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#1
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In Word, how can I see all files (*.*) in "save as"?
I have used Wordperfect for many years and named my files with my own
extensions (not .doc or .wpf). I am converting to Word 2003 and now want to save some form letters and other files in the new format. But the "save as" menu window will not show all files (*.*) so I can overwrite the existing files. Is it even possible to see all the files already present in a subdirectory, no matter the extension? |
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#2
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As you are beginning to discover, you can get yourself into a hopeless
tangle if you try to change the Windows filename extensions. Windows associates applications by extension and even tries (by default) to hide the extensions from you. When you open your WP files in Word, save them with the extension DOC as intended. Windows allows sufficiently long filenames to enable you to determine content and/or you can use separate folders to identify different types. You can use full stops (periods) in the filename, so you could (if you must) save them as wpfilename.ext.doc. To see *.* filenames in the save as dialog enter *.* in the filename box and press TAB -- Graham Mayor - Word MVP My web site www.gmayor.com Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org citizen53 wrote: I have used Wordperfect for many years and named my files with my own extensions (not .doc or .wpf). I am converting to Word 2003 and now want to save some form letters and other files in the new format. But the "save as" menu window will not show all files (*.*) so I can overwrite the existing files. Is it even possible to see all the files already present in a subdirectory, no matter the extension? |
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#3
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On 4/1/05 3:01 AM, "Graham Mayor" wrote:
You can use full stops (periods) in the filename, so you could (if you must) save them as wpfilename.ext.doc. Somewhere I got the impression that isn't a good idea? Daiya |
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#4
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No, it is not, within the SaveAs dialog. Graham has given you some ideas on
file naming. Essentially, you'll need to manually clean up your converted files if you do not change the extension before you first open them. But converted files are not a good thing to be working with, anyway, long term. You want to be creating templates and using those, rather than existing documents, for your new documents. Here is some general info on moving from Word Perfect to Word: Word and Word Perfect work very differently from one another. Each program's methods have strengths and weaknesses; but, if you try to use one of these programs as if it were the other, it is like pushing on a string! You can easily make a lot of extra work for yourself. If you are unwilling to take the time to learn to use Word's methods, you should stick to using Word Pad. You'll have a lot less grief, although you'll miss out on a lot of raw power. See http://www.addbalance.com/word/wordperfect.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...ordPerfect.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...AndGotchas.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RevealCodes.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...Converters.htm http://businesssoft.about.com/comput.../blconvert.htm for information on Word for Word Perfect users. For mo http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...platePart2.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...platePart1.htm http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Number...gExplained.htm http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...latesStore.htm Function Keys In Word 2000 (or later) You can get the function keys to display in a special toolbar at the bottom of the screen if you want (something like pressing F3 twice in WP). The following macro will do this. Sub ShowMeFunctionKeys() Commandbars("Function Key Display").Visible = True End Sub Word's Extend key (F8) gives something similar to block processing. Formatting and Styles Learn about Styles - really learn! http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm I resisted for years and now regret every day of those years because although that string was still very hard to push, it kept getting longer and longer, and had some very important projects tied to it! Once you understand styles and the Word concept of organizing things into Chinese boxes everything falls into place and instead of pushing a string, you can push a button that turns on the very powerful text processing machine known as Microsoft Word and it will start doing your work for you instead of running around behind you trying to undo what you just thought you did. Converting documents Word / Word Perfect Some special characters in Word Perfect documents don't convert well to Word. There is a macro to assist with this described at http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/...html#macroword and can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/WPSymbolConv.bas. This was prepared by Edward Mendelson. Otherwise, look at the macro from http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=212396 Use these on _copies_! As for converting documents from Word Perfect to _use_ in Word... In a word, don't plan on it. I would not recommend using converted documents long-term. They will be filled with formatting