Note
The
download file
CODE2TXT.ZIP contains two macros.
Both macros are named -
Change attribute codes to text markers.wcm
- but there are different version numbers in their filenames.
For
WordPerfect 9 and later use the one with the higher version number.
(See Download box at
left.) |
Purpose
This macro (Change attribute codes to text markers.wcm) can -
• change text bracketed
by pairs of WordPerfect
format codes (e.g., [Bold On]...[Bold Off])
to the same text bracketed by pairs
of user-defined plain-text markers (e.g., <B>...</B>)
or do
the opposite -
• change text bracketed
by pairs of user-defined text
markers (e.g.,
<B>...</B>) to the same text bracketed by pairs of WordPerfect format
codes (e.g., [Bold On]...[Bold Off]).
The first function (convert
format codes to text markers) is useful when converting
(saving) a document to ASCII or ANSI text but you want to identify the
old text attributes (i.e., paired format codes) with unique text
markers, such as
HTML tags or to replace WordPerfect format codes with Folio, Ventura
Publisher, InDesign, or QuarkXpress markup codes, etc.
The second function
(convert
text markers to format codes) can be useful to restore a
document saved after converting from codes to text markers with the
first function, or whenever you want to convert identical, "marked"
strings of text to formatted text (e.g., bold, redline, etc.). Note
that you can also use it to convert text "marked" with ordinary words
(up
to 20 characters) and/or symbols (inserted with <Ctrl+W>).
The WordPerfect
attribute
codes that can be converted (in v2.13+) are:
Italics
Bold
Underline
Double Underline
Small caps
Redline
Strikeout
Shadow
Outline
|
Superscript
Subscript
Fine
Small
Large
Very Large
Extra Large
Highlight *
|
You can choose any
-- or
all -- of these codes from a menu. You can also choose to retain the
original paired format codes after converting the codes/markers, and/or
delete
all 'empty' code pairs (i.e., a pair of on/off codes without anything
between them, such as [Bold][Bold]).
You might notice
that some format codes such as [Color] are not listed. That is because
they are not paired codes,
even though they can be turned off later in the document with a
corresponding code of the same type (in this example, a different
[Color] code). On the other hand, the text attribute codes above are paired codes
consisting of an "on" code and an "off" code.
Perhaps
the best way to see what the macro does is to play it on a document
that contains typical paired format codes such as bold,
italics, and/or underlines (or any combination), using the first
option on the macro's menu. These codes should be converted to the text
markers you have chosen.
----------
*
Please be aware that changing highlighting codes to text markers (such
as <H> and </H>) changes all instances of
highlighting regardless of the highlight color, and
changing text markers back to highlighting uses the current
highlight color -- i.e., the one chosen on the main toolbar (or with
Tools, Highlight, Color). This is a limitation of the program's macro language, not the macro itself.
Instructions
Download and extract the desired macro using
the link in the left sidebar.
Place the extracted macro in your Default or Supplemental macro folder.
(See "Downloading..." for more help if you need it.)
Be sure to read the rest of this page before using the macro.
Then -
[1] Back up your document.
[2] Play the macro.
[3] An initial menu will
appear [screen shot] to let you choose from the two basic options. Choose one of them
and click OK.
[4] A two-page menu of options will
appear. [Screen shot of first options page with 3 items activated; screen shot of second page (a continuation of first page).]
On the menus you can -
•
optionally modify any beginning and ending markers for any item in
those menu pages by deleting the entries in the fields;
then
• check (i.e., tick) the adjacent checkbox to activate that item; then
• check (i.e., tick) of clear (un-tick) the optional checkbox choices at the bottom of the menu pages; and then
• click OK.
Note:
Be sure to make the beginning and ending text markers different in some way (for example, <B>...</B> and not <B>...<B>).
This is much more reliable than using identical markers for beginnings
and endings -- both for you in creating the markers in a document and
for the macro in finding them.
If the chosen
menu item(s) is found the macro will change the item(s) to the paired
markers (or paired format codes) shown on the same menu
line(s) as the items you activated (i.e., ticked).
