WORDPERFECT VERSION 4.2 RELEASED! The following article appears in Vol II, No. 3 of THE WORDPERFECTIONIST, the Newsletter of the WordPerfect Support Group, PO Box 1577, Baltimore MD 21203, Copyright 1986. Subscription is $36/12 issues U.S delivery. This information is accurate as of October 27, 1986. You are encouraged to copy and distribute this file far and wide so that all WordPerfect users will hear of the update. Richard P. Wilkes Editor WPSG BBS 301/889-7895 CompuServe 72746,1712 MCI Mail 72746,1712 --------------------------------------------------------------- A SURE NEXT STEP WordPerfect 4.2 * New version of IBM WP released * All WP users are encouraged to upgrade * Documents completely upward compatible * NOT just a release for lawyers * Simple update procedure * Support Group wants your feedback! The New WordPerfect 4.2 This new release of WordPerfect for the IBM PC family of computers is a clear advance in utility and ease of operation for all users of WordPerfect. WordPerfect Corp has removed many of the obstacles users faced while fitting the changes so cleanly into the existing structure that you will continue to use your 4.1 template with WP 4.2. WordPerfect continues to offer word processing features not found in any other package. After evaluating the features added and enhanced, we are sure that you will want to upgrade to this new release. The update charge is $35 for current 4.1 users, and all your 4.1 documents are compatible with the new release. The minimal operational changes required by this revision, the new features, and the reasonable cost should convince you to upgrade all your copies of WP during the following months. Getting the Update Many of you are probably racing to the phone to find out how to get your update. Please Don't! You cannot order the update by phone. Follow these instructions (verified by WPCorp) to get your update quickly if you are in the U.S.: 1. Make a check payable to WordPerfect Corporation for $35 for each copy if you are upgrading from 4.1 or $60 if from an earlier WP release (add $6 for UPS Air delivery if desired). 2. Enclose a letter stating your name, company (if any), street address (UPS cannot deliver to P.O. boxes. Delivery will be by US Mail if to a post office box). Write the quantity of WordPerfect packages you are upgrading in this letter as well. 3. Indicate the type of computer you use clearly in this letter (e.g., IBM PC, TI Pro) and on your check. Your update cannot be shipped without this information! Users of non-IBM versions of WP 4.1 can send for the upgrade now and your versions will be shipped as soon as they are ready. 4. Include the Title Page from the manual of each WordPerfect copy being updated. This is your proof of purchase. The title page has the copyright notice on the reverse side. 5. WP 4.1 copies purchased after October 1, 1986, can be upgraded at no charge but only until 2/28/87. Instead of a check you must include a copy of the sales receipt showing the date of purchase. Don't forget the title page and the type of computer you are using. WHAT YOU WILL RECEIVE WP 4.1 users upgrading to WP 4.2 will receive inserts to the 4.1 manual covering the new features and six diskettes (WP Master, Speller, Learning, Thesaurus, and 2 printer disks). If you are upgrading from prior versions a full manual and template will also be included. Please allow 2-3 weeks for delivery. Some of you who have the old, narrow WordPerfect binder and slipcase may wish to purchase the new wider set (2.75") for an additional $10. Please make note that the extra $10 is for a new slipcase set. ADDRESS FOR UPDATE Send all the above material to: WordPerfect Corporation Update Department 329 North State Street Orem, UTAH 84057 This applies only to continental U.S. customers. Canadian customers must contact J.B. Marketing at (613) 938-3333. UPDATING LARGE ACCOUNTS If you will be upgrading 20 or more copies of WordPerfect, call Information Services at (801) 227-4000 or call the Large/Educational Accounts department at (801) 227-5590 for the correct update procedure. Comments? Suggestions? Questions? Remember that our electronic mail system (BBS) is operating 24 hours a day at (301) 889-7895 to assist you in your conversion to 4.2 and to answer your specific application questions. If you don't have a modem, feel free to write us. We encourage you to write to the Support Group about additional changes you'd like to see made to your word processor and your reaction to the new features in 4.2. Over the next year we'll be providing tips and hints on how to best take advantage of the new capabilities. Please try to limit your calls to WP Customer Support so that we'll all be able to get through quickly if the need is urgent. ----------------------------------------------------------------- WP 4.2 FEATURES My Three Favorite Changes DOCUMENT SUMMARY Document summary allows you to keep track of documents by entering the Author, Typist, and up to 880 characters of comments (in a free-form