plus all the newsletters from sites I have registered at (like this one) or bought stuff from.

About the groups, I always check the "no email" option when I register - you can read all the messages on the website after you are approved. I may change that with this group, however, since it looks like it may actually be easier to import recipes directly from the email. We'll see...

Hope that helps!
Leightx

[madpots]

That does help. If I am accepted I will go with a yahoo address. I get enough junk mail as it is. I don't know how to stop it. I always unsubscribe, but I read somewhere if you do that it just encourages others.

[Mamasue]

Well I also answered the questions and still haven't received the instructions. I am still pending membership! Oh, well. :)

madpots......I follow the same procedure that leightx does.

[ElinorC]

MamaSue,
My membership is still pending also! Have we done something wrong or are we just persona non grata??
:confused: :confused: :confused:

[CHRIST1NE]

Be patient :) Keep in mind that it's just one girl managing the group and she is completely overwhelmed at the moment trying to keep up with all the potential new members. She commented to me that she has gotten in the past few days more inquiries than she usually gets in a month.

[Mamasue]

Originally posted by ElinorC
MamaSue,
My membership is still pending also! Have we done something wrong or are we just persona non grata??
:confused: :confused: :confused:

LOL!! :D :D Its seems the older we get the more impatient and aggressive we get! :D

[Ralph]

Originally posted by CHRIST1NE
She commented to me that she has gotten in the past few days more inquiries than she usually gets in a month.

Isn't our board great!? Little does she know what she's getting herself into! I'm a little surprised, though, that she's not a member here. And no one else on this board, besides Christine, has spoken up as being a member. I did notice in the instructions that "luv2cook" is mentioned, though....

[maccmedia]

I ( and a few others in my supper club) joined this same group last year but dropped it after a few months. I am an experienced Mastercook user and wanted to get all of the issues recipes in this format. I found it a pain in the neck that lots of the recipes were posted in various formats and I had to open and close so many threads to find the recipes. They also post alot of back recipes which you may or may not want. I had hoped it would work out better. Maybe I should have stuck with the e-mail option and it would have been easier. It's pretty simple to copy any recipe posted here into mastercook.

[d_ferrero]

I've been with the MC Formatting group for over two years now, and once you get the hang of it, it's great. The rules sound ominous, but she's doing that so that (a) everyone's recipes have the same "look and feel" and (b) those with older (or macintosh) version of MC can still import without errors.

And if you've subscribed and not heard back, know that Jamie seems to spend a lot of her time on the road... she's sometimes hard to reach.

If anyone has questions, feel free to send me email.

-Dolores

[LynnSC]

I think I signed up for the group. :) I filled out a couple of questions and it said membership pending so I guess that is it. After reading this thread, I did sign up for a yahoo email address. I get enough junk mail already, also. I hope this works out, it would be nice to find a quicker way to get the recipes into Mastercook!

[Gracie]

I'm starting to get tons of emails as people are "completing their assignments" and sending them out to the group. I'd like to set up some email rules to send them right into a separate folder in Outlook Express rather than my Inbox.

Does anyone know how to do that?

Or... would it be better to go the "no email" route and just pick them off the group site? What do you all who are more experienced with this think is best?

I guess then we can just pick and choose of the formatted recipes which we want to import into MC and which we delete.

Loren

[dmcgreevey]

Loren...I was thinking the same thing myself. Too many emails, not email time to get them into MC!

I'd love tips as well. It's kind of cool to get them without too much typing, though!

[Ralph]

I think that the purpose of having the e-mails is that the recipes are already formatted for MasterCook - you just have to directly import them to your MC cookbook(s). Taking them off the web-site, as you suggest Loren, would require using the Import Assistant which entails a lot more work (I think). But here lies my problem: I haven't figured out how to import from those emails! I e-mailed Jamie to help, but haven't yet heard back; anyone here with suggestions?

As for the number of e-mails, you can change this setting at the main page of the group. Click on "Edit My Membership" (about halfway down on the right side of the page). Then under "Message Delivery," you can change your preferences - mine's set at Daily Digest (I only get one e-mail a day).

[Gracie]

Oh Ralph - I haven't tried to import yet from the emails. Now you're scaring me! :) Can you successfully import from other sources like this BB?

When you chose Daily Digest and only get 1 email a day, does that mean you literally only get 1 or do you get everyone's "assignments" only once a day all at the same time?

For example, let's say I did my assigments and sent them out so you'd get 5 emails from me in the morning and "Jane Doe" did her assignment so you'd get 5 emails from her in the afternoon.

