Re: Help - Appleworks files to Windows PC

[Jalapeno <jalapeno1@mac.com>]

In article <9ec1cfa9.0210261603.4cce029d@posting.google.com>,
 lyleh888@yahoo.com (Lyle) wrote:

> Jalapeno <jalapeno1@mac.com> wrote in message 
> news:<jalapeno1-B9EC75.17304625102002@nnrp02.earthlink.net>...
> > In article <3DB8E298.6F894AEA@usa.net>, Jeff Thomas <a2forever@usa.net> 
> > wrote:
> > 
> > > I initially posted my reply on, 'comp.sys.usergroups' newsgroup, but I 
> > > didn't 
> > > know
> > > you posted another message here. I hope the information below is of some 
> > > help.
> > > 
> > > It is possible to transfer AppleWorks files to your Windows-based PC and 
> > > read
> > > them, but you may lose the formatting.
> > > 
> > > You have several options to get them across:-
> > > 
> > > 1. Print them out and re-type it on the PC.
> > > 2. Use a file exchange utility, like "Cross Works" which is also more 
> > > likely 
> > > to
> > > retain the formatting (margins, bold lettering, underlining, etc). It 
> > > specializes
> > > in converting AppleWorks files (versions 1.0 to 3.0, except AppleWorks 
> > > GS) to
> > > something more compatible with the PC. The closest would be a word 
> > > processor
> > > document for early version of Microsoft Works, which might not be 
> > > recognised 
> > > when
> > > imported into anything newer than Microsoft Word 95.
> > 
> > The best way to transfer AppleWorks GS files to a PC is to use the 
> > LaserWriter driver that is part of System 5.x or System 6.x and "print 
> > to a file" (holding the 'option' key down while selecting Print from the 
> > File menu, IIRC) which creates a Postscript source file. Then, import 
> > the resulting Postscript file into a PC word processor. You don't lose 
> > any formatting at all this way and the Page Layout module files transfer 
> > quite nicely, too.
> 
> Here's another thought:
> 
> Use a Mac that has a floppy that will read 800k ProDos disks.  Load
> the Appleworks or AppleworksGS files into Clarisworks or "Mac"
> Appleworks on the Mac.  Use the "Save as" to save the files as
> Microsoft Word PC documents (selecting whichever version of Word
> desired) to a 1.4 PC-formatted disk.  Put this disk into the PC and
> load the files into Microsoft Word.
> 
> Seems pretty hassle-free for a one-time procedure.  And it seems as
> though much of the formatting would be retained.
> 
> Lyle

Will work reasonably with AppleWorks versions 2.0 and 3.0 because there 
are Dataviz translators to ClarisWorks for those versions, but may not 
work with versions 4.x & 5.x. (will not work with any new functionality 
that was added to 4 & 5) and this will NOT work with AppleWorks GS at 
all.

File type notes were published for:

AppleWorks data base: 
http://web.pdx.edu/~heiss/technotes/ftyp/ftn.19.xxxx.html

AppleWorks spreadsheet: 
http://web.pdx.edu/~heiss/technotes/ftyp/ftn.1b.xxxx.html
(Aaron Heiss, your link to the spreadsheet FTN is broke in the index. 
You have the URL with "misc" instead of "ftyp" as a directory)

AppleWorks word processor: 
http://web.pdx.edu/~heiss/technotes/ftyp/ftn.1a.xxxx.html

AppleWorks GS word processor:
http://web.pdx.edu/~heiss/technotes/ftyp/ftn.50.8010.html

No other AppleWorks GS file types were documented. The reason being that 
Claris, in a rush to get the product out the door, never created a file 
type for the spreadsheet, page layout, paint, nor telecommunications 
modules. Those files just contain a dump of memory to a file.

Without a documented file format, Dataviz translators could not be 
created for ClarisWorks. 

Postscript source files are a type of text file which can be 
null-modem'd directly to the PC from the apple II and imported into any 
good PC program, without an intervening Mac. My experience is that 
Postscript source gives a much more accurate transfer of the formatting 
than any other translation type, anyway.