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I can't remember who originally asked about this, but I just got a chance
to try EXPORTING a Frame file from FrameMaker 4 to Word or WordPerfect in
the PC/Windows environment.
In an online manual that Frame provides (called "Using Frame Filters" or
something similar), Frame lists the formats that it can IMPORT and describes
what does/doesn't convert (very helpful if you're doing this, BTW). The
only format they list as an EXPORT option, however, is Rich Text Format (RTF),
which you can then pull into other word processing packages.
You can get this text out in one of two ways:
1: use Save As and change the format to RTF, then use a new file name.
2: Select the text (Select all in flow) and copy it (to the clipboard). Then
go into your windows-based word processor and paste.
I tried option 2 with a two-page letter that contained a table. I selected
all of the text in the flow and copied it, then started WordPerfect 5.2 for
Windows and pasted the text into a new document. All of the text above the
table came in as Courier (the original had been Times). The table itself
converted nicely. The text after the table used the Times face, but it was
not formatted properly. I did not try anything with bulleted or numbered lists.
(Nor did I try anything with graphic images. The Filters document also
describes graphics formats that Frame can import/export.)
IMHO, this option is acceptable if you use tables and want to
keep them; otherwise, you're just about as well off saving the Frame file as
a Text Only file. In either case, you lose any headers, footers, or anything
else that was on your master pages.
If you want more details, try contacting Frame directly. You can reach them
via e-mail with this address:
comments -at- frame -dot- com
--
Charles Fisher
Senior Documentation Specialist
Program Manager/President-Elect, STC Washington DC Chapter
Datatel, Inc.
4375 Fair Lakes Court
Fairfax, VA 22033
(703) 968-4588 (voice)
(703) 968-4625 (FAX)
charles -at- datatel -dot- com
