Importing docs from Word question

[Diane Gaskill]

John,

We've done a lot of what you are starting to do. But we are using FM8, which
has a good Word to FM import filter.  FM7 does not.  The easiest way to
export the graphics from a word file to files in a directory is to save the
word file as HTML. Word will export all the graphics into GIF files.  The
names will all be just numbers, but they are in the order that they appear
in the manual.  You will have to sort them out by chapter and probably
rename them.

The next step is to decide when to break up the word file into chapters.
You can import the whole word file and then break it up in FM, or you can
break up the word file into chapters and import each chapter into FM
separately.  For smaller manuals (100 pages or less, I import the whole word
file and then break it up.  For larger manuals, I break up the word file
first.  Since your word doc is (omigosh) 1000 pages, I'd recommend you break
it up in word.

In FM8, we use the Microsoft 2007 filter when importing the word file.  It
creates frames for all the graphics, but leaves them embedded in the frames.
You have to delete the graphics and import the GIF files manually.  However,
if you have Framescript, you can automate all of this.  Rick Quatro is the
expert on FrameScript.  Maybe he can comment on this.

Hope this helps,
Diane Gaskill
=====================

-----Original Message-----
From: framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com
[mailto:framers-bounces at lists.frameusers.com]On Behalf Of John Hedtke
Sent: Sunday, April 26, 2009 4:30 PM
To: framers at lists.frameusers.com
Subject: Importing docs from Word question


I've got a challenge at work I've been asked to work on:

Starting with a Word document of about 1000 pages
(don't ask; I didn't do it) and 2187 graphics
(again, not my fault!), we want to turn this into
a working FM 7.x document that has the graphics
no longer embedded and instead stored off in a
graphics directory of some kind and linked at the
appropriate places in the Frame
document.  There's not always an associated
figure caption, so naming of the graphics is
going to have to be something pretty arbitrary
(even if it’s only
 oh
 a page number from the Word document or something).

For the obvious reasons, including the writer who
has to work on this possibly beating himself to
unconsciousness with his keyboard, I'd like to
automate as much of this process for him as
possible.  I haven't done any huge imports like
this before and the question of how to extract
the embedded graphics and replace them with a
link is not something I've dealth with
before.  Is this best done BEFORE the import
(using, say, a Word macro or manipulating the RTF
file), AFTER the import (using a FrameScript or
some sequence of find/replaces on the MIF file), or via some other
mechanism?

Many thanks!


Yours truly,

John Hedtke
Author/Consultant/Contract Writer
www.hedtke.com <-- website
541-685-5000 (office landline)
541-554-2189 (cell)
john at hedtke.com (primary email)
johnhedtke at aol.com (secondary email)

_______________________________________________


You are currently subscribed to Framers as dgcaller at earthlink.net.

Send list messages to framers at lists.frameusers.com.

To unsubscribe send a blank email to
framers-unsubscribe at lists.frameusers.com
or visit
http://lists.frameusers.com/mailman/options/framers/dgcaller%40earthlink.net

Send administrative questions to listadmin at frameusers.com. Visit
http://www.frameusers.com/ for more resources and info.