WordStar File Conversion
WordStar File Conversion
Microsoft RTF files can be created using Star Exchange, which was supplied with later versions of wordStar for DOS, and with WordStar 2000 for DOS. If you don't have this program you can try WS-CON.
Â
The HABit WordStar Converter runs under Windows, with versions for Windows 3, and Windows 95 and later, and can convert most WordStar for DOS, including WordStar 2000 for DOS, files into plain text, text with formatting, or HTML formats.
The HABit WordStar Converter WSCONV runs in Windows rather than DOS, so may be an easier alternative for non-DOS users who need access to old WordStar files. The converter is available in versions for Windows 95 and later, and for Windows 3.x as detailed below:
Windows 3
The 16-bit (Windows 3.x) version is designed for WordStar 4 files, but will also cope with earlier WordStar versions.
The program gives options for replacing soft-spaces, etc., with hard-spaces to keep the layout with a fixed-pitch font, and for converting WordStar extended characters to the Windows equivalent. Full details for installation and use are included in the downloads.
If you use the Windows 3 version of the converter to convert files from WordStar versions later than version 4, the file preview may not display the file contents. If the document is simple, and doesn't use features introduced after WordStar 4, such as paragraph styles, you may just be left with some formatting and other code in the converted result, otherwise you could be left with an unusable result.
Windows 9x/2000/XP/NT/ & later
The 32-bit (Windows 9x, 2000, XP, & NT) version 3 converter (updated March 2005) has support for most DOS WordStar versions including WordStar 2000. Output can be in plain text or HTML, the HTML output preserving character attributes such as boldface, etc. In addition to the two output formats, there are two conversion options:
The keep layout option will try to preserve formatting (see the table below). This option is only applicable to plain text output, not HTML.
The Convert Extended Characters (ECS) option will convert the WordStar for DOS IBM extended character set to the Windows ANSI character set based on Latin-1 coding. Where there isn''t a matching character in the normal Windows fonts the nearest equivalent will be used. HTML conversions use special HTML characters to display characters in the Extended ASCII range
Footnotes, are changed to end notes.
There is also a batch conversion option to convert all files with the same file extension in a directory.
The conversions are summarised in the tables below. Point at the symbols for more details on a specific feature.
From WordStar DOS to Plain Text
|
||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
Feature:
|
3.31
|
4.0
|
5.5
|
6.0
|
7.0
|
2K
|
Notes | |
Soft Returns | } Keep } layout } option |
|||||||
Blank lines | ||||||||
Multiple spaces | ||||||||
Text attributes | Not applicable | |||||||
Tabs | Â | |||||||
Centering | Â | |||||||
Footnotes | As end notes | |||||||
Extended characters | ECS option | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
From WordStar DOS to HTML
|
||||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  | |
Feature:
|
3.31
|
4.0
|
5.5
|
6.0
|
7.0
|
2K
|
Notes | |
Soft Returns | Ignored | |||||||
Blank lines | Â | |||||||
Multiple spaces | Â | |||||||
Text attributes | Â | |||||||
Tabs | As spaces | |||||||
Centering | Â | |||||||
Footnotes | As end notes | |||||||
Extended characters | ECS option | |||||||
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
 |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |  |
Key |
Yes
|
No
|
?
|
N/A
|
Â
These converters expand the basic set provided with Microsoft Word, adding support for importing all WordStar DOS versions (except for WordStar 2000) and for WordStar for Windows. Export filters also cover WordStar DOS versions 4 and 7, and WordStar for Windows. These work with Word for Windows 95 and later.
In Dec 2003 Microsoft stated that the file converter packs for all versions of Office prior to Office 2003 had been discontinued and were no longer available. The Office 2003 Converter Pack did not list a WordStar filter, and this has been the case ever since.
However, all is not lost. The WordStar converter from the Office 97, 2000, and XP Converter Pack is still available from Microsoft's ftp site, and in the downloads section of the WordStar Resource Site
There are some problems with the import filters, in that they sometimes don't actually import the file. This can occur with varying source file sizes, but if you experience the problem of Word saying it's importing the file but you ending up with nothing, close Word and then break your WordStar file into smaller parts and try again.
File conversion information is provided in the WordStar file conversion section of the WordStar Resource Site.
Page 2 of 2