Req: Convert WordPerfect 5.1 files to text

  • Thread starter Thread starter ms
  • Start date Start date
You do know you can do it one at a time inside WP51 via Ctrl-F5,T,S,
right? Just thought I would let you know in case you didn't.

WP51's help file is the greatest in the world -- F3, then type the first
letter of what you want to do.
 
Bjorn said:
have a look at <http://www.empowermentzone.com/batcon10.zip>
a collection of DOS batch files and utilities to convert from many
formats to text, wp included. From <http://www.empowermentzone.com/>.

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen
Click to expand...

Thanks, Bjorn.
In batcon, the help file had a good example commandline, I ran it but no
luck. In the folder is View.exe, it opens a WP file and the DOS screen
displays *plain text*- great! By paste/copy in the DOS screen, I could
copy the text to a *.txt file. I can't convert the entire file, but can
do the job one page at a time. I will contact the author on that
website about using batcon.

A DOS question for someone:
In a DOS screen(W98), how to "select all" when blocking text so I can
copy the entire file at the same time? I only see "paste" for one page
at a time.

Mike Sa
 
Melinda said:
You do know you can do it one at a time inside WP51 via Ctrl-F5,T,S,
right? Just thought I would let you know in case you didn't.

WP51's help file is the greatest in the world -- F3, then type the first
letter of what you want to do.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Melinda.

I will give it a try, haven't used WP for 5 years, forgot all the
commands.

Mike Sa
 
ms said:
In batcon, the help file had a good example commandline, I ran it but
no luck. In the folder is View.exe, it opens a WP file and the DOS
screen displays *plain text*- great! By paste/copy in the DOS screen,
I could copy the text to a *.txt file. I can't convert the entire
file, but can do the job one page at a time. I will contact the
author on that website about using batcon.
Click to expand...

If it's a commandline you're using, maybe try to redirect the output to
a file instead of the screen, by appending a
mytext.txt
Click to expand...
to the commandline.
A DOS question for someone:
In a DOS screen(W98), how to "select all" when blocking text so I can
copy the entire file at the same time? I only see "paste" for one
page at a time.
Click to expand...

I don't think it can be done by "simple" means. There are utilities that
will "capture" the screen to a file for the duration of a DOS session.
Another approach I remember is to use a utility like
Fork 3.3 - A DOS utility which allows you to redirect standard output to
multiple devices
http://www.filelibrary.com:8080/cgi-bin/freedownload/DOS/h/54/fork33.zip
4428bytes
 
Melinda said:
You do know you can do it one at a time inside WP51 via Ctrl-F5,T,S,
right? Just thought I would let you know in case you didn't.

WP51's help file is the greatest in the world -- F3, then type the first
letter of what you want to do.
Click to expand...

Melinda, that works fine, and thanks. Actually, in 5.1, CTRL/F5 gets me
to a screen, then 1 (DOS text), next screen 1 (save), enter file name to
save with .txt extension, and it results in a plain text file.

Mike Sa
 
Alan said:
If it's a commandline you're using, maybe try to redirect the output to
a file instead of the screen, by appending a
to the commandline.


I don't think it can be done by "simple" means. There are utilities that
will "capture" the screen to a file for the duration of a DOS session.
Another approach I remember is to use a utility like
Fork 3.3 - A DOS utility which allows you to redirect standard output to
multiple devices
http://www.filelibrary.com:8080/cgi-bin/freedownload/DOS/h/54/fork33.zip
4428bytes
Click to expand...

Thanks, Alan.

I had another solution for the Wordperfect files, see other reply, but
will save it for next time.

For reading the entire file in a DOS screen, I read the Fork help file,
and need more definition to be helpful for what I want to do.

Mike Sa
 
ms wrote in said:
In batcon, the help file had a good example commandline, I ran it but no
luck.
Click to expand...