style). The creation date of the document is provided automatically by WP. This summary can be seen using the Look function in list files. One can also decide whether the summary should be visible in its double box at the top of your document. If not, it can be easily seen using [Reveal Codes] or by editing the Summary from anywhere in the document (WP finds the summary and, after editing, returns you to your original cursor position). You also have the set-up option of automatically pulling up the summary form whenever a document without a summary is saved. We've found this a good way to remind us to complete the information. One can leave the summary blank and still save the document. For best results the summary should be completed when the document is started. This can be accomplished as part of the macros that set-up your document formats. COMMENTS Imbedded comments are similar to the document summary and appear on the screen (if desired) in the same double-line box. They can appear anywhere in the document--even in the middle of a line. Comments can be edited and turned on or off. They cannot be printed (that would destroy alignment). Comments cannot be displayed while in columns. If you want to display the comments on the screen during the editing process, you can turn off columns. We set our margins to match column 1. We then get displayable comments and a wide right margin for making corrections. Switching to final form is simply a matter of turning on columns at the top of the document. The uses for comments are numerous. We plan to use comments in combination with document summary to create a "history" of the file with all Editors leaving their own notations. I'd like to hear your uses of these new document management features. TABS LEFT, RIGHT, CENTER, DECIMAL & DOT WordPerfect 4.1 had one type of tab stop: left aligned. Tabs in WP 4.2 can be set as either left aligned, right aligned, centered, or decimal. All these can be printed with a dot leader: With the exception of the dot leader tabs the other tabs could be accomplished with effort in 4.1. The new system is much more intuitive. And, the [Tab] key is more easily pressed than Ctrl+F6 or Shift+F6. The new tab set bar is horizontal and scrolls left to right, and the extended tabs formally found on [2-Line Format] are now under the single tab set option. Both options 1 & 2 can be used to set tabs to maintain macro compatibility as much as possible. Macros that set tabs using absolute column numbers will still work under 4.2. Those that use cursor positioning will not. WP 4.2 will locate the cursor on the tab bar at the current column position. You can now set tabs by moving the cursor to the right spot, pressing [Line Format] [1-Tabs] [L/C/D/R] for the tab type and [Exit]. This has the side effect of leaving tab sets in the middle of your line. After setting tabs in this manner, it is recommended that you delete the interim settings to leave only a single [Tab set] code. "Lawyers In Love" TABLE OF AUTHORITIES The new table of authorities (list of citations) function allows lawyers to generate a detailed listing of the pages where citations or specific cases and statutes occur. You have the option of dividing the list of citations into up to 8 sections one for cases, one for statutes, one for regulations, etc. The authorities within each section are sorted alphanumerically by WordPerfect. Cites are marked first in their long form and then given a "short form" or "nickname" to simplify the subsequent marking of the same authority. LINE NUMBERING While added specifically for lawyers, line numbering may very well help those of you in other professions to deal with draft documents. The line numbering is done during the print process. This feature can count or ignore blank lines, number only every nth line (every 2nd, 5th, etc.), locate the position of the number from the left edge, and restart numbering at the end of each page if desired. Print Enhancements DOCUMENT PREVIEW Many of you have called for the ability to see footnotes, justification, headers, etc., without printing the document. Document Preview offers this option. It works by "printing" the file to a temporary Doc 3 (which is available for viewing the PREVIEW only no editing). You can use [Switch] to move back and forth between the original text and the PREVIEW. Line Numbering (if selected) can be seen in the PREVIEW. PRINTING NON-SEQUENTIAL PAGES By choosing the Print Document function under Printer Control you can now select ranges on non-sequential pages to print (e.g., 2- 5,7,9-11). This function will also recognize chapters and sections where page numbering restarts. Your WP 4.1 macros that use this function will have to be edited to benefit from the new flexibility. Other Additions ASSISTED/AUTOMATIC HYPHENATION WPCorp has added intelligence to hyphenation. When WP prompts for hyphenation, it positions to the "best" spot found in the hyphenation zone. It is usually a quick matter of pressing