Re: Exporting FrameMaker to Word7

[Dave Swenson <Dave_Swenson -at- TRENDMICRO -dot- COM>]

Here's how I do it (improvements, refinements are welcome):

1. In Frame 5.5, save as RTF rather than Word, as the conversion is most
accurate. (This can be slow. For a chapter with 20 or so graphic it took my
Pentium 166 about 30-40 min. to grind out the .rtf.).

By the way, embedded graphics are no problem, however you may need to batch
convert all the Illustrator formats to .emf, .bmp, .jpg or something that
Word will recognize.

2. Open the first chapter, then use Word's import file to add each chapter
to the first chapter, saving often (keep as rtf).

3. Still in word, search & replace all manual line feeds

4. Save the entire file as Word file, using Microsoft's free converter to
save up from Word 95 to Word 97 format if necessary.

5. Wha La. You're done.


As for Frame-->PageMaker, just give up now. Really. I mean it. Drop it and
run as fast as you can in any direction . (I've asked Adobe many times for a
tool to go back and forth between, but they have nothing. I've done it
before, but, sorry, I forget how. I just remember is was a very unpleasant
task.)

P.S., this is all relative to WinTel. I don't know Mac.

Best Regards,

David Swenson
Technical Writer
Trend Micro, Inc.
Tel: (408) 863-6342
Email: david_swenson -at- trendmicro -dot- com
Check your hard drive for viruses: http://housecall.antivirus.com



> -----Original Message-----
> From: David Warren [SMTP:David -dot- Warren -at- NEXTEL -dot- COM]
> Sent: Thursday, May 21, 1998 2:33 PM
> To:   TECHWR-L -at- LISTSERV -dot- OKSTATE -dot- EDU
> Subject:      Re: Exporting FrameMaker to Word7
>
>      Howdy!
>
>      From bitter experience, do not expect the export-to-word process to
> be
>      easy.  You will have to break the document up into at least
>      chapter-sized files to have a hope of manipulating and printing the
>      book, especially a book rich in screenshots and other graphics.
>
>      The prospect of re-converting the files back to Frame is none too
> puny
>      either.  Perhaps you should gently explain to the manager who is
>      requesting these acrobatics that you shall loose most of your
>      formatting...sometimes the human problem is easier to deal with than
>      the cyberian.
>
>      I bet the PM-->Frame conversion would go more smoothly, since both
> are
>      now Adobe products.  Check their web site for current info.  My gut
>      feeling (and since I am quite fat, I can't ignore it) is that the
>      conversion would go more smoothly if you convert from
>      PM5/Mac-->PM6.5/Mac-->Frame5.5/Mac.  If management has forced your
>      shop to leave the Mac for political reasons and you *must* use a
>      Wintel machine, do the Mac-->PC conversion in Frame.
>
>      Good luck on this Sisyphean task.
>
>      David T. Warren
>      Publications Manager, Nextel Communications
>
>
> ______________________________ Reply Separator
> _________________________________
> Subject: Exporting FrameMaker to Word7
> Author:  Amy Janczy <janczy -at- gilson -dot- com> at INTERNET
> Date:    5/21/98 12:06 AM
>
>
> Does anyone have to export completed Frame manuals (200+, lots of
> linked Illustrator graphics) to Word7 for final approval/printing?
> I'm being asked to do this with the following requests:
>
> - I produce ONE  (obviously giant) Word file containing resident, not
> linked graphics - there is a feeling that people would be 'confused'
> about linked graphics, even with a very clear, local file structure
> set up on the network
>
> - I am able to then import any changed Word documents back into
> FrameMaker and hopefully not take more than a day to do my "cleanup",
> which I'm assuming would involve re-setting all my index and TOC tokens
> (or the Frame equivalent of this).  (I personally feel they ought to
> simply tell me what minor changes they made - like to the cover page
> re: printing date or some typo stuff.)
>
> - Also, does anyone know if you can quickly convert PageMaker 6.5
> documents into Frame?  All our manuals are now in PM 5.something and
> were mostly done on the Mac.
>
>
> Amy Janczy
> Gilson, Inc.
> Madison, WI
>
> ~
>
> ~
>