Would you only get 1 email out of the 10 with the Daily Digest setting or would you get all 10 at one time, lets say, late at night?

I hope I'm explaining my question clearly!!

Loren

[dmcgreevey]

Can anyone explain how to import without using the import assistant? I have no clue and it sounds like it saves time.

Do you have to save each email as a text file?

[Ralph]

You can import from most anywhere, including this BB. It's explained, though not too well, in Chapter 11 of the User Manual. For recipes from here, you will have to use the Import Assistant, which I still haven't perfected either! It will require some tweaking after you put in the recipes; you just don't need to type out every word of every recipe - it allows cutting & pasting instead. If recipes are "formatted" a certain way (such as .mxp, MC's label), you shouldn't need to do much to it other than import, which is, as I mentioned, the benefit of the Yahoo group.

As for the daily digest, I do get every recipe posted in just one message. For instance, the e-mail I got yesterday was "Digest Number 583," and contained 5 recipes. To use your example, I get one e-mail with all 10 recipes. I just can't figure out how to import them!

[Ralph]

Originally posted by dmcgreevey
Can anyone explain how to import without using the import assistant? I have no clue and it sounds like it saves time.

Do you have to save each email as a text file?

DMC, YOU'RE BRILLIANT!!!!!!!!!!!

Something struck me curious about your text file comment, so I tried it. IT WORKED!

Here's what you do:

1. Open the e-mail(s) with the recipe(s). I'm using Outlook Express, but I think these instructions are easily adaptable to other programs.

2. Click on File/Save As. A "Save Message As" window opens. Take note of where the file is going (the Save In box; I use "My Documents") & the name of the file (the File Name box). Click OK.

3. Then go to MC & click Import. In the upper-left pane of that window (the Directory List) find the aforementioned folder that you made note of from the "Save In" box. Click on that folder, and in the right pane (the File List) should be the name of the file you saved in step 2. Click on that.

4. In the "Results" pane should be recipes. Click "Select All," then "Import" and you're done!

[dmcgreevey]

Ok, I use Yahoo for these emails and there is no "save as" feature. I guess I can change it to my work or other email system no problem as an alternative. Any other ideas?

Also, did you save it as a .txt file? And, since you get all your recipes in one email per day, when you import does it do them all at the same time? This seems like it would also save time.

Thanks!

[leightx]

I'm not sure about how to import individual emails, but I did just go to the files and import 52 recipes all at once! Yea me!!! I went to the website ( http://groups.yahoo.com/group/MC-CookingLight/files/Recipes/ ) where they keep the recipes all "bundled" together (I guess), double clicked on the '99 ones, and downloaded them. When I unzipped them, they installed themselves in MC (after prompting me to name a new cookbook for them, or put them in an old one). It was amazingly simple!

Still haven't figured out how to do the current ones though.

Leightx

[Molli526]

I have AOL and just tried saving the messages to a folder etc. It won't work for me. I guess I will have to use the import assistant for everything.

[dmcgreevey]

Molli- try "open" rather than save. I tried save first and it didn't work, but then it worked in a self-executing style when you "open."

But, this still leaves the current recipes.....

[BethR]

I was in this group and just unsubscribed because I got so very frustrated with trying to import from the emails I was getting (as many as possible at once, i.e. without using the Import Assistant). One method would work for some emails/recipes but not others! MC kept crashing on me, and once deleted a cookbook I'd been working in. Jamie was out of town, so I got an email from her about it after I had already unsubscribed. She felt that my problem was Outlook Express, which she said tends to throw in extra characters that can wreak havoc with imports. Just a heads up for people in this group who use OE!

[d_ferrero]

Just thought I'd let you know it is possible to import recipes from this board without using the import assistant. Take any recipe that begings ***MasterCook formatted**** and highlight & copy the text. Open a text (notepad, wordpad) window and paste it there. Save it to your hard drive. Presto... a file importable without using the "assistant" (which I NEVER got the hang of).

Hope that helps someone.

-Dolores

[leightx]

Yea! I did it!!! Thanks Dolores!

Here's what I did:

1. Subscibed to the daily digest (with my yahoo account).
2. Opened up email with recipes, hit "Ctrl A" to highlight the whole thing. Hit "Ctrl C" to copy.
3. Opened up notepad (this is under start - programs - accessories - notepad).
4. Hit "Ctrl V" to paste. Entire digest email shows up in notepad.
5. Went to File - Save As. Made a new folder in My Documents (I called mine Yahoo MC). Saved the text file as "Feb13".
6. Opened up MC.
7. Opened up my Yahoo MC cookbook (I created a new one).
8. Pushed the import button - not import assistant.
9. In the top boxes, found my Feb13 text document. You'll have to navigate you hard drive a bit - so remember where you put it! All mine go under WinC: My Documents and then whatever specific folder I've made.
10. Clicked on the document, and lo and behold! All 4 recipes from the digest magically appeared in the "results" box!!! Hit "Select All" then "Import". All 4 recipes go into your cookbook!!! Yipee!