ESC to locate the hyphen. The default [HZone 7,0] produces far better results than the [HZone 3,1] we use for our narrow newsletter columns. The hyphenation can be set to "automatic." If there is a high probability that the spot found in the HZone is correct, the hyphen is placed. Otherwise it will ask you to locate the hyphen. Since the hyphen position is determined by an algorithm and not a dictionary look-up, the error rate can be as high as 10%; we recommend sticking with the assisted mode. COLUMNS The maximum number of text columns has been increased from 5 to 24. This should more than suffice on a maximum line width of 250. Because of this change and the restructuring of the column definition screen, column definition macros will have to be edited as well. WP 4.1 documents that use columns need not be changed for 4.2. CONCORDANCE: INDEX FILE The concordance file is a WP document which contains all the phrases you want included in the index. Listing each entry once in the concordance saves the time it takes to individually mark each occurrence of the phrase in your document. The number of entries permitted is dependent on your free RAM. MERGING AND BLANK LINES You can now have WP 4.2 omit a line in a merged document if the field is blank. For example, if field F2 is an optional company name, the following would omit the field if it is blank: ^F1^ ^F2?^ ^F3^ Notice the question mark in field 2. Note that fields 1 & 3 will leave a blank line if those fields have no data. The form: ^F1^ ^F2?^ ^F3^ would leave only the text from field 1 on the line if field 2 is blank. So, do not use the ? test for fields like middle initials in full names. MERGE FIELD NAMES If you are using WordPerfect Library's Notebook program to maintain your merge format files, you can use Notebook's field names instead of the normal field numbers (e.g., ^Fname^). We should be able to take advantage of this without Notebook by adding the proper "header" to a WP secondary file. It will take a little experimenting, but we'll have the results in a future issue. PARAGRAPH NUMBERING The arbitrary limit of 255 for the paragraph number has been increased to 65535 at which point it wraps back to 0 without warning. Anyone who has over that many numbered items should use something other than WP to maintain the list. The starting number and level can also be selected making it possible to break documents into separate files while maintaining automatic paragraph numbering. STATISTICAL TYPING / TYPEOVER Typeover mode has been changed so that the [Tab] key now moves without inserting a tab and the [Backspace] replaces a character with a space. A tab is replaced if text behind the tab would be bumped (making form entry easier). "SMART" CURSOR In prior versions of WP the cursor would shift to the left margin as you moved past blank lines. This made it very difficult to edit a column of numbers that had intervening blank lines. The new cursor will still "bop" back to the left margin on that blank line but will "zip" out to the correct position on lines with text. At first I found this new cursor scheme disconcerting; it changed my editing rhythm. But, I quickly realized that this new scheme saves me hundreds of cursor strokes per day. The method could still be improved to avoid the "bopping" back to the margin. Please let us know your reaction. Everyone who works with columnar material will love it, and it should make WP use with a rodent (mouse) smoother. SEARCH / REPLACE WITHIN FOOTNOTES Using the [Home] key in combination with any of the search or replace functions will cause WP to search headers, footers, endnotes, and footnotes as well as the regular text. Search can now find the end code markers for underline and boldface. You can now write a macro that would change a bolded phrase to underlined. TEXT IN/OUT: WP 4.1 / ASCII Using the [Text In/Out] function you can save a file in WP 4.1 format if you need to send a document to someone who does not yet have 4.2. You will lose any 4.2 specific features. Remember, WP 4.2 documents must not be loaded into WP 4.1. It is possible to lock-up your system doing so. When you make the switch to 4.2, switch the whole company over. If that is not possible, you will find this "backward compatibility" through text out a welcome addition. WP can now save a file in generic word processor format, too. All [SRt] codes are converted to spaces so that the resulting file, while containing no formatting codes, can be edited. Also, [HRT] codes can be converted to soft returns on text input. The hyphenation zone and the margin setting determine which returns are removed. These new functions replace the separate ASCII conversion utilities provided on the WP Support Group Conversion Utilities disk. ONLINE TUTORIAL A running, keystroke controlled tutorial is to be included with the IBM version of 4.2. We have not had time to evaluate it yet. More Advances TIMED BACKUP only occurs if the text has been modified. EXIT indicates in the lower left