Re: AWP5->TXT

[dempson@actrix.gen.nz (David Empson)]

In article <4tjdas$71@alpha.vaxxine.com>, mhackett@alpha.vaxxine.com
(Michael Hackett) wrote:

>Are there any add-ons or separate programs that will generate an accurate
>text file version of an AppleWorks 5 word processor file?

Not that I know of, but you can do something similar with AppleWorks.

Just set up a new printer which prints to a disk file.  If you use a
custom printer which has no formatting commands for bold, characters per
inch, etc., then the only formatting in the output will be spaces and form
feed characters (and you can get rid of the latter by telling AppleWorks
that the printer doesn't accept top of form commands).

The sequence of commands required to set up the printer:

Other Activites
Select standard settings for AppleWorks
Printer settings
Add a printer
Custom Printer
Name it "Null Printer"
Print onto disk or on another Apple
Set the "Interface cards" codes to empty

Now you can print to "Null Printer (Disk)" to get a more accurately
formatted document, with indentation and margins preserved.

Here is a simple example.  It will probably be word-wrapped by my news
software, but it should give the general idea.

First, saved to disk as a "Standard" Text/ASCII file:

-------- begin quote
This is a test document created with AppleWorks.  I want to see how it
comes out when "printed" as a text file, and when printed via Null Printer
(disk).

-------- end quote

Now printed via "Null Printer (Disk)":

-------- begin quote






          This is a test document created with AppleWorks.  I want to
          see how it comes out when "printed" as a text file, and when
          printed via Null Printer (disk).

--------- end quote

This was followed by a form feed (Control-L).  If I tell AppleWorks not to
use them, it produces lots of blank lines instead.

The document settings were: top margin 1 inch (at 6 lines per inch), left
margin 1 inch (at 10 characters per inch), right margin 1 inch.

-- 
David Empson
dempson@actrix.gen.nz
Snail Mail: P.O. Box 27-103, Wellington, New Zealand