Conversion ToolsConversion Toolsare used to change the formatting of a documents used on the World Wide Web. Tools exist to switch documents into and out of HTML (hypertext markup language), the formatting language used for WWW documents, and to change graphics to the GIF format (the format most easily recognized by WWW servers).
Conversion Tools were developed to help users and programmers use information provided in formats not available to them. Since the advent of the World Wide Web, many types of conversion tools have been created for a number of different purposes. Conversion tools (or converters) can be purchased through commercial organizations, and many are available on the Internet as shareware or freeware. Those on the Internet are normally stored in software archives. Tools exist to change the format of any component of the WWW that you may wish to download. In addition, WWW page authors can use converters to put their information into a WWW-readable format.
HTML is the language used for authoring WWW pages. It is very easy to learn and for small documents, starting in HTML is the fastest and most reliable way to produce pages. However, for those who must deal with large numbers of pages that were developed in formats other than HTML, many converters exist to help them translate documents to HTML.
For word-processed documents, a number of converters are available. DOS users of Word Perfect can convert their files directly using WPTOHTML and WP2X, among others (please refer to converter archives listed above). Microsoft Word users, on the other hand, must save their documents in Rich Text Format (RTF) before they can be converted to HTML. Examples of RTF-to-HTML converters are: RTFTOHTML and TEX2RTF. Many of the converters that can convert from a word processor to HTML can also do the conversion in the other direction.
Documents saved in the LaTeX or FrameMaker formats can also be changed into HTML (and back out again). SCRIBE2HTML is appropriate for LaTeX documents, while MIFTRAN translates FrameMaker documents to HTML. (MIFTRAN is for UNIX machines only).
WWW authors who want to include images in their pages must choose a format that is recognized by the HTTP protocol and servers. The most commonly used graphics format is GIF, and a number of converters exist for changing a graphic to this format. If you are using an application that does not give you the option of saving in a GIF format (such as PageMaker), a converter can make your life much easier. Similar converters are available for changing graphics into the JPEG formats.