Save old creation dates in WP
Opening Write files in WP 6.0
Auto WinWord summary
Avoid blanks in Ami-to-ASCII saves
Create numbered lists in an Ami table
Make WinWord 6.0 repeat
Q I have a lot of old files created in WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS that I need to import into WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows. The trouble is, when I save them in the new format the date stamp on the file is changed to the current date. Is there a way to save the file in 6.0 format but retain the original creation date?
- Ronald Anderson
A Unfortunately, DOS itself prevents you from doing this, but there's an easy way to work around the problem, using WordPerfect 6.0's Document Summary command in the File menu. Before you load an old WordPerfect for DOS document, check the DOS file date in the Windows File Manager or from the DOS prompt, and make a note of it.
Then, open the document in WordPerfect 6.0. Immediately after opening the file, select File-Document Summary. In the dialogue box, you'll see today's system date in the Creation Date field. Highlight this date and replace it with the date you noted earlier. Enter any other information you want to store in the remaining fields, then click OK. This information will always be saved with the document, and you'll be able to refer to the Document Summary dialogue box whenever you need to refresh your memory.
Q I have many invoices I created in Windows Write. When I open them in WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows, that program treats them as ASCII files. Strange characters appear, and text is shifted around in the document. What can I do to fix this problem?
- Sam Miller
A WordPerfect 6.0 for Windows includes filters for Windows Write files. If the program is identifying those files as ASCII files, then you need to use WordPerfect's Installation program to reinstall the appropriate filters.
To do this, exit WordPerfect 6.0 and return to the Windows Program Manager. Insert the Install 1 disk from your original WordPerfect disks, select File-Run, type a:install.exe (substituting the correct drive letter) and click OK. If you're reinstalling version 6.0a, type a:setup.exe instead.
When the Installation program starts, skip the Registration Information dialogue box by clicking Continue. Click Custom in the Installation Type dialogue box, then click Files in the Custom Installation Options dialogue box. Click Unmark All in the Select Files dialogue box, then select the Utility Files check box (called the Additional Conversions/Printer Docs check box in version 6.0a) and click OK. Finally, click Start Installation and insert the disks as they are requested by the installation program. Once you've finished this installation, you'll be able to open your Windows Write files properly.
Q I would like to see the Summary Info dialogue box automatically every time I open an existing Word for Windows 6.0 document. I believe WinWord can do this, but I cannot find the feature in the program's manual or help screens. Can you tell me how to make it the default?
- Glenn MacRill
A Word for Windows doesn't have an automatic way to view the summary when you load a file. You can, however, create a macro that will do the job for you. Here are the steps:
1. After starting WinWord with no document loaded, select Tools-Macro.
2. Type AutoOpen in the Macro Name field of the Macro dialogue box. Make certain that All Active Templates appears in the Macros Available In drop-down list.
3. Click Create to open the macro editing window.
4. Edit the text on screen so that it appears as follows:
Sub MAIN
Dim GetSummary As FileSummaryInfo
If Dialog(GetSummary) Then
FileSummaryInfo GetSummary
End If
End Sub
5. Select File-Save All, and click Yes when prompted to save the changes to the Global:AutoOpen macro.
6. Select File-Close to close the macro editing window.
7. Open any WinWord Document to test your new macro.
After you create this macro, the Summary Info dialogue box will appear whenever you open a document. Any changes you make in the Summary Info data will be saved automatically with the document.
Q I own a small newspaper, and some of my reporters use Ami Pro 3.1 on their laptops. When they save their documents in ASCII format, Ami Pro inserts blank lines after each paragraph, causing additional work for our editors. Is there a way to avoid this?
- Paul DiModica
A Ami Pro offers two ways to save files in ASCII format, and your reporters are using the wrong one for your purposes. Here's what they can do to avoid the problem of extra blank lines between paragraphs.
Select File-Save As in Ami Pro, and choose ASCII in the List files of type list. Then click Options. In the ASCII File Options section, select CR/LF at paragraph ends only, then click OK. At that point, the reporters can save their files with whatever names they wish, just as they did before. This setting becomes the new default in Ami Pro, so these steps need to be done only once.
Another benefit of using this option: because it prevents a carriage return from being added to the end of each line of the document as it appears on the screen, it makes the files even easier to import into other programs.
Q I use Ami Pro 3.1's Table feature to present text in a matrix. Frequently, I need to create a numbered list that extends down into additional cells in the same column. I can't find a way to do this with the Table feature. I've tried using the Number List style, but as soon as I move into a new cell, the numbering restarts at 1. Do you have any suggestions on how I might handle the problem?
- John Russo
A This is a tough job, and I'm afraid that Ami Pro's Table feature isn't set up to do it. If you think of each cell in an Ami Pro table as a separate document, you will understand why the normal Number List style doesn't carry across cell boundaries. Every time you enter a new cell, you're starting a new, miniature document, causing numbering to restart.
One way to keep this from happening is to create your table as you've done in the past. But before entering text in the column where you want the numbered list to appear, switch to Layout Mode, highlight all the cells in that column, then select Table-Connect Cells. This will convert all the cells in that column into a single cell. Your numbered list, based on the Number List style, will maintain its sequence when entered in this cell, as in the figure below.
Keep in mind, however, that the text you enter in that new, oversized cell may not line up with the text in the rest of the table, especially if cell heights vary. To solve this problem, press <Ctrl>+<Enter> after each item in your numbered list, then press <Enter> to create the next numbered item. This creates a blank line following each item in the numbered list. You can then select the blank line following the numbered line to manipulate its font size, thus adjusting the position of the next numbered line.
This procedure may seem inconvenient, but it's the only way you can accomplish this task, short of numbering your text manually - which may be easier in some cases, especially if you'll be editing these tables heavily.
Q I just switched from WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS to Word 6.0 for Windows. I like the new program, but I miss my old WordPerfect Repeat function, which let me insert several characters at once with just a couple of keystrokes. I can't seem to find an equivalent command in WinWord. Is there such an animal?
- Dundee Pham
A Microsoft Word has never offered an exact equivalent to WordPerfect's Repeat function, which lets you press <Esc>, enter the number of times you want to repeat the next keystroke, then press that key once to insert the specified number of characters.
But all is not lost. If you turn on Word for Windows' Help for WordPerfect Users function, it will make the <Esc> key act the way it does in WordPerfect 5.1. To do this, select Tools-Options, then click the General tab. Select the Help for WordPerfect Users check box, click OK and you're done. This setting will become the new default for Word for Windows. You'll also be able to use most of your WordPerfect keystroke commands with this option turned on.
The drawback to this technique is that it converts a number of other keystrokes from their normal Word for Windows functions into a simulation of WordPerfect 5.1. To revert to standard WinWord commands, select Tools-Options-General again, and turn off Help for WordPerfect Users.
- George Campbell