K
Kenlark
Can't find the document convertors to allow 2004 Word to open 2008 Word .docx files.
Is it available as a download?
Is it available as a download?
K
Kenlark
Silly me.
It was the Beta solution sitting at number one in support.
My mind turned off the possibility of using a beta product out of habit.
What is up with conversion to RTF? Can you have it convert to .doc?
It was the Beta solution sitting at number one in support.
My mind turned off the possibility of using a beta product out of habit.
What is up with conversion to RTF? Can you have it convert to .doc?
C
Corentin Cras-Méneur
There is a beta version, It's called "Microsoft Office Open XML File
Format Converter for Mac 0.2.1 (Beta)" and it's featured on
<http://www.microsoft.com/mac/downloads.mspx>
Corentin
J
John McGhie
The OOXML Converter is an external application.
RTF = Rich Text Format, it's an interchange format designed by Microsoft to
enable other applications to exchange "rich" files (i.e. Those containing
more than just formatted text).
The converter converts to something that all previous versions of Office can
read and write. If you then open the file in the older application, you can
save it as .doc if you wish.
So: No, you cannot have the Converter convert to .doc, but Word will
convert the RTF to .doc
The reason they chose RTF is because it is an "extensible" format. Any
application can write anything it likes into an RTF file. Any reading
application decodes whatever it understands, and leaves the rest alone.
The new Open Office XML file formats have this same ability. "XML" stands
for "eXtensible Markup Language". Any application can extend the format to
contain its favourite artefacts. You cannot tell in advance what the file
is going to contain. But the rules are the same: "Decode what you can, and
leave the rest of the information alone ‹ it is not for you!"
For example: There are many things that Word 2007 can write into a file
that Word 2004 cannot edit. The converter will re-express this into the RTF
file along with everything else.
Word 2004 will display and edit whatever it can and leave the rest. But if
Word 2004 is ever extended in the future to be able to handle one of these
things (for example: SmartArt...) it will be in the file, available to be
edited. If you work on the file in Word 2004 and send it back to Word 2007,
all its special secret things are still in the file, and Word 2007 can
expect to find them undamaged.
I think that's what you needed to know?
Cheers
--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/
Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
RTF = Rich Text Format, it's an interchange format designed by Microsoft to
enable other applications to exchange "rich" files (i.e. Those containing
more than just formatted text).
The converter converts to something that all previous versions of Office can
read and write. If you then open the file in the older application, you can
save it as .doc if you wish.
So: No, you cannot have the Converter convert to .doc, but Word will
convert the RTF to .doc
The reason they chose RTF is because it is an "extensible" format. Any
application can write anything it likes into an RTF file. Any reading
application decodes whatever it understands, and leaves the rest alone.
The new Open Office XML file formats have this same ability. "XML" stands
for "eXtensible Markup Language". Any application can extend the format to
contain its favourite artefacts. You cannot tell in advance what the file
is going to contain. But the rules are the same: "Decode what you can, and
leave the rest of the information alone ‹ it is not for you!"
For example: There are many things that Word 2007 can write into a file
that Word 2004 cannot edit. The converter will re-express this into the RTF
file along with everything else.
Word 2004 will display and edit whatever it can and leave the rest. But if
Word 2004 is ever extended in the future to be able to handle one of these
things (for example: SmartArt...) it will be in the file, available to be
edited. If you work on the file in Word 2004 and send it back to Word 2007,
all its special secret things are still in the file, and Word 2007 can
expect to find them undamaged.
I think that's what you needed to know?
Cheers
--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/
Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
S
Steve
Will a final version (non-beta) be released any time soon?
J
John McGhie
Yes
I suspect they are waiting for the National-Language versions of Office to
ship (non-English...) so it includes the ability to handle those languages.
I would be expecting "February 15th" or thereabouts. They are still testing
it to make sure it's bullet-proof.
Cheers
--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/
Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
I suspect they are waiting for the National-Language versions of Office to
ship (non-English...) so it includes the ability to handle those languages.
I would be expecting "February 15th" or thereabouts. They are still testing
it to make sure it's bullet-proof.
Cheers
--
Don't wait for your answer, click here: http://www.word.mvps.org/
Please reply in the group. Please do NOT email me unless I ask you to.
John McGhie, Consultant Technical Writer
McGhie Information Engineering Pty Ltd
http://jgmcghie.fastmail.com.au/
Nhulunbuy, Northern Territory, Australia
+61 4 1209 1410, mailto:[email protected]
S
Steve
Thanks for the info!