I've just tried it in a DOS BOX on a WIn9x system, converting a WP5.1
file - and it worked just fine. Unfortunately I also noticed that the
VIEW program found in the batcon archive and used to convert WP files
is shareware. Sorry, did not check this before I suggested batcon. Not
often I see request for Wp51 conversion nowadays - been years since
I've needed it my self...But since I already got you to download it -
and you can not make it work, let me try help you out here. (If you
need more help - email me).
Notice that when you run the batch file from the commandline, say
WPD2TXT.BAT, you should only input the basename of the input file. The
extensions is already given and assumed in the bat (given as %1.wpd
inside the bat file). Thus it assumes your file to be converted have
the *.WPD extension. If not - and you want to use the batch file - you
will have to rename the file to be converted to *.wpd (but still you
should only input basename when you invoke the bat) - or edit the bat
file to suite your needs. Else, see inside the bat file (open in
Notepad or any plain text editor) and you can see the syntax it use to
call the VIEW program for conversion. Try the program directly from
the commandline your self - and make sure you input short filenames
(8+3, not LFN - this is a DOS app). Say if you keep all the files
(files to be converted and the VIEW program) in the same directory,
open a dos box, cd to that directory and try a command like:
VIEW NAME.WPD /CNAME.TXT
Where NAME.WPD is the name of the file to be converted, NAME.TXT the
output file. The converted text should then be written to the output
file NAME.TXT in the same directory.

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen
 
ms said:
Melinda, that works fine, and thanks. Actually, in 5.1, CTRL/F5 gets me
to a screen, then 1 (DOS text), next screen 1 (save), enter file name to
save with .txt extension, and it results in a plain text file.
Click to expand...

Yes, it does also work with the numbers, but when I learned WP51, the
teacher said that it was a good idea to remember the letters instead of
the numbers, because you would remember what they stood for; in this
case Ctrl-F5, *T*ext, *S*save.
 
A DOS question for someone:
In a DOS screen(W98), how to "select all" when blocking text so I can
copy the entire file at the same time? I only see "paste" for one page
at a time.
Click to expand...

Go to the folder where the file you want to convert is.

Issue the following DOS command:

TYPE FILENAME.WP5 > NEWNAME.TXT

You should then end up with a file called newname.txt that probably
will have unreadable characters in it which will be font format and
page layout information to suit the application that produced
filename.wp5.

Edit that out with notepad or another suitable plain text editor and
you're there!

At least I think that's how you do it!

Trevor
=====
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Bjorn said:
I've just tried it in a DOS BOX on a WIn9x system, converting a WP5.1
file - and it worked just fine. Unfortunately I also noticed that the
VIEW program found in the batcon archive and used to convert WP files
is shareware. Sorry, did not check this before I suggested batcon. Not
often I see request for Wp51 conversion nowadays - been years since
I've needed it my self...But since I already got you to download it -
and you can not make it work, let me try help you out here. (If you
need more help - email me).
Notice that when you run the batch file from the commandline, say
WPD2TXT.BAT, you should only input the basename of the input file. The
extensions is already given and assumed in the bat (given as %1.wpd
inside the bat file). Thus it assumes your file to be converted have
the *.WPD extension. If not - and you want to use the batch file - you
will have to rename the file to be converted to *.wpd (but still you
should only input basename when you invoke the bat) - or edit the bat
file to suite your needs. Else, see inside the bat file (open in
Notepad or any plain text editor) and you can see the syntax it use to
call the VIEW program for conversion. Try the program directly from
the commandline your self - and make sure you input short filenames
(8+3, not LFN - this is a DOS app). Say if you keep all the files
(files to be converted and the VIEW program) in the same directory,
open a dos box, cd to that directory and try a command like:
VIEW NAME.WPD /CNAME.TXT
Where NAME.WPD is the name of the file to be converted, NAME.TXT the
output file. The converted text should then be written to the output
file NAME.TXT in the same directory.

All the best,
Bjorn Simonsen
Click to expand...

Thanks for the info, and to Trevor. I'll save it for next time.

Actually- the "few more words" I needed was to copy all the text in a
file when viewed in a DOS screen, in effect "select all" so I can copy
the entire file at one time, not the usual page at a time.

Mike Sa
 
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