[NTLUG:Discuss] OpenOffice - winword formatting error issues -- depends on direction

[Bryan J. Smith]

terry wrote:  
> I tend to believe Linc Fessenden's workaround is probably best, Word 
> 95 format may be the most compatible, less confusing and easiest .doc 
> format to work with.

It all depends on the direction you are moving the document.

- From MS Word:  Export as DOC 7.0 (Word 95)

If you are moving a document _from_ MS Word for Windows to anything
else, DOC 7.0 (Word 95) is best.  Trying to export as RTF will only
result in "bastard" DOC format masquerading as RTF, especially in
newer MS Word versions.

- To MS Word:  Might as well answer as "Ben Dover"  ;-ppp

If you are moving a document _to_ MS Word for Windows, then you'll
run into data alignment issues.  MS Word for Windows, especially older
versions, use block record reads.  This means major portions of DOC
can be lost because it's hard to predict what the _specific_ subrevsion
of MS Word expects the alignment to be.

If the formatting is not export using RTF so MS Word for Windows must
read it byte-by-byte.  If the format is complex, well, have a nice day
Mr. Dover.  ;-ppp


-- 
     Linux Enthusiasts call me anti-Linux.
   Windows Enthusisats call me anti-Microsoft.
 They both must be correct because I have over a
decade of experience with both in mission critical
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 mitigating risk and focusing on technologies ...
           not products or vendors
--------------------------------------------------
Bryan J. Smith, E.I.            b.j.smith at ieee.org