It really is a lot easier than it sounds. But if you're running a fairly new PC (windows 2000) and have MC 6.0, this should work!

I'm so proud of me! :D
Thanks for all y'all's (is that a word??? Even for Texans??) help!

Leightx

[Gracie]

This is sounding better and better! The support and expertise on this BB is amazing. Thank you everyone!

Now I'm going to change my email preference to Ralph's Daily Digest and give it a go!

Loren

[Molli526]

Originally posted by leightx
Yea! I did it!!! I'm so proud of me! :D


Leigh-

I am so proud of you!!! THANK YOU!!!!

I got mine to work. Easy, easy!


YAY!!!!

[Mamasue]

I changed my email access from no email to receiving email so these instructions will come in handy when the emails start coming in. Thank you so much leightx! :) Does anyone know when we start getting assignments?

Oh, I also wonder how we will know each other because my name will be different at Yahoo/MC Cooking Light. I will be named as mamaslm_50 which is my yahoo address. Anyone else??? :)

[Ralph]

Originally posted by Mamasue
Does anyone know when we start getting assignments?

If I remember correctly, Jamie said she sends them out just after the first of each month, which should give most of us a chance to peruse the new issue. And as of this morning, there are 65 members to the group, so shouldn't need to type up more than 1 or 2 recipes! WOOHOO!

[Mamasue]

Thanks Ralph! :) Will you also be known as Ralph at the Yahoo group? :)

[Ralph]

Originally posted by Mamasue
Thanks Ralph! :) Will you also be known as Ralph at the Yahoo group? :)

No. Because my memory doesn't work real good at times, I keep most all my logins at private sites the same: ralphandleslie.

[Gracie]

I'm not sure what I'll be known as!!! :D My Yahoo ID is gracieandamber (my 2 cats' names - all one word) but I don't have a Yahoo email address.

I would think that you all would receive them from me via my email address which is graciecatt@earthlink.net so I may show up that way.

I agree with Mamasue - can everyone let us know your user names so we'll know it's you??

Loren

[Mamasue]

Okay....when I see your email then I will know you as our good buddy from Cooking Light as Ralph! :D

Happy Valentines Day to you and your sweethearts! :D

http://www.e-cards.com/area/valentines/beating-heart.gif

[Molli526]

I am the same here and there

Molli526

[dmcgreevey]

Thanks Leightx!!!! So simple.

I changed my email to daily digest like Ralph suggested. But has anyone figured out how to go back without going into each individual email? It's still faster than import assistant, but just checking!

My yahoo ID is: dawn_mcgreevey

I am really looking forward to this cutting down on inputting of recipes. I love MC!!!

[Ralph]

Originally posted by dmcgreevey
But has anyone figured out how to go back without going into each individual email? It's still faster than import assistant, but just checking!

I think what you're asking is how to access previous postings/messages without going into each one individually. I don't think you can! You have to go one at a time.

I just went thru about 4 or 5 pages of archives there to get the Jan/Feb, 2002, recipes. To make it a little easier, I opened up each in a new window (right click the link, then click "Open In New Window"). I then copied and pasted each recipe into one NotePad document (you can just as easily use WordPad, Word, etc.) & saved it in "My Documents" folder. MC recognized all of the recipes with no need for the Import Assistant.

[CHRIST1NE]

You'll see me as Richard_Christine2001@yahoo.com

Also, I have found it much easier to post my recipes from the POST option under messages on the left hand side. I was having problems with the word wrap when simply sending e-mails attempting to post. _ does that make sense? Anyway, the POST way gives you a box at the bottom to "wrap or unwrap" text lines. If I'm not mistaken (I'm at work trying to remember this) we are supposed to unwrap text lines.

Glad to have all of you aboard! Also, thanks for all the tips on importing... I have abviously been doing it that hard way by copy/paste into them Import Assistant etc.

I'll have to try the new & improved way as soon as I get home.

