Subject: Re: Feature suggestion: RTF with .doc extension
From: Ralph Shumaker (rafaelzap2@netzero.net)
Date: Fri Nov 09 2001 - 04:55:10 CST
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Hey, Paul. I decided to write a little program for you. I wrote it
in regular old basic and even turned it into a standalone self
executable program. I'm including both just in case you may be
interested in either one but not the other. The basic file is only
736 bytes. Making it self executable pumped it up to 39,003 bytes.
If all you need to do is to rename .rtf files to .doc files, just
have my program somewhere in your path, shell out to DOS in the home
directory of your .rtf files, and execute. It even deals with long
filenames and leaves case intact. (I still recommend that you first
test it in a non-valuable test directory.)
Basically, it will rename *.rtf to *.doc in the current directory.
There are no switches or anything. If there are any pre-existing
.doc file with the same name, it will list the .rtf that could not
be renamed and move on. If you run it a second time on the same
unchanged directory, it will complain again about the same
conflicting filenames, but will have already renamed all the
non-conflicting filenames on the first run. In other words, each
successive run will only re-list the conflicts.
The only thing you would need to watch out for is that it writes a
temporary file into the current directory by the name "filelist.tmp"
and does not warn you about it. And when the program is done, it
deletes its temp file.
Paul van der Vlis wrote:
>
> Alan Horkan wrote:
>
> > i suggested this before but ive given up on it. it was clearly agreed
> > among the developers that users should type the three chars rtf
> > themselves, and we could not think of a way around it that did not feel
> > like cheating users. You cant argue with best practice.
> >
> > I think the rename .rtf to .doc hack has been clearly explained in the
> > documentation, although im not sure. You dont have to be a developer to
> > contribute documentation, clipart, templates, tutorials, marketing.
> >
> > if abiword is behaving you should be able to override the automatic
> > addition of the .doc extension by specifying .doc but writing the name
> > into the box in inverted commas
> > "filename.rtf"
>
> This is a very good idea. I tested it with Abi 0.9.4.1 and it doesn't
> work with quotes (the filename is written with quotes), but it works
> without quotes!
>
> So I simply make a file "filename.doc" and save it with the RTF format.
> It is not renamed to "filename.doc.rtf" or "filename.rtf" as I would
> expect. This is really good.
>
> The only thing I maybe miss, is an option like "save default in ...
> format " in the preferences.
>
> > (if it doesn't then its a bug)
>
> > You should also be able to rename a text document as .doc but abiword
> > failed me a while back and i have yet to verify it with the latest
> > version and file a bug report (a game manual actually did this).
>
> >
>
> > The flaw is not in Abiword, the flaw is that user dont know any better.
>
> > The only solution is education and i will continue to tell people that
> > they should rename rtf files with the .doc extension and Microsoft
> > windows users will be none the wiser.
> >
> > 90% of the Microsoft Word documents i get sent never needed to be in
> > doc format, if it text then cut and paste it and send me an email (even
> > html email is better than .doc).
>
> This is the same for me, but in an office where people are working
> together it's different.
>
> > there is some feature to do wit the default extension (and i dont think
> > it is the autosave but i may be mistaken) maybe hub can elaborate.
>
> Would be interesting. Not a default extention, but a default format.
>
> > It is highly unlikely that the devopers will implement this feature, but
> > perhaps you could convince someone to do it as an unnoficial
> > wrapper/plugin (it would simply be just another exporter).
> >
> > gotta go, im on a dailup connection it costs money.
> >
> > Sincerely
> > Alan Horkan
>
> With regards,
> Paul van der Vlis.
>
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-- Ralph (upstart Perl programmer) mailto:rafaelzap2@netzero.net Less frequently accessed alternate: mailto:rafaelzap@juno.comI don't mind living in a man's world... as long as I can be a woman in it. M. Monroe
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