anomolies that will get you at the worst time. This is especially true of any documents containing automatic numbering or bullets. Try recreating form documents in Word using the following process: In Word Perfect (if you still have it, in Word if not) save your files as text files. Use your converted files as references to show you how you want your formatting to look. Create a new document in Word and insert the text from the text file. Save this new document as a Word template. Format it the way you want using styles, not direct formatting. Save it again. To use a template within Word, use File = New and pick your template. This will create a new document for you. Merge documents have special problems and should be recreated from text files or retyped in Word. To convert data files, consider generating labels in WP as a document, converting that to Word, and then using http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels...mail_merge.htm to get a new Word data file. Note that conversions usually do create documents that look passable and print OK; the problems I'm referring to have to do with editing / making changes, that is, using the documents long-term. (See below on reusing documents vs. using templates.) Conversion back to Word Perfect: There is a problem (in addition to the ones mentioned for conversion _to_ Word) with Version 2002 (XP) and later of Word. The conversion file only works for conversion _to_ Word, not from Word to Word Perfect! Earlier versions went both ways. To fix this, you need to find the old conversion file WPFT532.CNV from a Word 97 or Word 2000 installation and copy it to your new installation, replacing the file of the same name. Note, the change making the file one-way was done as a security measure. While I don't know of any problems the old file causes, keep the new installation's file somewhere as a backup just in case. Boilerplate and Forms In WP a lot of people use macros to hold chunks of text - boilerplate. In Word this function is filled by Templates, AutoText and AutoCorrect, not macros. Follow the links at http://addbalance.com/word/wordwebre...s.htm#AutoText for more information on these tools. You can use FILLIN and ASK fields or UserForms to query the user. For some form documents, Word's "online forms" work very well. For more about online forms, follow the links at http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customizat...nTheBlanks.htm especially Dian Chapman's series of articles. Reusing Documents vs. Using templates General practice in WP is to have a document and copy and edit it to create a new document. This is not good practice in Word. In Word, construct a good, tight, template for your documents and use that template when constructing new documents. Among other things, this can avoid embarrassing "metadata" (http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/metadata.htm) and things like surprise headers and footers from creeping into new documents. It's a lot of reading, I know. It's OK to chunk it down and do a bit each day, but I would recommend that you make it a top priority to do that bit each day. In the (short) long run, it will save you both time and grief. -- Charles Kenyon Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome! --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn from my ignorance and your wisdom. "citizen53" wrote in message ... I have used Wordperfect for many years and named my files with my own extensions (not .doc or .wpf). I am converting to Word 2003 and now want to save some form letters and other files in the new format. But the "save as" menu window will not show all files (*.*) so I can overwrite the existing files. Is it even possible to see all the files already present in a subdirectory, no matter the extension? |
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#5
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It ruins compatibility with older systems, but is otherwise acceptable.
-- Graham Mayor - Word MVP My web site www.gmayor.com Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org Daiya Mitchell wrote: On 4/1/05 3:01 AM, "Graham Mayor" wrote: You can use full stops (periods) in the filename, so you could (if you must) save them as wpfilename.ext.doc. Somewhere I got the impression that isn't a good idea? Daiya |
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#6
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I have been doing this since MS-DOS, when limited to eight characters, and it
covers thousands of files. It's not a problem with Wordperfect. But you have provided a good shortcut so I can at least see the files. Thanks! "Graham Mayor" wrote: As you are beginning to discover, you can get yourself into a hopeless tangle if you try to change the Windows filename extensions. Windows associates applications by extension and even tries (by default) to hide the extensions from you. When you open your WP files in Word, save them with the extension DOC as intended. Windows allows sufficiently long filenames to enable you to determine content and/or you can use separate folders to identify different types. You can use full stops (periods) in the filename, so you could (if you must) save them as wpfilename.ext.doc. To see *.* filenames in the save as dialog enter *.* in the filename box and press TAB -- Graham Mayor - Word MVP My web site www.gmayor.com Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org citizen53 wrote: I have used Wordperfect for many years and named my files with my own extensions (not .doc or .wpf). I am converting to Word 2003 and now want to save some form letters and other files in the new format. But the "save as" menu window will not show all files (*.*) so I can overwrite the existing files. Is it even possible to see all the files already present in a subdirectory, no matter the extension? |