Christine

[cher48603]

:D I'm really excited to see all the suggestions about importing. Thanks!! I've gotten pretty good using the import assistant but haven't done much with importing.
My user name at Yahoo is the same as here: Cher48603. Using the same name doesn't tax my memory too much.:confused:

[dmcgreevey]

Thanks, Ralph, that's what I figured I might need to do, but figure it's worth because from here on out between the group we seem to have figured out a good system.

Thanks for bearing with all my questions.

[Molli526]

Now if we only had the March issue to really put this to good use!

[JKS]

Thanks to all of you for all your helpful posts on importing. I have spent the last hour importing recipes from 2000 from the old posts. I'm finding that I can copy several recipe from the posts to a single Wordpad document, but to get them to import properly, I've had to follow Jamie's detailed suggestion about the @@@@@, then having only one blank line between the title and the ingredients. Therefore, I have to go thru and edit each recipe so that the

Recipe By :Jeanne Thiel Kelley, Cooking Light, March 2000
Serving Size : 4 Preparation Time :0:00
Categories : Salads

Amount Measure Ingredient -- Preparation Method
-------- ------------ --------------------------------

part that Mastercook inserts when you export is removed. Otherwise, the recipes import wrong. But I was able to import 21 recipes from 2000 in an hour, including the time it took to figure out the editing issues. Not too bad. Any ideas on how to make it so that I don't have to edit each one? That would speed things up significantly! But this little project is helping me wait for the March issue.....I'm rediscovering old forgotten favorites!

I also noticed that several of the old recipes seem to have been eaten by Yahoo and replaced by Yahoo secret camera or singles group advertisments. What does that mean?

[Gracie]

I'll be starting from scratch since I just bought Mastercook. If the CL recipes in there stop mid way through 1998 I have a lot of archives to go through to get up to 2002, never mind the hundreds of recipes I've cut and pasted into Word documents from this board. I'll probably put them all in just to have them, unless I can identify definitely that they're not for me (i.e. they have tofu in them!) :D I'm one of these "all-or-nothing" people... :rolleyes:

Thank goodness I changed to the Daily Digest - I had 32 emails just yesterday alone!

Loren

[Molli526]

The digest was a little scary today- did you see how many recipes were not done! I hope now that there are a lot more of us, maybe they will all get done, in a timely fashion.

[Karenf]

After having a little trouble with the YahooGroups I got signed up and 'accepted' last week. I was then bombarded with several format and instructional e-mails which I read. Nothing to be overwhelmed about. You agree to do an 'assignment' every month which is inputting several recipes from the current issue or from past Annuals, etc. If you have a conflict and can't get them done that month you let JAMIE know which is understandable.

If you have Cooking Light magazine, Annuals, etc and you have Mastercook and know how to use it, it's very simple. You just input the recipes that you're assigned and then "export"/e-mail them to the ONELIST address and everyone on the list ends up with a copy to "import" into your own Mastercook cookbook.

Jamie has specific Categories to use (understandable) and asks each of us to follow certain formats - don't abbreviate if possible, not too hard.

Try it, I think this will be a good thing. I've been a Cooking Light subscriber for over 10 years and have the Annuals since 1997. I will NOT pay $7/month for the recipes and since we don't have access to all of the recipes online (like Epicurious) I think this is a great way to add all or just the ones we want to use to our collections.

[pattiarl]

I, too, joined the group and have printed out the instructions which although lenghty seemed to be easy and make a lot of sense.

I got MC for Christmas and are having problems importing - having tried exporting yet but I wanted to help out with the Nov and Dec lists that Jamie posted over the weekend.

Leigh, I printed your directions and they seemd to make sennse. Basically you save the e-mail into a Word file and then move it into MC. But when I find the document and push import (step 8) it says that the document is not found. Does this make sense?
I tried import assistant and that sometimes would work buy only line at a time. It would be quicker to type it in. I am technologically challenged so any guidance is greatly appreciated.

[Mamasue]

I just received an email from Jamie concerning the survey from Yahoo Groups about charging to be a member. I filled out the survey but will most likely not continue if it comes to charging us a monthly fee. :( Is the world wide web going to eventually come to this? I hope not!

[ElinorC]

pattiarl,
I too had difficulty finding out how to import but finally realized that when the recipe is in Wordpad, you have to save it as a text file. File/Save As then choose text document from the list. When it says "this will remove all formats" say yes. Then MC will import it.

I signed up to join the group a long time ago but have never received any Email from them. What's the deal? Shall I try again?

