Batch file conversion to Word 2007

[Ned23]

Does anyone know how to do batch coversions from older file formats to Word
2007?

We have a large archive of Wordperfect files that I would like to convert to
Word 2007. Word 2003 had a batch converston macro but I cannot find it on
Word 2007.

If we cannot convert these, we will have to re-install Wordperfect 12 and
temporarily halt our switchover to Word 2007.

 

[Graham Mayor]

If the Word Perfect filter is installed, put the files in a folder and run
the following macro to open them and save as docx. The original is left in
the same folder. I would suggest testing it on a small number of files.

Why don't you simply open them and save them as docx as you use them? Why
bother converting on mass?

Sub SaveAllAsDOCX()
Dim strFileName As String
Dim strDocName As String
Dim strPath As String
Dim oDoc As Document
Dim fDialog As FileDialog
Set fDialog = Application.FileDialog(msoFileDialogFolderPicker)

With fDialog
.Title = "Select folder and click OK"
.AllowMultiSelect = False
.InitialView = msoFileDialogViewList
If .Show <> -1 Then
MsgBox "Cancelled By User", , "List Folder Contents"
Exit Sub
End If
strPath = fDialog.SelectedItems.Item(1)
If Right(strPath, 1) <> "\" Then strPath = strPath + "\"
End With

If Documents.Count > 0 Then
Documents.Close SaveChanges:=wdPromptToSaveChanges
End If
If Left(strPath, 1) = Chr(34) Then
strPath = Mid(strPath, 2, Len(strPath) - 2)
End If
strFileName = Dir$(strPath & "*.doc")

While Len(strFileName) <> 0
Set oDoc = Documents.Open(strPath & strFileName)

strDocName = ActiveDocument.FullName
intPos = InStrRev(strDocName, ".")
strDocName = Left(strDocName, intPos - 1)
strDocName = strDocName & ".docx"
oDoc.SaveAs FileName:=strDocName, _
FileFormat:=wdFormatDocumentDefault
oDoc.Close SaveChanges:=wdDoNotSaveChanges
strFileName = Dir$()
Wend
End Sub

http://www.gmayor.com/installing_macro.htm

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Ned23]

Hi Graham,

Thanks for the response. We have to convert them all because it's a
public records archive. With each iteration of Word it becomes more
difficult to neatly convert older versions of Wordperfect to the latest Word
format. So, the powers that be want everything converted to something as
recent as possible.

On one archive drive alone, we've got 2,263 .wpd files (Word Perfect 8-12)
and 8,621 .doc files that are Word Perfect 2.0-5.0. My unit has over 40,000
files to convert on hard drives.

The alternative is to print them all out using several tons of paper and
send them to paper archives.

 

[Ned23]

So, question to Graham: Is there no batch conversion wizard on 2007? Is
that why you recommended the macro?

 

[Graham Mayor]

There is no batch conversion wizard - indeed no wizards whatsoever. If you
have the wizard from an earlier version it is essentially a template
containing macros. It shouldn't be too difficult to modify it to save as
docx, though I have not looked closely at the code - and in any case it
probably doesn't do any more than the macro.

--
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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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[Ned23]

Okay, thanks for that information. I created a file and assigned your
macro to a command button in the file but the new macro security features of
Word 2007 make this very complicated.

I had planned to send this "button" file to different people in our unit so
that they could convert their own files, folder by folder, however, I think
that explaining to them how to enable the macros is too complicated for their
skill levels.

One would think that when a company like Microsoft successfully out-competes
the competition and basically puts them out of business that they would at
least make an effort to support conversions of their files to MS formats, but
I guess this is not the case.

This is another good argument for me to use to push us to go to Open Office
instead of paying all this money for MS Office 2007 licenses.

 

[Greg Maxey]

See:
http://gregmaxey.mvps.org/Process_Batch_Folder.htm

 

[Ned23]

Thanks Greg,

Do you have a link to the template file for this?

Ned.

 

[Greg Maxey]

The link for the two templates required is on the tips page.

 

[Ned23]

I found it and installed the templates, but the word perfect files end in
..wp or .wpd extentions, not ".doc." Do I need to re-name them all to .doc
before I run the processor?

 

[Greg Maxey]

Ned,

There is a batch process in that addin to process .doc files to .docx files.
If you want to process a batch of WordPerfect files then someone in your IT
dept would need modify the batch process procedure to include WordPerfect
format files and then create conversion procedure. Perhaps I misled you but
I was only providing a means of processing each Word file and not the
specific process.

 

[Ned23]

Thanks for the help Greg. I am about to give up on this for the time
being. I'm about all the "IT" they're going to devote to this project at
the moment.

This really screws up the works because we now need to keep WP for the time
being and the installation of WP it is not compatible and won't run with some
other stuff installed.

 

[Graham Mayor]

You could copy the macro I gave you earlier into a template and save that
template as an add-in in the Word Starup folder and the macro should be
available. The Startup folder is normally a trusted folder to Word 2007. If
you contact me via the link on the home page of my web site, I can add it to
a template with a toolbar button for you. However the conversion will only
be as good as that allowed by the converter and given the radically
different file formats there will be anomalies.

It might be better to batch convert them to Word document format with Word
Perfect while you still have it. I understand WP will save as DOC? Word 2007
will open Word DOC without problem.

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Graham Mayor - Word MVP


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