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#7
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Thanks. This looks like quite a chore. I am feeling discouraged as I have
used WP since the early 80's. So how do I rate comments such as yours? "Charles Kenyon" wrote: No, it is not, within the SaveAs dialog. Graham has given you some ideas on file naming. Essentially, you'll need to manually clean up your converted files if you do not change the extension before you first open them. But converted files are not a good thing to be working with, anyway, long term. You want to be creating templates and using those, rather than existing documents, for your new documents. Here is some general info on moving from Word Perfect to Word: Word and Word Perfect work very differently from one another. Each program's methods have strengths and weaknesses; but, if you try to use one of these programs as if it were the other, it is like pushing on a string! You can easily make a lot of extra work for yourself. If you are unwilling to take the time to learn to use Word's methods, you should stick to using Word Pad. You'll have a lot less grief, although you'll miss out on a lot of raw power. See http://www.addbalance.com/word/wordperfect.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...ordPerfect.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...AndGotchas.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RevealCodes.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...Converters.htm http://businesssoft.about.com/comput.../blconvert.htm for information on Word for Word Perfect users. For mo http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...platePart2.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...platePart1.htm http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Number...gExplained.htm http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...latesStore.htm Function Keys In Word 2000 (or later) You can get the function keys to display in a special toolbar at the bottom of the screen if you want (something like pressing F3 twice in WP). The following macro will do this. Sub ShowMeFunctionKeys() Commandbars("Function Key Display").Visible = True End Sub Word's Extend key (F8) gives something similar to block processing. Formatting and Styles Learn about Styles - really learn! http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm I resisted for years and now regret every day of those years because although that string was still very hard to push, it kept getting longer and longer, and had some very important projects tied to it! Once you understand styles and the Word concept of organizing things into Chinese boxes everything falls into place and instead of pushing a string, you can push a button that turns on the very powerful text processing machine known as Microsoft Word and it will start doing your work for you instead of running around behind you trying to undo what you just thought you did. Converting documents Word / Word Perfect Some special characters in Word Perfect documents don't convert well to Word. There is a macro to assist with this described at http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/...html#macroword and can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/WPSymbolConv.bas. This was prepared by Edward Mendelson. Otherwise, look at the macro from http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=212396 Use these on _copies_! As for converting documents from Word Perfect to _use_ in Word... In a word, don't plan on it. I would not recommend using converted documents long-term. They will be filled with formatting anomolies that will get you at the worst time. This is especially true of any documents containing automatic numbering or bullets. Try recreating form documents in Word using the following process: In Word Perfect (if you still have it, in Word if not) save your files as text files. Use your converted files as references to show you how you want your formatting to look. Create a new document in Word and insert the text from the text file. Save this new document as a Word template. Format it the way you want using styles, not direct formatting. Save it again. To use a template within Word, use File = New and pick your template. This will create a new document for you. Merge documents have special problems and should be recreated from text files or retyped in Word. To convert data files, consider generating labels in WP as a document, converting that to Word, and then using http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels...mail_merge.htm to get a new Word data file. Note that conversions usually do create documents that look passable and print OK; the problems I'm referring to have to do with editing / making changes, that is, using the documents long-term. (See below on reusing documents vs. using templates.) Conversion back to Word Perfect: There is a problem (in addition to the ones mentioned for conversion _to_ Word) with Version 2002 (XP) and later of Word. The conversion file only works for conversion _to_ Word, not from Word to Word Perfect! Earlier versions went both ways. To fix this, you need to find the old conversion file WPFT532.CNV from a Word 97 or Word 2000 installation and copy it to your new installation, replacing the file of the same name. Note, the change making the file one-way was done as a security measure. While I don't know of any problems the old