if the current document has not been modified (thereby allowing you to answer "No" to the save question with confidence). CONVERT now recognizes the * and ? wildcard characters in filenames allowing you to perform mass conversions. The CONVERT utility also includes WP document to Final-Form-Text. DATE/TIME formats can now be specified to include the leading zeros. EDITING is now possible on search strings and file and path names. For example, if you incorrectly specify a name on [Retrieve], WP will tell you the file does not exist and allow you to edit the filename using the arrow keys. Insert or typeover can be used. Another example: You want to see all the .LTR files in the current directory. Press [List Files] then [End]. Use [Backspace] to delete the asterisk and type LTR and press [HRt]. FILENAME, drive, and path are now displayed on the status line. The display can be turned off during WP set-up. FOOTNOTES that continue to the next page can have the continuation indicated using a new footnote definition offered in WP 4.2. HARD PAGES are shown as a line of equal signs across the screen. Soft pages are still shown as dashes. This makes it very easy to distinguish the two types of breaks. HARD RETURNS can be made visible during set-up. While I find it distracting, you may want to experiment with ASCII codes 20, 249, 170, 250, or 27. LIST FILES operates more like File Manager. Pressing [HRt] does a "look" on the file or directory. You can use this as a quick scan of document summaries or for traversing directory trees. When you find the spot you want, press [7-Change dir] with the cursor on . MOVE offers a delete option for deleting sentences, paragraphs, and blocks. The deleted text goes to the "undelete" buffer. REVEAL CODES shows all codes in bold with a blinking cursor in the codes window. You can also highlight a block in reveal codes. THESAURUS headwords number over 10,000 and root word handling has been improved. "Not a headword" has been replaced with "Word not found." Antonyms have been added. UNDERLINED TEXT can be shown in a selected background color on color monitors. This allows one to see underlined tabs, aligns, etc., when "underline continuous" is set to ON. WORD DELETE has been expanded. In addition to Ctrl+Backspace and [Home] [Backspace] to delete words to the left, [Home] [Delete] will delete words to the right. CONTROL-V can be used to enter any ASCII code. It must be used before the WP search wildcard ^X (i.e., ^V^X). APPLE LASERWRITER A driver is now included that allows one to use up to 8 fonts per document on an Apple LaserWriter. MATH OPERATOR "N" forces any number to be negative (acts like a minus sign). When printing, the "N" will not appear. SHEET FEEDER Up to seven bins are available in the sheet feeder definitions. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - Please keep in mind that this list was compiled from a pre-release, beta version of WordPerfect 4.2. Making The Change BACKUP YOUR DISKS Now is a very good time to make a verified backup of all your important disks and hard drives. It is prudent to do a complete backup before installing any new software. And, do not plan to reuse these disks for at least a year. The cost is minimal and savings in time if something goes wrong with your computer will be well worth it. Do not overlook this step! DO NOT MIX VERSIONS Please keep in mind that WordPerfect Version 4.2 has features not found in previous versions of WordPerfect. Therefore, retrieving a WP 4.2 document in WP 4.1 (or earlier) will likely give your computer a tummy ache. You won't need the Pepto as long as you stick to WP 4.2 which can read documents from any WP release to date. During the transition period, take advantage of the [Text Out] into 4.1 format offered by this new version. MACROS Remember that macros are just stored keystrokes. When the sequence of keystrokes used to accomplish a task is changed, the macro must be changed as well. Most of your WP 4.1 macros will work without modification in WP 4.2. Those that don't may give you the message: * Macro Complete - Unknown Display State * You may also see this message if you edit a macro incorrectly using M-Edit. The correction is simple: re-create the macro. Most macros are only a few keystrokes. If you are skilled with the macro editor, make the corrections using that program (part of WordPerfect Library). Macros that set-up columns, print from printer control, set hyphenation on, and set the paragraph / outline numbering are candidates for editing. If you have a set of macros that you use on a regular basis, test them in WP 4.2 during the installation process (after you backed up, right?). It took us less than a half hour to make the few changes necessary in our working set of over 250 macros. ------------------------------------------------------------------- Copyright 1986, WordPerfect Support Group, All Rights Reserved. Distribution to all WordPerfect users is encouraged provided that no compensation is requested.