Tips
☼ It probably goes without
saying, but ... always make a backup of your document before making
extensive changes to it.
☼ To see how the macro works, open a
new blank document and enter some text to which you can either add a
text attribute (e.g., Bold) to some words or add text markers to some
words. Then play the macro using the appropriate function -- format codes to text markers or text markers to format codes. Repeat the test with any of the other options enabled.
☼ If you plan use the first
menu option -- convert format codes to text markers
-- but your document has some formatting that is undersirable (e.g.,
underlines) that should be first changed to other formatting (e.g.,
italics), you can do this (as a separate operation) with the
ReplaceCodes macro in the Library.
Then use the Change attribute codes to text markers macro to change the new formatting to your
desired text markers.
☼ If you use the second
menu option -- convert text markers to format codes
-- you can also change text bracketed with markers to WordPerfect
styles by first changing the text markers to format codes
not used elsewhere in your document -- such
as Redline or Shadow (anything but Outline) or Extra Large -- and then
(in a separate operation) use the ReplaceCodes macro
to change the Redline or Shadow or Extra Large text into your desired
style, such as one of the built-in Heading styles. For example, you
could chnage <h2>...</h2> into Heading 2. Note
that, unlike changing to format codes ("text
attributes"), you cannot reverse this procedure with this macro
(though you should be able to do it using Edit, Undo), so you might
want to ensure you have made a backup first. (Thanks to Victor Warner
for this tip.)
Modifications
Modify menu options "on the fly": When you play the macro you can modify the text markers directly on the pop up menus.
To set menu defaults:
Various choices -- menu checkboxes, default text markers, etc. -- that
are displayed on menus when the macro plays can be set in the redlined User Modification Area
at the top of the macro code. Simply open the
macro with Tools, Macro, Edit and follow the instructions and examples
in the Modification Area.
Known
Limitations
1. A small WordPerfect issue causes the macro to NOT be able to
find and process format codes that might have been inserted inside
a WordPerfect [Style] code (including standard paragraph Headings and
Outlines), inside text variables, or inside a [Delay] code.
Because such
formatting is designed to be relatively "hidden" from view, the macro
does not "see" the codes that cause the formatting. This is a program
issue ("working as designed"), not an issue with this macro.
2. The macro will not
process the "redline" and "strikeout" codes produced by File,
Document, Review (or Compare). Those codes are very different from the
normal attribute codes for redline and strikeout (i.e., [Redline] and
[StkOut]) accessible from the property bar (toolbar) or from Format,
Font. (For some more information on the Review/Compare features see here.)
3. Starting with
WordPerfect X4, a new Tools, Redaction feature can mark text for deletion.
However, the marks are "seen" as ordinary gray highlighting by both
Edit, Find and Replace and by a macro's Search commands. Hence, the
macro will skip over these items in WPX4+ (but not if the document is
opened in WPX3 or earlier, where these codes will be seen as normal
highlighting). A message will display to inform you about these codes
and prompt you to deal with them separately.
4. The second choice on
the initial menu ("Convert text markers to WordPerfect format codes")
does not process items inside headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, or
text boxes. There are limitations in the macro language that make the
process unreliable with the way the macro is coded.
5. [Follow on to #4:] You should examine the
document and make any required changes in these areas by directly
editing them. You can use the File, Document, Compare method to produce
a comparison with the original document, which should make it easier to
find any discrepancies.
6. [Update 2014:] A user reported that
using double quote marks (")
with the replacement text produces
problems (macro hangs, bad formatting). Although at the time it was
only one report, a suggested solution was offered to use only
alphanumeric
characters surrounded by angle brackets, square brackets, or
parentheses. However...
[Update 2019:] Another user reported success by using pairs of double quote marks (a.k.a. double-double quotes) wherever a double quote mark is to appear inside a string that is also surrounded in double quotes. Hence the general syntax would be: "...""item""...". This tells the program to use actual double quote marks around the item in the string of characters. [Example of storing a text string in a macro variable (vText) where the text string also contains a quoted word: vText="She said ""Hello"" to him."]
Page Top
|