[Mamasue]

ElinorC....If its been a couple of weeks since you signed up then I would try it again. You should have at least heard from Jamie (administrator) by now. :)

[Karenf]

To import/export works real slick. To import, have Mastercook open, you copy the recipe from your e-mail including the part that says something about mastercook. In Mastercook, right click on the import/export icon on the right and you will get the import assistant. Click again and then you will get a drop down and you want to paste. After you paste you click again on select all (this only works on the ones that have been formatted for/by Mastercook) then you click on the Auto Fill icon on the top right and presto you have now imported the recipe.

To export, have the recipe in Mastercook showing on your screen, you left click on the same icon and it comes up as an e-mail template. Fill in the information and hit send. Your e-mail comes up and you hit send and it's exported. I e-mailed myself at first just to make sure it's working.

If the recipe is not in Mastercook format - you got it from Epicurious, you MOVE TO RECIPE section by section. Title, Ingredients, etc.

[lhall]

Ok, I'm not in this group, sounds interesting, but no time.

I belong to two other yahoogroups listservs, and a friend just posted that Yahoo is doing a survey to see if they can charge to offer "premium" services.

Here's the link I was given for the survey, I haven't been able to open it, very slow.
http://promo2.yahoo.com/sbin/Groups/survey.cgi

Leigh

[AzAnne]

Originally posted by Mamasue
I just received an email from Jamie concerning the survey from Yahoo Groups about charging to be a member. I filled out the survey but will most likely not continue if it comes to charging us a monthly fee. :( Is the world wide web going to eventually come to this? I hope not!

I have not received the email from Jamie, but I agree with you and will not participate if yahoo starts charging.

If they decide to charge, I think we have enough people here that I could probably setup something similar to the yahoo group (free of charge) and accomplish the same end results.


I really like the idea of getting all the new recipes into MC, but paying for a yahoo service, NOT :eek:

[Molli526]

I agree with Mamasue and AzAnne. We can start our own group. We could even do them on a thread each month! I wouldn't pay to belong to a Yahoo Group.

[Karenf]

COUNT ME IN! I'M NOT PAYING EITHER. VOLUNTEER OUR TIME AND THEN PAY??????

[Gracie]

I won't pay, either, but it's not a pay service yet so I'm still in! I noticed I got a recipe today from ralphandleslie, which is our own Ralph from our BB! Hey Ralph - you got an assignment quickly!

I'm still getting the Mastercook basics down since I just bought and installed it. It's great to have all these wonderful tips from everyone.

I'll be happy to participate in a monthly group here on this BB if Yahoo finally does charge us.

Loren

[leightx]

JKS - you should be able to import them without the @@@@@ - as long as they have the header that you copied (starting with * Exported from MC *...). But they have to be converted into a text file first. Are you copying and pasting into Notepad? If so, when you import WITHOUT using the import assistant, it should automatically find the start of each recipe and then you can select the ones you want to import (or do all of them). Import assistant doesn't always work for me this way. About the ads - I think there should be a link under the ad that you can click on to get to the message. Yahoo is basically trying to make more money by putting an ad up before you get to the message. They do it on about every 3rd archived message it seems. I haven't tried it with the old ones though. This is one of the reasons I switched to getting the digest instead of just reading the messages on the site - Yahoo sends me enough junk email as it is...

Pattiarl - I think the problem is that you're putting them into Word files. You need to use Notepad (which is a text editor - your files will be saved as text files instead of word files). Notepad is under Programs - Accessories - Notepad. You can copy the recipe and paste into notepad (as many recipes as you want - I just did the entire email digest with 12 recipes). Save the file as whatever (I used the date - Feb18), then close notepad and open MC. Go to the cookbook you want to put them in, hit "Import" button (envelope icon) - NOT import assistant. Then find the file that you saved and all the recipes should come up. I hope that works - if not, send me a PM and we'll figure it out! :)


About the fees - I tried to do the "survey" but it was taking to long (even with DSL :rolleyes: ). I know that MSN has similar (and IMHO better) "groups" - the messages are actually threaded similar to this BB. I don't know if they're thinking of trying to get money out of it, but I haven't heard anything and I "manage" an MSN group. If yahoo tries to charge, maybe Jamie can move us over there, or we could start a new one.

Leightx

[JKS]

It worked! I was starting at the recipe title, not the *Exported from Mastercook*. You've saved me HOURS of work. Also, the yahoo posts are buried under the ads in all that I've looked at so far. I guess I'm just so averse to those pop-up adds that come with everything you try to view these days, that I saw them and ran without reading anything else. Thanks again!

[MKSquared]

FYI: Yahoo must not be asking all of their groups for money: my supper club still hasn't been contacted. (I'm the moderator, and I think the survey would hit my box first!)

