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Introduction

If your text looks anything like these pictures below, this means you have reached the right place and it is because you have not used the proper file conversion techniques.

 

Pipedream This is some text formatted in PipedreamImage Removedshowing the effect of loading the wrong type of fileImage Added

 

This is a PipeDream file loaded as a 'plain text' file. Notice the PipeDream codes that are normally hidden.

 

Pipedream file loaded as 'plain text'Image Removedshowing the effect of loading the wrong type of fileImage Added

This is a 'plain text' file loaded as a PipeDream file. PipeDream cannot find its codes, so it displays the text all in Column A.

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With the PC Link II program four DOS file conversion programs are provided.

These are

  • WTP (WordStar To Pipedream),
  • PTW (Pipedream To Wordstar)
  • LTP (Lotus to Pipedream)
  • PTL (Pipedream to Lotus)

These programs can be used as a useful stepping stone to wordprocessors and spreadsheet programs used today.

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titleInfo

These links may be out-of-date now. They will be updated - unless you know where they are now!

Also, to run these old DOS programs now, they will need to be run on a DOS emulator. These will be updated eventually...

 

Getting Word to convert file formats from other Word-processors

Office logoImage Modified

Word is not normally able to convert from other word-processor files including WordStar documents.

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Two of these are 'Recover text from any file' and WordStar. To download this click here.

Before Conversion

Wordprocessing

If possible all text should be in column A on the Z88. Multiple columns are supported but due to different rules inposed by different wordprocessors, the results you get may not be what you expected

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Once you have done this, transfer the file to the PC using one of the Z88 to PC transfer programs e.g. Eazylink (or PC Link) and save it to a Pipedream files directory.

Methods

Two methods are described here:-

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The second method is more long winded. It uses WTP / PTW (see below) which retains page layout commands.

Using WTP/PTW

The simplest method of using these programs in Windows in to copy the programs (WTP.EXE, PTW.EXE) in your "Documents & Settings" section. Create and use the same directory as the files you wish to convert. This saves working out the pathnames which look different under DOS in the case of long file-names.

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Any characters that were unrecognised and shown in the error messages will be shown as <96> and <92> and can be easily replaced using Find and replace.

Other Solutions

Here is a Macro called "Z". Copy the file into Word via WordPad (as before), but instead of doing the subsequent actions separately, put the cursor at the beginning and do Ctrl-Z, and there you are. It may not be optimised, but it works. It includes adding the Normal document style, and UK spelling.

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