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From: mikef@samba (Michael Freedburg)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Subject: Convert-It!! Hypercard to Toolbook
Keywords: Convert-It!, Toolbook, Hypercard
Message-ID: <2019@beguine.UUCP>
Date: 21 Dec 90 14:23:22 GMT
Sender: usenet@beguine.UUCP
Lines: 38

Sorry for the empty post, nothing got appended last time. So here goes:

I have done some conversions with Convert-It, first on some small test
stacks and then on a major 800K stack with all sorts of graphics,
buttons, but only some simple scripts.
Two step process:
First convert the stack to a HIFF file on the mac, Convert-It! has a
stack which creates this for you from a selected stack. This HIFF file
is a text file which describes in detail exactly what is in the stack
and where it is, its properties, and so on. This file will be larger
than the stack in every case. With the 800K stack, the HIFF file was 1.4
megs, so a major increase in size.
You then need to get the file over to the PC (all sorts of options, we
used the Novell network to get it over). We used a Model 60 to run the
Convert-It! book under Toolbook, where you have some options as to how
you want the translation to go. Well, after a number of efforts and
hours of waiting, we found that Toolbook has some limitations which
Convert-It cannot overcome: 64K limit on the entire page, and a 32K
limit on the page graphic, or something like that. Well, everything we
did went over this limit, so things did not go well.
Some recommendations: USE A FAST MACHINE!!! Color in Toolbook really
slows things down.....
Make sure that your stack is small enough that the conversion will not
create pages larger than the legal limit in Toolbook. One could always
build the stack as small modules, convert them, and then reassemble then
in Toolbook. Keep in mind that Toolbook does not offer bitmap graphics,
only object oriented a la MacDraw.
Convert-It will also do its best to convert the Hypertalk to OpenScript,
but again this can really cause problems. The one thing that the
Convert-It toolbook does really nicely is convert or translate single
lines of Hypertalk into Openscript.
I can recommend this type of conversion for small projects, but if you
are planning to do something large, break it down, and convert it in
small pieces. Otherwise you may be better served beginning from scratch
with Toolbook and take advantage of its features.
Subject: Convert-It!
Newsgroups: comp.sys.mac.hypercard
Keywords: ConvertIt, Toolbook, Hypercard