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Changing Parallel/Newspaper Columns To Tabula
DocumentID: 608620
Revision Date: 29-Feb-96 1:33:25 PM

The information in this document applies to:
WordPerfect® 5.1 for DOS

Problem

Solutions: Convert Parallel Columns to Tabular Columns
To change parallel columns to tabular columns, you must first delete the column definition code. After deleting the definition code, search for hard page codes [HPg] and replace with [Tab] codes.

Sorting/Changing Parallel Columns To Tabular Format
For those customers that really need to sort Parallel or Parallel with Block Protect columns as Tabular type format, or for customers who need to convert these same type of columns to tabs or tabular columns, use the following steps.

The user can block the columns to be converted and save them as a separate file or simply use the complete document. Using the CONVERT.EXE program, convert the saved file to Final Form Text (FFT) format. Then, convert the FFT document back to the WordPerfect format. The conversion process will change the parallel columns to tabular columns. The customer may now retrieve the file and sort the columns. A hard return [HRt] may need to be added manually between records because the convert program strips out any lines or spaces that may have separated records in the parallel type columns. For example:
Instead of -            Fred Sample 123 Anywhere...

                        John Doe 225 North...

The result is -      Fred Sample 123 Anywhere...
                        John Doe 225 North...

If the customer will search and replace [Col Off][HRt] with [Col Off][HRt][HRt] before the file is converted to the FFT format, the needed extra space will be added automatically.

Convert Parallel/Newspaper Columns to ASCII Format (Spaced Columns)
A parallel or newspaper column formatted file that a user wants saved as ASCII can be saved with the column format preserved as spaces by printing to disk with the Standard Printer selected. First select the Standard Printer driver, and then in the Select Printer: Edit screen, select option 2 (Port). Choose option 8 and enter a filename. The file which is created by printing to disk will include spaces for any margins, so the user may want to set the margins to 0" before printing to disk.

You can also follow the steps below to preserve the visual layout of a document in parallel columns after converting it to ASCII text:
1.      Block the information in columns from top to bottom
2.      Press Alt-F7, 2, 1, 2
3.      Delete the newly-created Table Definition code(s)
4.      Adjust the Tab settings to the desired format

Converting Tabular Columns Into Parallel Columns
FYI:
A customer used the following steps to convert tabular columns into parallel columns.
1.      Using Search and Replace (Alt-F2), search for the Tab code and replace with a Hard Page [HPg] (Ctrl-Enter) code
2.      Define the columns (Alt-F7, 1, 3)
3.      Turn the columns on (Alt-F7, 1, 1)
4.      Make sure the cursor is after the Col On code, and perform a search for the Hard Return [HRt] codes, replacing them with [Col On] and [Col Off] codes.
These steps are very similar to the ones for converting a table to parallel columns. (See memo 24270C in the WP51 infobase.)

Convert Tabbed Columns Into Parallel Columns
The following steps may be used to convert tabular columns to parallel columns:
1.      Block the columns to be converted
2.      Press Alt-F7, 2 (Tables), 1 (Create)
3.      At the "Create Table from:" prompt, press 1 (Tabular Column)
4.      Press F7 to exit Table Edit
5.      Press Ctrl-F5, 3 (Save As), 2 (WP 5.0 format)
6.      Name the file and press Enter to save
7.      Retrieve the file at a blank screen

Since tables did not exist in WordPerfect 5.0, any tables saved from WP 5.1 in a WP 5.0 format will be converted to parallel with block protect columns, and will be retrieved as such into WP 5.1.

Answer:

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