Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect for Windows

CONVERTR.ZIP contains two macros: ConvertR and BracketR

CONVERTR.WCM (v1.05; 07/09/08)

PURPOSE

"The Converter" is a macro that either deletes or converts previously "marked" -

• draft text <<like this>>

• or existing parenthetical material (like this phrase)

• or "quoted material" (typographical quote marks only; see QC to convert straight quote marks first if necessary)

• or [bracketed text]

• or {text enclosed in braces}

• or text enclosed in symbols (but see Tips below).

Such marked text can either be (a) deleted (the default choice on the pop up menu) or (b) converted into one of the following items.

• normal body text

• footnotes

• endnotes

• WordPerrfect Comments (see also COMMENTR)

• italicized body text

• redlined text

• highlighted text

INSTRUCTIONS

Download and extract the macro from the download file and place it in your default macro folder. (For help see "Downloading..." here.)

If you have NOT yet "marked" draft text in the document -

All you need to do is mark selected text with your own text markers -- such as <<double beginning and ending brackets>> -- to "park" draft material or insert quick annotations, reviewer's comments, passing ideas, etc.

Tip: See the included BRACKETR macro below, which can automate this marking process.

If you HAVE already marked the text with angles, parentheses, brackets, braces, typographical ("curly") quote marks, symbols, etc. -- or they already exist in the document -- just PLAY the macro.

When the menu dialog appears [screen shot]:

• insert (type or paste) the left and right character in the pop up menu's Beginning Markers and Ending Markers fields (without spaces or extra quote marks);

• [optionally] choose to have the macro pause at each item found and prompt you for confirmation (Yes/No) to process it;

• [optionally] choose any of the seven "Convert to..." radio buttons under that section (the default choice is to delete the item and its markers);

• [optionally] choose to retain the beginning and ending markers if converting to redlined or highlighted text (otherwise they are removed);

• [optionally] choose to first convert all existing WordPerfect Comments (made with Insert, Comment) to text -- an operation similar to the author's COMMENTR macro;

• then press OK.

TIPS AND CAUTIONS

☼ You can use almost any "markers"-- keyboard characters, numbers, symbols -- even typographical ("curly") quote marks (but NOT straight quote marks, since they are seen as identical: see sidebar about the QC macro to convert them to typographical and back again).

You can also use WordPerfect symbols (Insert, Symbol -or- Ctrl+w) but not WordPerfect format codes (e.g., [HSpace] codes).

IMPORTANT: The main requirements are that the beginning and ending markers that surround a string of text that you want the macro to process -

(1) must be different -- e.g., <<sample text>> (left and right angle brackets, which are different characters) but not **sample text** (asterisks, which are the same characters);

and

(2) they should have the same number of characters -- e.g., <<<sample text>>> but not <<<sample text> (which is not an equal number or markers on both sides of the text).

☼ You can play CONVERTR any time at to "clean up" your document by removing these items -or- converting them to another form. Once converted to either italics, redline, or highlighted text, you can also delete them anytime later (or just change their formatting) with a macro such as REPLACECODES. [Also see NOTE2TXT, which converts footnotes or endnotes to bracketed text.]

NOTES

¤ The default radio-button choice on the macro's menu is to delete such specially marked text (after optionally prompting you for confirmation).

¤ The other radio buttons let you convert the marked, parenthetical, quoted, or bracketed text to normal text, footnotes, endnotes, WordPerfect comments, italics, redlined text, or highlighted text.

¤ Note that by enabling (ticking) a check box on the bottom of the menu you can convert all existing WordPerfect Comments to "marked" text before the macro begins processing so that they are treated in the same manner as other marked text by the macro. [When done with this operation you are given the option of continuing or returning to the menu (in case you want to quit).]

¤ See also the Limitations section below.

EXAMPLE

After playing the macro, if the document contained some text like this -

... the <<new product>> sample is enclosed ...

and you chose the option to delete it (the default choice), the result will look like this -

... the sample is enclosed ...
[i.e., bracketed text and markers deleted]

On the other hand, if you chose to convert it to normal text, the result will look like this -

... the new product sample is enclosed ...
[i.e., markers are deleted and the text is converted to body text].

WHY USE TEXT MARKERS?

Speed and convenience. While other methods of marking up draft text in WP are available (e.g., highlighting, redlining) this method may be more useful if the marked-up document is shared with non-WordPerfect users or send back and forth as plain text across the Internet.

Also, users who prefer the keyboard to the mouse may find that typing text markers during the draft stage is easier (and faster) than creating customary WP comments or using highlighting.

Finally, some folks (like me) tend to use parentheses more than they probably should. CONVERTR can delete them or convert them to ordinary text, footnotes, etc.

