Xref: utzoo comp.text:4893 comp.text.desktop:890
Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!watmath!att!mtuxo!lzfme!jwi
From: jwi@lzfme.att.com (J.WINER)
Newsgroups: comp.text,comp.text.desktop
Subject: Re: WordPerfect vs. Ventura
Summary: Automating WP 5.0 => Ventura
Message-ID: <1600@lzfme.att.com>
Date: 5 Sep 89 13:36:41 GMT
References: <1583@lzfme.att.com> <738@kl-cs.UUCP> <3255@wasatch.utah.edu>
Organization: AT&T, Lincroft NJ
Lines: 49

Edward J Cetron writes:
> 
> 	On a related topic:  I have a subcontractor who has just informed
> me that all of their technical documentation will be late, the cause:
> 
> 	All of their techwriters use Wordperfect, but their corporate office 
> requires that all docs coming out the of the corp to be in Ventura.  So now
> I have a 4-10 week delay (so they say) to have all of the documents ported
> from WP to Ventura after they are written/proofed etc....
> 
> 	My question:  Can the conversion between WP and Ventura be automated
> by some sort of script or using some intermediate format?

Begin by calling WordPerfect Copr in Orem, UT to get the
specifications for WP5.0 files ($20). 

Then write a fairly simple program in awk (polyawk for the pc) to
convert WP style-on codes to Ventura format codes. You can also
change most other WP codes to corresponding Ventura codes. The
Ventura codes are listed in the Ventura documentation. It should
take an experienced awk programmer about one to two days to write
this program. The smae program written in C will take three days to
two weeks. (awk is better at string handling.)

There may be some additional hand work required. There are also some
constructs in WP that cannot be translated to Ventura in any
straightforward way.

In particular, WP has some facilities for drawing multiple
(different length) horizontal lines that Ventura cannot duplicate
without creating dummy frames or using graphics mode. If these have
been incorporated into headings with different formats on chapter
title pages, you will have lots of fun.

(Obviously, I am dealing with the same problems, but my time scale
will not solve these problems in time to help you. If you do get a
solution, please let me know.)

If I can be of additional help, please call me at 201-957-6068 (Bell
Labs) or 201-899-0804 (home). In general, e-mail will reach me, but
I can't get back to you.

Jim Winer -- Those persons who advocate censorship offend my religion.

Upuaut:	a wolf-headed Egyptian deity | Voodoo: the art of sticking ideas
	assigned as Guidance System  |         into people and watching
	for the Barque of Ra.        |         them bleed.

The opinions expressed here are not necessarily