Path: utzoo!utgpu!news-server.csri.toronto.edu!cs.utexas.edu!swrinde!zaphod.mps.ohio-state.edu!sdd.hp.com!elroy.jpl.nasa.gov!hacgate!ashtate!tomt
From: tomt@ashtate (Tom Tullis)
Newsgroups: comp.windows.ms
Subject: Re: ToolBook from Hypercard conversion?
Message-ID: <1179@ashton.UUCP>
Date: 6 Sep 90 19:42:47 GMT
References: <42281.26daa0ee@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au>
Reply-To: tomt@ashton.UUCP (Tom Tullis)
Organization: Ashton-Tate, Torrance, CA
Lines: 23

In article <42281.26daa0ee@vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au> hadgraft@civeng.monash.edu.au (Roger Hadgraft) writes:
>I have heard a rumour that a conversion utility exists for converting Hypercard
>stacks into ToolBook applications. Can anyone confirm the rumour?


I just recently purchased a copy of ConvertIt! from Heizer Software
(Pleasant Hill, CA, USA, Phone 415-943-7667) which does in fact let you
convert HyperCard stacks to ToolBook books.  It seems to work as
advertised.  So far I have only tried the conversion on a sample stack
they provide and on one somewhat larger stack I developed.  They both
worked, although both the export process on the Mac and the import under
ToolBook are incredibly slow.  But it's certainly faster than re-doing
everything under ToolBook!  The technique they use is to create a text
file (in a format called the "Hypermedia Interchange File Format" (tm),
or HIFF) that describes the contents of the HyperCard stack in a readable
way.  You then transfer this text file to the PC and import it into
ToolBook using their conversion utility.  Apparently they are promoting
this HIFF as an open standard that others can use for converting
hypermedia documents between different formats.  A spec of HIFF is
included with ConvertIt!

Tom Tullis
tomt@ashtate.A-T.com