Re: q: can I convert bank street writer to text files

[dalloff@freenet.columbus.oh.us (Dave Althoff)]

Adam Barr (chessie@ospnet.nshore.org) wrote:
: I need to convert bank street writer files to regular text files. Is 
: there a way to do this? None of the bank street programs have this option 
: and the files are saved in binary. Might there be a freeware program? 
: Please email. Thanks!!!!

Ummm...I'm trying to remember...(BSW was a long time ago, and I never did
much with it...)

It runs in my mind that BSW files are really just text files that look
like binary files; and I think they might use hard returns.  Assuming DOS
3.3, try this (assuming that the files are shorter than 16k):

(note:  Applesoft BASIC, from DOS 3.3 or BASIC.SYSTEM, whichever is
appropriate for your Bank Street disks)

10 PRINT CHR$(21):HGR2:HGR:TEXT:HOME
20 INPUT "What Bank Street filename?  ";BF$
30 INPUT "What text filename?  ";TF$
40 PRINT CHR$(4);"BLOAD ";BF$;",A$2000"
50 AD=8192
60 PRINT CHR$(4);"OPEN ";TF$:PRINT CHR$(4);"DELETE ";TF$:PRINT
     CHR$(4);"OPEN ";TF$:PRINT CHR$(4);"WRITE ";TF$
70 K%=PEEK(AD):IF K%=0 THEN 100
80 PRINT CHR$(K%);:AD=AD+1:IF AD=24576 THEN 99
90 GOTO 70
99 PRINT CHR$(4):PRINT "File is longer than 16k!"
100 PRINT CHR$(4);"CLOSE"
110 PRINT "Finished!"

No guarantees, but that *might* do the trick for you.  This program is
limited to 16k files only because the blank hires pages make it easy to
find a zero byte, and I can't remember the address for the binary program
length off-hand.  And it is possible that I have the file format
completely wrong...I'm working on a 15-year-old memory here.

--Dave Althoff, ][.
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