With my brand-spankin'-new copy of MC, I joined up too ... and despite three letters from Jamie, I haven't received the instruction list or the okay to join! :( Bummer ... I'd love to get started on it.

[leightx]

I just wanted to add this in case someone didn't know-

To make your life even easier, you don't need to erase all the other stuff in the digest email and copy only the recipes. You can highlight the ENTIRE email (including headers, messages without recipes, etc), and copy and paste it into notepad. When you import into MC, it will scan the email and look for the *Exported by MC * tag (I guess) and pull all the emails out for you!

Leightx

[Gracie]

Leightx - you are wonderful. I printed out this entire thread (all 3 pages!) and worked with it while learning my new MasterCook at the same time.

Your last message about Word being the problem - that must be mine with regular recipes (not the MC formatted ones from the group). What I do is copy and paste any recipes that I see here on the BB during the day (when I'm supposed to be working! :D ) and put them all in 1 Word document and email it home to myself. I've been doing that since I discovered this board in November and I just purchased and installed MC over the weekend.

Now I'm working on putting them all into MC. But I have to use the Import Assistant, even though many of them are in MC format. That's ok, since it's just cut and paste, but if someone writes extra instructions next to an ingredient, it gets transposed into its own line of a new ingredient, so after I've cut and pasted, I have to go back through the list and edit the ingredient rows. I'm wondering - if I take the time to convert them to Notepad, will it be quicker do you think?? Or would it work as well to just "save as" my Word document as text?

Also, where I have 1 Word document with different formats of recipes (some in MC and some not) the "import" button won't recognize any of them so I use the Import Assistant for all of them. Should it recognize a few recipes in MC format in between the others?

I still haven't tried to take my emails from the group and import them, but that sounds pretty easy according to your directions. I also haven't tried to go to the group site and get all the back recipes from 98 - present to fill in the complete CL's up to now.

Thanks - you're definitely making this process easier for me!!

Loren

[leightx]

I just tried it using todays email digest. I selected all (Ctrl A), copied and pasted into Word, and then saved as a text file (.txt). It worked! However, it took *forever* getting into word, since word tries to format tables and such for you. It really is a ton easier to just put everything in notepad, since notepad only puts the text in (and just ignores pictures, tables, and all the other gobbledygook in the yahoo email program). Especially use notepad with recipes that are exported from MC. If it's just a recipe that someone has typed in on this BB, it probably doesn't matter - I think the easiest way to do that is just to enter them individually using the import assistant, from either notepad or word (and it can be saved as text or a word file in this case).

Sooo....to sum up! If you want to import recipes that have been exported from MC (they'll have the *Exported By MC * tag) - copy and paste into notepad, as many recipes as you like in the same document. Save it and import - MC will recognize each recipe individually. If you want to import recipes that are not exported by MC (that someone typed in) - save it in Word or whatever and import each recipe individually using Import Assistant. I usually use the "@@@@@" method that Jamie has spelled out in her email and it works just fine (unless you want the source or any other information). Now, since you are copying and pasting MC formatted and non-MC recipes, I'd put them all into word, save as a text file, and import (not using the assistant). It should pick up all the MC formatted ones, then you can input the rest of them individually. And yes, I'd go ahead and save the old ones as text files too.

One more note - when you are importing, make sure you have the right cookbook selected. Apparently the default is whatever your first cookbook (alphabetically) is - mine were all going into CL '92-94 cookbook, even if I was in a different cookbook when I hit the import button.

We'll figure this thing out yet!! :D

Leightx

[Ralph]

Originally posted by Gracie
Hey Ralph - you got an assignment quickly!

Actually, I didn't get an assignment. I had read Jamie's posting about recipes not completed and noticed the Plantain and Chocolate Empanaditas on the list. We had just made these for a dinner party, so I'd already inputted it to MC and thought I'd help out. I did post a review on this, but I guess it got buried since I posted it on a weekend. Here's the link: http://www.cookinglight.com/vbb/showthread.php?s=&threadid=20680&highlight=plantain

[Nanci]

Count me in that is assuming I am accepted. I filled out the survey and returned it this morning. I have been eagerly reading everyone's comments and agree. This sounds like a terrific group, but I don't want to pay. I love MasterCook and have been using for years. Usually, if I love an issue I buy the CookPak, but lots of months I do my own data entry for the good recipes that I make and know I'll make again.

If they end up charging to belong -- let's start our own group. I'd be willing to help get the group off the ground!

Just wanted to chime in my comments and offer to help!

[AzAnne]

Has anyone received their assignments for March yet?