file causes, keep the new installation's file somewhere as a backup just in case. Boilerplate and Forms In WP a lot of people use macros to hold chunks of text - boilerplate. In Word this function is filled by Templates, AutoText and AutoCorrect, not macros. Follow the links at http://addbalance.com/word/wordwebre...s.htm#AutoText for more information on these tools. You can use FILLIN and ASK fields or UserForms to query the user. For some form documents, Word's "online forms" work very well. For more about online forms, follow the links at http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customizat...nTheBlanks.htm especially Dian Chapman's series of articles. Reusing Documents vs. Using templates General practice in WP is to have a document and copy and edit it to create a new document. This is not good practice in Word. In Word, construct a good, tight, template for your documents and use that template when constructing new documents. Among other things, this can avoid embarrassing "metadata" (http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/metadata.htm) and things like surprise headers and footers from creeping into new documents. It's a lot of reading, I know. It's OK to chunk it down and do a bit each day, but I would recommend that you make it a top priority to do that bit each day. In the (short) long run, it will save you both time and grief. -- Charles Kenyon Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome! --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn from my ignorance and your wisdom. "citizen53" wrote in message ... I have used Wordperfect for many years and named my files with my own extensions (not .doc or .wpf). I am converting to Word 2003 and now want to save some form letters and other files in the new format. But the "save as" menu window will not show all files (*.*) so I can overwrite the existing files. Is it even possible to see all the files already present in a subdirectory, no matter the extension? |
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#8
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I'm not sure what you mean by comments such as mine. What I provided you is
a reading list that will help you with the _large_ task of changing from using Word Perfect (a very good program) to using Word (another, different, very good program). It is harder than learning to drive on a different side of the road and not at all intuitive. I don't mean to discourage you but rather let you know that you are not the problem. However, if you aren't willing to spend the kind of time you spent learning Word Perfect on learning Word you are going to be unhappy. I've gone through changing from dedicated Word Processing machines, to using MultiMate to using Word Perfect to using Word. I know what you are going through. -- Charles Kenyon Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome! --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn from my ignorance and your wisdom. "citizen53" wrote in message ... Thanks. This looks like quite a chore. I am feeling discouraged as I have used WP since the early 80's. So how do I rate comments such as yours? "Charles Kenyon" wrote: No, it is not, within the SaveAs dialog. Graham has given you some ideas on file naming. Essentially, you'll need to manually clean up your converted files if you do not change the extension before you first open them. But converted files are not a good thing to be working with, anyway, long term. You want to be creating templates and using those, rather than existing documents, for your new documents. Here is some general info on moving from Word Perfect to Word: Word and Word Perfect work very differently from one another. Each program's methods have strengths and weaknesses; but, if you try to use one of these programs as if it were the other, it is like pushing on a string! You can easily make a lot of extra work for yourself. If you are unwilling to take the time to learn to use Word's methods, you should stick to using Word Pad. You'll have a lot less grief, although you'll miss out on a lot of raw power. See http://www.addbalance.com/word/wordperfect.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...ordPerfect.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...AndGotchas.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/General/RevealCodes.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Genera...Converters.htm http://businesssoft.about.com/comput.../blconvert.htm for information on Word for Word Perfect users. For mo http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...platePart2.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...platePart1.htm http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/templates.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Number...gExplained.htm http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm http://www.mvps.org/word/FAQs/Custom...latesStore.htm Function Keys In Word 2000 (or later) You can get the function keys to display in a special toolbar at the bottom of the screen if you want (something like pressing F3 twice in WP). The following macro will do this. Sub ShowMeFunctionKeys() Commandbars("Function Key Display").Visible = True End Sub Word's Extend key (F8) gives something similar to block processing. Formatting and Styles Learn about Styles - really learn! http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/styles.htm I resisted for years and now regret every day of those years because although that string was still very hard to push, it kept getting longer and longer, and had some very important projects tied to it! Once you understand styles and