Saving graphics as WMF files

[David Robinson]

Can some one help me with this?

If I use the Draw feature in Word to create a graphic, is there any way in
which I can save this graphic as a WMF file for subsequent use elsewhere?
Or is there an independent Microsoft package for creating and editing WMFs?

David Robinson

 

[Douglas F.]

There are a bunch of Win32 SDK functions concerning metafiles, but one has
to utilize C, or the one I use is Delphi to deal with metafiles or .wmf
files. One can easily convert a .bmp to .wmf or visa versa using Delphi.
If you decide to go with Delphi, I can provide the code for .bmp conversion.
I also utilize .wmf for a print preview for a report. Otherwise, that is
about all I know about it.

 

[David Robinson]

Thanks Douglas, but unfortunately it doesn't answer my question!

What I want to do is to be able to create a vector graphic and store it as a
vector graphic. For example I can call down (eg into Word) a bit of
Microsoft clipart, ungroup it, change colours, add bits etc. and then
regroup. This all works fine in my document, but there seems to be no way
of saving my revised graphic back, in vector form, as a WMF file. The
BMP/GIF/JPG formats, because they are effectively bitmaps, lose all the
information about how the picture was put together.

The ironic thing is that I already have a WMF file of a logo which I created
years ago, which I can call down, ungroup and modify however I want, but I
cannot remember for the life of me how I created it in the first place!!
This is the real frustration - to have done something once and then not to
be able to repeat it. Did Word 97 offer features that Word 2000 doesn't?

David Robinson

 

[David Robinson]

Hi Douglas

Further to my query, I think I have answered my own question. Serif
DrawPlus, which I have on my computer, provides all the features I need, and
this must have been how I created my original graphic.

Nevertheless I am surprised that Microsoft doesn't appear to have a standard
marketed product that creates and manipulates WMF graphics. After all it is
the format in which all their clip art is provided, and WMF stands for
Windows MetaFile! Or am I wrong?

David