(This document was created with Claris MacWrite II 1.1v5 and the XTND Translator.)
Installation Instructions
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The Translator File should be installed in one of the following locations:
- the “Claris Translators” folder in the “Claris” folder in the System Folder
- the “Extensions” folder in the System Folder (System 7 or later).
If your XTND-capable applications do not list “TeachText” among your choices for file formats to read or write you may have to restart the application or drag the “XTND Translator List” file to the trash. (The translator list may be in the Preferences, Claris, or System Folders.)
About TeachText Documents
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TeachText documents can consist of text and pictures. No font, size, or style information is recorded and all text appears in the default font and size (unless it is recorded in a picture such as the title of this document or the diagram below).
To include pictures in TeachText documents, there are a number of steps that Apple recommends. They are listed in the Macintosh Technical Note “The Compleat Guide to TeachText” available from a large number of places as either Tech Note #274 (old-style) or “M.PT.TeachText” (new-style).
TeachText supports several different type of documents as shown in this diagram:
This translator will allow XTND-capable applications to read regular TeachText documents, as well as TeachText Stationery and Read-Only (“Newspaper”) documents. The translator can also write TeachText regular and Read-Only documents. TeachText PICT documents cannot be read or written with this translator, but the “PICT” translator included with most XTND-capable programs should have no problems with TeachText PICTs. (The creator code for TeachText documents is “ttxt” and the document type codes are “TEXT” for regular documents and “ttro” for “Newspaper” documents.)
The only difference between regular and Read-Only TeachText documents is that the TeachText application will return an error message if you try to edit a Read-Only document. Regular TeachText documents can also be read by most word processors as “Text-Only” format documents, but all pictures are lost when doing so.
Compatibility Notes
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The only XTND-capable application I have is MacWrite II, so that's all the compatibility testing I’ve been able to do. Sorry.
Documents that are opened and resaved through the translator appear to come through basically unchanged, with one major exception - MacWrite II translates pictures from version 1 to version 2 “PICT”s. This results in slightly larger files as well as reducing compatibility with pre-Color versions of system software (so beware if your target audience is running a version of the System earlier than the 1987-vintage 4.1).
The Translator File & Documentation may be freeley distributed provided:
- the files are distrubited together and unmodified.
- no charge is made for the files themselves. (You can charge for the disk the files are on or for time spent transferring the files over a computer network or telephone line.)
At the time of this release, the author cannot guarantee anything in return for a shareware fee, so he is not asking for one. However, if you find the translator useful and continue to use it, the author asks that you donate $5.00 (or whatever amount you find appropriate) to your favorite non-profit source of software, be it a user group, FTP archive site, bulletin board system, or whatever. (The author reserves the right to charge for future versions of the software or to restrict distribution of the software.)
Contacting the author
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Comments, suggestions, requests, bug reports (gasp!), etc. can be sent to the author at:
