Batch Conversion of WordPerfect to Word/PDF

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Does anyone know of a batch program that will convert WordPerfect documents to PDF’s, or at least to Word docs? I have a lot of files from the 80’s and 90’s in WordPerfect that I’d like to batch convert to PDF. If I can’t get the to PDF’s, I’d like the at least migrated to Word. Any Lounge members know of such a utility?

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You have plenty of options for you do this.

[*]You could buy Wordperfect and use that to batch convert the files to PDF or Word
[*]You could use a simple Word macro to open each file and save it out to another directory as either a Word or PDF document. This is going to be the cheapest option but you may need to search online for a Wordperfect filter to allow you to open the really old files if Word can’t open them directly.
[*]You could rename the files to end with .doc and then Word would be the default program which opens them anytime someone clicks on it. The fact that the files weren’t actually converted is no big deal if Word can still open them on demand. A couple of ways to do this were discussed here http://lounge.windowssecrets.com/index.php?showtopic=563542
[*]You could use a third party tool which is probably expensive but is specialised for this purpose (such as the DocXchange tool mentioned in the following thread

FWIW, another time the question has been asked here previously there were some useful suggestions at the time. http://lounge.windowssecrets.com/index.php?showtopic=114776

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Hmmm. These are some good ideas.

1. I have WordPerfect 11. How do you batch convert to PDF’s or is my version too old?

2. How do you create a Word macro to do this? My version of Word (Office 2007) will open a WordPerfect file, so I guess I have the proper plug-in already.

3. I have a Renaming Tool that I use for other purposes. I will easily rename a bunch of files in a folder, but I have lots of folders, so this will be labor intensive anyway. But, I think I really need to get them converted before much more time passes. And, PDF is preferable to Word if I have a choice. Some I may never edit again, but I want to archive them and PDF shows the greatest potential for longevity.

4. I’ll read thru the thread you referenced, but it seems a bit dated (2002). How did you find it? My search on WordPerfect turned up some 700 hits and I couldn’t figure out how to filter it down.

5. The MicroSystems product seems really good, but I can’t find a price. Is it a product or a service? That seems to go from W/P to PDF.

Thanks so much!

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2. How do you create a Word macro to do this? My version of Word (Office 2007) will open a WordPerfect file, so I guess I have the proper plug-in already.

There are a number of macros posted in past threads that will open every file in a folder and do something to it. Hopefully one of those will work for your directory structure.

Have you installed the “Save as PDF” add-on for Office 2007 (Download details: 2007 Microsoft Office Add-in: Microsoft Save as PDF or XPS)? Once you have that, according to online documentation, you should be able to export a PDF using the new ExportAsFixedFormat method (rather than the usual ActiveDocument.SaveAs method. See ExportAsFixedFormat Method [Word 2007 Developer Reference]. I haven’t tried it myself.

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Yes, my Word 2007 came with the “Save as a PDF (or XPS)” option already installed. I’ve never used macros in the way you describe, so I’d need some pretty straightforward directions for how to execute scripts to do this for a folder/sub-folder structure. The M/S developer link looks promising, but way outside of my experience. I would think this conversion would be a common need. I’m exploring the DocXchange tool, but it seems to be only for large companies.

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You might also post your question on the WordPerfect Universe forums (http://www.wpuniverse.com). You’ll have to register, and there’s a short delay while the admins approve your registration, but then you can post in the “How Do I?” forum. It’s a good group — very knowledgeable and friendly (similar to this place!).

I’m the admin and owner of the site, so I know it well…

Just a thought.

Jan

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JanBPhd: I joined WPUniverse. The only useful hit I got was 7 years old, so I reposted the question. (http://www.wpuniverse.com/vb/showthread/?s=&threadid=31208). I’m surprised there isn’t an existing solution.

Anyone here at the Lounge have a solution??

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Glad you joined WPU. You should get some helpful replies, but not necessarily right away. (Weekends can be slow, and holiday weekends tend to be slower than usual.)

If there is an existing solution, someone will let you know. If no one is aware of an existing solution, they’ll chew on it for a while and try to come up with something.

Hang in there!

Jan

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BTW: I got this email back from DocXchange (aka MicroSystems): Hello,

Thank you for your interest in Microsystems. We do not sell a home user license. Best Regards,

Steve
Steve Brescia

Vice President, Sales
Microsystems – THE document experts
3025 Highland Parkway
Suite 450
Downers Grove, IL 60515
Office (630) 310-5911
Cell (630) 930-2228
Fax (630) 598-9520

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Hey Lounge buddies,

This question’s been hangin’ around for about a week. Any more experts out there? I’m still lookin’ for a solution.

Thanks.

WSC.

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Scott

Graham Mayor has a download available to batch convert a different file type (Works WPS format). You should be able to modify that code to carry out your task – it looks for files that end with the extension .wps. If you change that line of code then the rest will probably work without modification as long as your version of Word can actually open the files by itself.

Find the batch converter on this page http://www.gmayor.com/downloads.htm

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I have no skills in macros, which is what this looks like. I open it in Word and there’s nothing there. It’s identified as a template. How do I view the code?

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Any more ideas? Certainly someone has to have created a utility that will convert *.doc and *.wpd to PDF’s. This is just to obvious a need.

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These products claim to use WP11 to batch convert to PDF. No idea whether they are any good, just came up in a search: http://bidgoodsvcs.com/bsvcs/index.php?option=com_virtuemart&Itemid=44

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