WordStar Emulator
If you are still using a version of Microsoft Word for Windows that pre-dates Word 97 these versions don't support Microsoft's Visual Basic for Applications (VBA), and so the WordStar Command Emulator won't work in these versions. However, there are at least two replacement Normal.dot templates that will give you basic WordStar navigation commands.
The first option is a replacement Normal.dot template created by Ken Muldrew that is available for download. This program should work with all versions of Word for Windows. It has the basic navigation diamond plus its 'quick' accelerators. It also has the WordStar delete functions and pseudo WordStar block commands, pseudo since they work in a Windows, rather than WordStar way.
There is also a better known replacement for Word's Normal.dot produced by science fiction writer Rob Sawyer. This can be found on CompuServe (GO WORDSTAR). It is in general circulation, so if you don't have CompuServe access you may be able to find it elsewhere. Unfortunately, Rob hasn't consented to a link being made available on this site.
For both of these Word templates I would recommend the following:
- First and foremost - back-up your own Normal.dot BEFORE installing them. Your Normal.dot contains all of your styles, customisations, and auto-text entries. If you overwrite it they WILL be lost!
- Secondly, rename these templates to something else - WS.dot, for example.
- Thirdly, either use them by creating a new document and selecting the template from the template selection dialog (install these templates in your ''other'' documents templates folder), or try installing it in the same way as the WordStar Command Emulator.
These earlier versions of Word used WordBasic as their macro programming language. Later versions use VisualBasic for Applications (VBA). The WordStar Command Emulator is written using VBA. There is a replacement Normal.dot template that gives some WordStar commands for early versions of Word for Windows.
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The WordStar Command Emulator only works with Word 97, Word 2000, Word XP (also called Word 2002), Word 2007, Word 2010, and Word 2013 for Windows. See here for a basic emulator for earlier versions of Word for Windows.
Note, that with Word versions that use the "Ribbon" instead of drop-down menus (currently Word 2007, Word 2010 and Word 2013), the WordStar Emulator menus will not be available, but all of the keyboard commands will still work correctly.
The WordStar Command Emulator is fully compatible with all Visual Basic for Applications (VBA) versions of Word, including Word 2000. However, with Word versions that use the "ribbon" menu (2007, 2010, and 2013 at the time of writing) the pull-down menus won't be available, but all the keyboard commands will remain active.
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The WordStar Command Emulator doesn't work with Microsoft Word for the Mac. This is because there are differences in the Visual Basic for Applications (VBA)Â between Windows and Mac versions of Word, and the operating systems also impose additional restrictions. There hasn't been enough demand to fund a Mac version.
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