Do they get mail to you, or do I need to check the group? Actually I just did that and I couldn't figure out where the assignments would be posted.

TIA
Anne

[vjc]

Hi Anne,
I haven't gotten my assignment yet either. I've also been wondering how we get them. Jamie has been out of town and the web site has had some problems so I'm just going to hang out for awhile and see what happens. We should hear something soon.

[CHRIST1NE]

She usually posts the assignments towards the middle of the month. It will be a posting called something like "March Assignments". She then lists all the members (by posting email address I think) and what your recipes are. She also does a "status" posting around the same time and lists what recipes didn't get done from the previous month.

[vjc]

Thanks CHRIST1NE, that helps.

[Curleytop]

Interesting about Yahoo. I too have a Yahoo address which I use for all stuff, Except my personal mail which is with a different
ISP. I DO NOT get ANY junk mail, I get more junk from my other ISP.:p

[AzAnne]

Thank for the info Christine! Guess I'll just wait :D

[Molli526]

Dd anyone get their assignments yet? I am getting concerned as I got my April issue today!

I would gladly start a thread for us to import recipes into.

[Karenf]

I have not gotten an assignment for March. Last I heard, Jamie was going to wait until the Yahoo website was back up.

[Mamasue]

I sent Jamie a email and asked to leave the group for now. There is just too much going on at my end of the world and I couldn't give 100%. :)

[CindyWeightWatcher]

I'm reviving this thread to see if anyone is still
a member of this group (if it still exists). I'm
interested in being a participant in a yahoo
mastercook formatting Cooking Light group.
TIA

[valchemist]

just out of curiosity, Cindy, do you know that CL is offering free downloads of current recipes?

here is a link to the Jan/Feb 2003 issue and the June 2003 issue. July will be available soon.

recipe downloads (http://www.cookinglight.com/cooking/magazine/recipeindex/index.html)

[semmens]

I'm a member and the group is doing very well; we have about 40 members so I only had two recipes to do for July.

I have been very happy with this group as there isn't a lot of extra chit chat; it's very businesslike and that's fine since I get plenty of socializing here.;)

Val- the downloads, while nice, are incomplete. There is no nutrition info and recipes are missing. The Yahoo group, under Wilma's direction and editing, gets every single detail of every recipe.

BTW, the addy is http://groups.yahoo.com/group/cookinglight-mc/

Laura

[valchemist]

Originally posted by semmens
Val- the downloads, while nice, are incomplete. There is no nutrition info and recipes are missing.

yep. I know about the missing nutrition. but recipes are missing? I never noticed that.

[semmens]

Yes, if you look at number of recipes in the downloads and the total in each issue, the downloads are always a lower number.

[Molli526]

Well, I just signed up to join this one. I think it is different than the one I was on before b.c the moderator was Jamie. I think it is pretty cool Wilma scans pictures!

[JaneStarr]

I just signed up also. I'm JaneStarrP on Y!Groups.

Jane

[Molli526]

I think I am just Molli


editing to add that I am MolliBooms

[Gracie]

Originally posted by Molli526
Well, I just signed up to join this one. I think it is different than the one I was on before b.c the moderator was Jamie. I think it is pretty cool Wilma scans pictures!

There's a new moderator? Are these directions easier to follow? Jamie's directions were just so complicated (as you could see when I started this thread).

Should I re-join?

Loren

[Ralph]

Originally posted by Gracie


There's a new moderator? Are these directions easier to follow? Jamie's directions were just so complicated (as you could see when I started this thread).

Should I re-join?

Loren

Ditto, ditto, and ditto!

After a few months, I realized I was no longer getting updates (I'm slow on the uptake!). I e-mailed this Jamie character & she very tersely responded that I hadn't been completing my assignments, so I was booted!:eek: She couldn't have been more wrong on that account & I called her on it, but she just chose to ignore me. From her rude comments to me, it appeared that she was no longer "assigning" but rather you "chose" the recipes you wanted to format & had to notify her before you posted! How ridiculous!

So, I'm interested, too, if the directions are easier. I did look at the site & you still have to apply for membership.

[Molli526]

Here are the rules. They seem more straightforward.



Cookinglight-MC is only for MasterCook 5 or 6 users. This email explains the basic formatting guidelines. The primary purpose for this guideline is accuracy. It is really not as complicated as it may sound. :-)


Each list member is expected to participate on a regular basis. To help make sure we receive all recipes from each issue, assignments will be made. Inactive list members will be unsubscribed.

