RE: Error on importing Word file to Frame+SGML

[David Cramer <dacramer@xxxxxxx>]

The main two problem areas in Word files are graphics and 
header/footer anomalies. (That's even when you're staying in Word!) 
As it doesn't sound as though you have graphics in your Word file, 
check for the following header/footer features:

   - variables
   - paragraph indent markers outside the column boundaries

There are other header/footer gremlins, too. One solution to all of 
these problems is to copy and paste (in Word) the document contents 
(well, all except the last paragraph mark in the document--don't 
ask!) into a new, blank document, save, and try importing that 
version into Frame.

The other more drastic but also more dependable solution to importing 
problematic Word documents is, as others have recommended, saving the 
documents (in Word) as RTF, and importing into FrameMaker using the 
Japanese RTF filter. Someone on this list recently pointed out that 
the Japanese RTF filter was commissioned from a different programming 
bunch than the other RTF filters, and was simply a better filter that 
handled *all* RTF better, not just Japanese language RTF.

Note that RTF maintains character and paragraph styles so that the 
Word document's styles will come across into FrameMaker. One caveat, 
however, is that all bullets or autonumbering are converted to text, 
which can be a royal pain in the wazoo.

There is a neat solution to this, however. Hidden in the bowels of 
Word's customization command list (select Tools>Customize and select 
All Commands) is a RemoveBulletsNumbers command. You've gotta stick 
it in a button or assign it a key combination, though. It's not 
accessible otherwise.

But once you've set up the RemoveBulletsNumbers command, just do an 
Edit>Select All of the text in the Word doc, and click the custom 
button or press the custom key combo to strip all of the bullets and 
autonumbering from the Word doc.

Then save as RTF.

When you import the doc into Frame (using the Japanese RTF filter), 
the paragraph styles come through perfectly, you apply your Frame 
template that's got proper bullets and autonumbering, and you're done.

Word really is junk, you know ;-)


On Mon, 11 Feb 2002, RBoyce@sybex.com wrote:
>Date: Mon, 11 Feb 2002 16:20:13 -0800
>From: RBoyce@sybex.com
>Subject: Error on importing Word file to Frame+SGML
>
>I am using FrameMaker 5.56 on a PC and I'm importing a Word 97 file (copy
>into document). This is our standard procedure, and we use a customized
>Word template optimized for this.
>
>However, I have a couple files that are giving me a problem. As the
>progress bar approaches 50% or so, it stops, and then I get this error
>message:
>   The filter encountered an error and could not complete the translation.
>
>I've been trying to figure out what the problem is with the Word files.
>Alas, these files have a checkered past, and none of my usual Word
>troubleshooting techniques has resolved the problem. They *seem* properly
>styled and free of weird stuff. Since the files look ok, I don't know what
>needs fixing! The Frame filter documentation hasn't given me any leads.
>Does anyone know what kinds of things cause the Word 97 import filter to
>choke?
>
>thanks,
>Rachel Boyce
>Information Design Specialist, Lead
>Sybex, Inc.

-- 

Regards,

David


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