Re: XyLose err Win

["Bob Brody" rabrody@xxxxxxxx]

On 7 Feb 97 at 7:05, TBaehr@xxxxxxxx wrote:

> BTW, Bob, why struggle with XyWin unless you really need TT fonts
> or faxing?
> XyDos runs relatively happily in a DOS box under Windows, OS/2,
> etc.

Well I do need faxing but that's incidental to my main thrust.
I'm on a network in an enterprise setup and thought I might be
able to integrate XyWin thus be able to hit the ground running
since I didn't care to take on Word for Windows which is what the
others are all using. I have Word for Windows / Office 97 still
sitting on the shelf, it was given to me for the project along
with additional plugin-type routines. I suspect I'll install it
this weekend and that'll be that.

The first phase of my involvement didn't matter what I used to
write what was needed. The only Windows activity for me was
through Mail and the Schedule+ to keep on schedule and know when
meetings were taking place. But now that that phase is complete,
everything is starting to tie into a multimedia output with OLE
embeds and links across the network. To try to fit XyWrite into
this is just causing me too much additional work and distracting
from my focus and concentration. It seems almost hourly that I
encounter a new glitch, something that doesn't work, III+ XPL
routines that blow up, etc. E.g., essential to my work is ability
to extract text, tables of contents-like (which builds an outline
of sorts for key things known as beats or beat sheet; key moments
of action, turning points, plot twist, etc.; i.e., beats). These
are more than one line and each is broken by carriage returns.

   INT. ATTIC / FOOTLOCKER - NIGHT

   Candace discovers the 200 year-old photo of Jim.

In III+ utilizing AE (Alternate line Ending) you create soft
carriage returns so the above is actually one paragraph
regardless of the carriage returns. Ditto XyWin. Place a table
marker (and in my case, Level counter for auto numbering) in front
of the first line and extraction to table of contents grabs all
text up to the carriage return (or max number of characters), thus
both lines of text as exampled.

≪USS≫≪X1≫≪LV1≫INT. ATTIC....  

Candace discovers.....

for instance, or LV2 for camera angles, and so forth. This
produces a cogent schematic of beats (heading and text) in
concert with the director's and editor's storyboard and script
numbering.

However, whereas III+ TOC extraction adheres to the alternate line
ending and doesn't consider those two lines as two paragraphs, and
that's what Alternate Line Ending (i.e., soft carriage return) is
about, XyWin does not. The table extraction terminates at the end
of the first line regardless that there is no hard return. The
soft return (AE character) is ignored as a soft return and treated
same as a hard return during tables extraction.

Sooo, more work retooling the macros that insert the necessary
tables code and tedious changing existing III+ documents to
conform to what, in my opinion, is an oversight on XyWin's part
since the purpose of a soft return is to keep lines together even
if they're separated by line breaks. I was hoping XyWin would be
more compatible with III+ routines and documents but it hasn't
been. My mistake. (I don't like making wrong decisions, haven't
the time for it, so my anger is really more with myself than with
XyWin having to spend so much time massaging things and
experiencing one manner of got'cha after another just as I settle
in to try to do some work. XyWin is what it is. I can't make it
what it isn't. But I was willing to try. I do nevertheless find
the program hoplessly outdated and, in my opinion, riddled with
flaws.)

Anyway, while I appreciate the added refinements to Xy4DOS (I
thought XyWrite for Windows was TTG's priority), I don't think
that will make much of a difference overall for my word
processing, notwithstanding my lack of desire to run something in
a DOS window lest I'd just as soon continue using III+. There are
more modern conveniences with enjoyable integrations running
Windows software and frankly I rather like the broader integrated
writing environment. It's a Windows world, not to mention
multimedia, I've committed to that and I've been enjoying the
integrated benefits since.

I *will* try a reinstallation of XyWin now that you mention it, if
just out of curiosity. I don't think anything went wrong, though,
during the install. I have to say, the installation is thus far
about the only thing with XyWin that worked well. :)

Bob