See the enclosed document, CONVERTR.WPD, or annotations at the top of the macro code for more information, tips, etc. Also see NOTE2TXT, which converts footnotes or endnotes to bracketed text.

LIMITATIONS

The macro does not process items inside headers, footers, footnotes, endnotes, or text boxes.

For example, WordPerfect won't let you convert material inside a footnote into a footnote (which would be a "nested" footnote), so the macro does not search for items inside such "substructures."

Further, WordPerfect does not support footnotes in parallel columns. [However, footnotes can be created in newspaper columns. You can change parallel columns to newspaper columns by double-clicking the [Col Def] code in Reveal Codes.]

You should examine the document and make any required (bracketed text) changes in these areas by directly editing them.

BRACKETR.WCM (v1.02; 10/19/06; included with CONVERTR.WCM above)

PURPOSE

"The Bracketer" is a macro that can bracket or "mark" the word at the cursor location, or a block of selected words, with text characters (quote marks, parentheses, brackets, etc.) or symbols.

It might be most useful in conjunction with "The Converter" macro above.

Alternative:

You might also consider creating a custom character style. It can then be applied to any selection of text, and it has the advantage of being easily editable (e.g., to change or remove the type of bracket, add or remove color, etc.) by simply double clicking any instance of its [Style] code.

On the other hand, styles will not be useful with CONVERTR (above) since that macro depends on pairs of text markers, not style codes.

INSTRUCTIONS

Download and extract the macro from the download file and place it in your default macro folder. (For help see "Downloading..." here.)

To bracket the current word or a selection of text, just play the macro. (The cursor must be in body text, not in a header, footer, note, text box, or other substructure.)

Note: Unlike Convertr above, no menu appears.

If desired, you can modify the macro's code (just open it like any other document and follow the instructions at the top) to make it insert markers of your choice.

The macro uses two simple commands to insert the brackets around the text.

The default is to use double angle brackets <<like this>> around words. You can change this to use other text characters, quote marks, or symbols: See the examples at the top of the macro's code.

See also the requirements for both markers in the CommentR section above.

TIP

You can assign this macro to a toolbar button or keystroke combination for quick and easy access.

ALTERNATIVE

Below is a similar macro (in plain text format), modified slightly from one posted by Noal Mellot on WordPerfect Universe, which makes use of a macro Procedure to either bracket selected text -or- the text under the cursor (or at the cursor's position if nothing was selected or the cursor is not on a word).

To copy this code into your WordPerfect program to create a working macro, see here.

Before playing it, just define the preferred text markers you wish to use as brackets in the variables v1 and v2 (as was done below), then Save & Compile the macro from the Macro toolbar. (If it's not visible, use Tools, Macro, Macro Toolbar.)

Note the OPTIONAL SEGMENT to add Redline to the selected material. (Redline is a text attribute, not a simple text color, which means it can be easily and quickly changed -- or removed -- anywhere it appears in the document with a macro such as Replace Codes.) You can delete that entire optional segment if redline is not desired.

// Macro code begins:

// Define two variables to insert the text markers in v1 and v2.
// The marks should be different in kind. E.g., using "#" and "#"
// will NOT work in the 2 commands below, but "<#" and "#>" will
// work. Insert your preferred markers between double quotes:
v1:="<<"
v2:=">>"

pInsertPair(v1; v2) // (call the Procedure)

// OPTIONAL SEGMENT: Add redline to the bracketed text:

QuickmarkSet
MatchExtendSelection
SearchString(v1)
SearchPrevious
AttributeAppearanceToggle(Redline!)
SelectMode(Off!)
BookmarkFind("QuickMark")
PosCharNext // (move past the Redline code)
MatchSelection // (return Search to program default)

// END OF OPTIONAL SEGMENT

Procedure pInsertPair(v1; v2)

If(?BlockActive=0) SelectMode(Off!)

If(StrIsChar(?LeftChar; 1; EqualTo!; AlphaNumeric!|Punctuation!) AND StrIsChar(?RightChar; 1; EqualTo!; AlphaNumeric!|Punctuation!))
SelectWord()
Else
Type(v1; v2)
Return()
EndIf

EndIf
PosSelectBottom() SelectMode(Off!) BookmarkCreate("InsertPair")
ReselectLastSelection()
PosSelectTop() SelectMode(Off!) Type(v1)
BookmarkFind ("InsertPair") BookmarkDelete("InsertPair") Type(v2)
Return()

EndProcedure

// Macro code ends

Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect

Macros, tips, and templates for Corel® WordPerfect® for Windows® © Copyright 1996-2024 by Barry MacDonnell. All Rights Reserved.		Page updated Feb 26, 2021