Re: File Conversion

[TBaehr@xxxxxxxx]

Yup, they are W4W*.exe files, with numbers corresponding to particular
filters. It is possible to figure out how the filters work and do everything
from the command line, but it's far easier to do it from the menus. The
MasterSoft (who owned the filters at the time) with Xyquest was that you
could go to or from XyWrite but not, say, from Wordstar to Word (without
first going thru XyWrite). That's not, of course, how the filters work in
general! The general procedure hidden from most users is that the non-Xy
file (on import) is converted to an intermediate meta-format in a temp file
and then reconverted to Xy format -- after which, the intermediate file is
erased. So, two EXE files are used, a non-Xy FROM file and a Xy TO file.
 You'll notice that most of the W4W files are pairs of F and T files; the
numbers refer to particular formats. When you install, certain FLT files are
created; they contain the names of the products supported along with the
names of the corresponding W4W files and certain "switch" settings for the
correct "flavor" (version number, usually) of the product in question.

You may find other W4W files in other products -- Notes, Serif Page Plus,
etc. Most of these are actually Windows DLLs, even when they have the EXE
extension. They may work with XYW but not with XY4DOS. The Adobe DOS filter
files should work just fine, but you may have to jigger with the switch
settings.

Tim Baehr
tbaehr@xxxxxxxx