Copyright: Copyright (c) 1993 by Potomac Document Software, I


Pre-Importing Tool Main Index
Pre-Importing Tool for WordPerfect

This program reads a WordPerfect 5.x document containing a manuscript and prepares it for importing into a desktop publishing program, such as PageMaker.  It performs the following tasks:

 Converts underlining to italics
 Converts pairs of hyphens (--) into em dashes
 Converts double or triple line spacing into single-spacing
 Removes indenting from the beginning of paragraphs
 Removes excess spaces following sentences

This program is in the public domain.  It can be used and reproduced without restriction.  It was written by David Andrew Price (CompuServe ID 71726,651) in October 1993 as a favor to a magazine art director.  No warranties; use "as is" and enjoy.

The menu commands for this program are as follows:

File | Convert

Prepare a WordPerfect document for importing

File | Exit

Exit this program

Run | Run WordPerfect

Run WordPerfect, if available on your system

Help | Help

Get this online help

Help | Help On Help

Get help about using the Windows help system

Help | About

General program information

This program requires Windows 3.1.


Main Window

This topic describes the main window area.


Maximize Icon

This topic describes the maximize icon.


Minimize Icon

This topic describes the minimize icon.


Sizing Border

This topic describes the sizing border that surrounds the application window.


System Menu

This topic describes the system menu.


Title Bar

This topic describes the title bar that is used for application and document windows.


Convert menu command
Convert

The File | Convert menu command lets you select a WordPerfect file, then converts it into a form for desktop publishing.  It converts underlining to italics, removes leading tabs and spaces from the beginning of each paragraph, makes the line spacing of the document single-spaced, converts pairs of hyphens (--) into em dashes, and converts extra spaces after a sentence into a single space.

The file you select should be from WordPerfect 5.0 or 5.1 for DOS, or from WordPerfect 5.1 or 5.2 for Windows.  It should not be password-protected.

Conversion notes

The conversion does not affect block indenting (i.e., the indenting used to form block quotations).

To produce an em dash, this program uses a WordPerfect extended character: character number 77 in WordPerfect character set 4.  This is the character that PageMaker 5 treats as a normal em dash.

For information about how to prevent the conversion of underlining into italics, of hyphen pairs into em-dashes, or both, see changing program settings.


Exit menu command
Exit

Selecting the File | Exit menu command ends this program.


Run WordPerfect menu command
Run WordPerfect

The Run | Run WordPerfect menu command lets you go to WordPerfect from within this program.  If WordPerfect for Windows is installed on your system and is present on the current path, then this program will run WordPerfect for Windows.  Otherwise, this program will attempt to run WordPerfect for DOS.

If you have just converted a document using the File | Convert file menu command, that document will appear on the WordPerfect editing screen.

When you exit WordPerfect, you will return to this program.


Help menu command
Help

The Help menu command displays an index of the on-screen help topics available within this program.  At that point, you can click on the highlighted name of the topic for which you would like more information.

You can also obtain help at any time in this program by pressing the F1 key.


Help on Help menu command
Help on help

The Help | Help on Help menu command displays help on the Windows help system.


About menu command
About

The Help | About menu command displays a box containing copyright and other information about this program.


Changing program settings

You can direct this program not to convert underlining into italics or to convert pairs of hyphens (--) into em-dashes.  To turn off conversion of underlining, you put the directive -ital on the program's command line.  To turn off conversion of em-dashes, you put the directive -emdash on the command line.  You can change the program's command line with the following steps:

First, exit this program with the File | Exit menu command, then click on the icon for this program to select it on the Windows Program Manager screen.  On the Program Manager menu, select File | Properties.

You will see a dialog box to let you alter settings for this program.  Go to the line marked "Command line."

To turn off conversion of italics, add a space and then "-ital" to the end of the command line.  To turn off conversion of em-dashes, add a space and then "-emdash".  To turn off both, add a space and then "-ital  -emdash".  (Remember the hyphen in front of the words.)  Then press OK to leave the dialog box.  The next time you run this program by clicking on that icon on the Program Manager screen, the settings will be as you directed.