the Word concept of organizing things into Chinese boxes everything falls into place and instead of pushing a string, you can push a button that turns on the very powerful text processing machine known as Microsoft Word and it will start doing your work for you instead of running around behind you trying to undo what you just thought you did. Converting documents Word / Word Perfect Some special characters in Word Perfect documents don't convert well to Word. There is a macro to assist with this described at http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/...html#macroword and can be found at http://www.columbia.edu/~em36/wpdos/WPSymbolConv.bas. This was prepared by Edward Mendelson. Otherwise, look at the macro from http://support.microsoft.com/?kbid=212396 Use these on _copies_! As for converting documents from Word Perfect to _use_ in Word... In a word, don't plan on it. I would not recommend using converted documents long-term. They will be filled with formatting anomolies that will get you at the worst time. This is especially true of any documents containing automatic numbering or bullets. Try recreating form documents in Word using the following process: In Word Perfect (if you still have it, in Word if not) save your files as text files. Use your converted files as references to show you how you want your formatting to look. Create a new document in Word and insert the text from the text file. Save this new document as a Word template. Format it the way you want using styles, not direct formatting. Save it again. To use a template within Word, use File = New and pick your template. This will create a new document for you. Merge documents have special problems and should be recreated from text files or retyped in Word. To convert data files, consider generating labels in WP as a document, converting that to Word, and then using http://www.gmayor.com/convert_labels...mail_merge.htm to get a new Word data file. Note that conversions usually do create documents that look passable and print OK; the problems I'm referring to have to do with editing / making changes, that is, using the documents long-term. (See below on reusing documents vs. using templates.) Conversion back to Word Perfect: There is a problem (in addition to the ones mentioned for conversion _to_ Word) with Version 2002 (XP) and later of Word. The conversion file only works for conversion _to_ Word, not from Word to Word Perfect! Earlier versions went both ways. To fix this, you need to find the old conversion file WPFT532.CNV from a Word 97 or Word 2000 installation and copy it to your new installation, replacing the file of the same name. Note, the change making the file one-way was done as a security measure. While I don't know of any problems the old file causes, keep the new installation's file somewhere as a backup just in case. Boilerplate and Forms In WP a lot of people use macros to hold chunks of text - boilerplate. In Word this function is filled by Templates, AutoText and AutoCorrect, not macros. Follow the links at http://addbalance.com/word/wordwebre...s.htm#AutoText for more information on these tools. You can use FILLIN and ASK fields or UserForms to query the user. For some form documents, Word's "online forms" work very well. For more about online forms, follow the links at http://word.mvps.org/FAQs/Customizat...nTheBlanks.htm especially Dian Chapman's series of articles. Reusing Documents vs. Using templates General practice in WP is to have a document and copy and edit it to create a new document. This is not good practice in Word. In Word, construct a good, tight, template for your documents and use that template when constructing new documents. Among other things, this can avoid embarrassing "metadata" (http://www.addbalance.com/usersguide/metadata.htm) and things like surprise headers and footers from creeping into new documents. It's a lot of reading, I know. It's OK to chunk it down and do a bit each day, but I would recommend that you make it a top priority to do that bit each day. In the (short) long run, it will save you both time and grief. -- Charles Kenyon Word New User FAQ & Web Directory: http://addbalance.com/word Intermediate User's Guide to Microsoft Word (supplemented version of Microsoft's Legal Users' Guide) http://addbalance.com/usersguide See also the MVP FAQ: http://www.mvps.org/word which is awesome! --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- --------- This message is posted to a newsgroup. Please post replies and questions to the newsgroup so that others can learn from my ignorance and your wisdom. "citizen53" wrote in message ... I have used Wordperfect for many years and named my files with my own extensions (not .doc or .wpf). I am converting to Word 2003 and now want to save some form letters and other files in the new format. But the "save as" menu window will not show all files (*.*) so I can overwrite the existing files. Is it even possible to see all the files already present in a subdirectory, no matter the extension? |
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#9
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Amedee Van Gasse wrote:
Actually it IS possible to use any file extension you want. But you have to rename the file yourself, outside Word. So in theory I think you could write another save dialog in VBA, that does not add the extension. You need neither to do this externally nor use vba. All that is required is that you put your filename in quotes eg "filename.gsm" -- Graham Mayor - Word MVP My web site www.gmayor.com Word MVP web site http://word.mvps.org |
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