Please use capitals in the recipe to match what you see in the magazine. Always fully spell all words - do not use abbreviations. Use the spell check before posting.

TITLE: Self explanatory. Subtitles can be entered in parenthesis or in the description field.

DESCRIPTION: Subtitles can be entered here. Otherwise, this field is optional. PLEASE DO NOT USE IT FOR NOTES.

SERVING: Use this whenever the information is provided. If it is a variable number (i.e. 3 to 4 servings) list the larger number. Include the complete information in the directions.

YIELD: Once again, if the information is provided, please use this field. DO NOT USE IT FOR SERVING SIZE.

AMOUNT: Self explanatory.

UNIT: I like to place can and package sizes in here. [i.e. (14-ounce)can ] MC 5 and 6 can interpret the information this way for nutritional purposes and it follows Cooking Light's format. Please do not use abbreviations. Use lower case letters.

INGREDIENT: Try to use the ingredient as listed in the recipe. If a preparation method is listed with the ingredient, please move it to the preparation method column. For instance if the magazine lists [1/2 cup canned black beans, rinsed and drained] you would enter this as
Amount: 1/2
Unit: cup
Ingredient: canned black beans
Preparation method: rinsed and drained

Use subtitles whenever applicable followed by a colon. If a separate recipe is needed to be part of a recipe, use the embed recipe function.

PREPARATION: This is one field that is especially nice in MC 5 and 6. The field is long enough for as much information as is needed.

DIRECTIONS: Place each paragraph in a different cell. Please do not number the paragraphs. The degree symbol (º) is made by holding the ALT key while pressing 0186.

The last paragraph of each recipe should contain the published nutrition information from Cooking Light. Here is a template you can copy/paste then enter just the numbers:

Calories (% from fat); Fat g (sat g, mono g, poly g); Protein g; Carbohydrates g; Fiber g; Cholesterol mg; Iron mg; Sodium mg; Calcium mg

NOTES: Introductory notes are to be listed first. Use a separate paragraph in the directions for notes made in reference to an ingredient.

CATEGORIES: Use the categories given in the back of the magazine. Some recipes have more than one category (e.g. a recipe may have main dish, beef, quick cooking, and freezable). Please check the recipe in the index and mark the appropriate categories. Let's use exactly the same format as the magazine so we will all have the same thing.

CUISINE: Use this whenever it is known. Do not list the cuisine as a category.

SERVING IDEAS: If a serving suggestion is given, please list it here.

TIME: This information in only given occasionally. Please use it if available.

MORE INFO: In my opinion, this is a very important part of each recipe. I will break it down a little further.


AUTHOR: List whenever an individual is given as the recipe creator.

SOURCE: For this list all sources will be: Cooking Light Magazine, Month Year, page #. Please remember to not use abbreviations.

COPYRIGHT: © year by Southern Living, Inc.

FORMATTED BY: No this field isn't actually listed. There is a drop-down box after the copyright field. Enter "Formatted by:" (without the quotation marks) here.

ALTERNATE SOURCE: There is no listed title for this field. This is where you take full credit for your formatting. List your name and, if you choose, the date of formatting.

SUGGESTED WINE: You may use it if a wine is suggested.


If there are any questions, please ask. It is very possible that we may make changes in this. If you have a suggestion it is open for discussion.

Sincerely,

Wilma Dye
List owner

[semmens]

I dunno which group some of you were in but the one I posted has been around for awhile and Wilma has always moderated. I guess there was another one; it was also on yahoo groups?

Laura

[Molli526]

Yes, moderated by a woman named Jamie who had so many rules etc! I was involved and quit b.c I posted my recipes but not everyone else in the group had the same courtesy.

[semmens]

Well, I know she has had to remove people who don't do their recipes but usually there is plenty of warning. She then asks the group to format the recipes that haven't been done and there's never any problem finding people to help.

It's definitely not fair to have members that don't contribute but really we don't seem to have it happen all that frequently. Also, she proofreads everything so that typos, missing ingredients or directions all get corrected.

Laura

[CindyWeightWatcher]

Thanks everyone for responding to my inquiry on this.
If Cooking Light consistently posted the downloads
(without skipping months) and including all the info,
there would be no need to be in a yahoo group. Maybe
CL will start, who knows? (HINT, HINT!!!)

[microbugs]

I just sent in my questionnaire to the Moderator, Wilma. Does anyone know if I can use MC 7.0 with this group?? I just purchased it for the first time and am trying to learn to use it. I have found Pam's site very useful and informative (Thanks Pam!!). Is the learning curve with MC very steep?
Thanks!

Shanna