DoublePage macro for Microsoft Word for Windows Copyright © 1996 Mr. Jean P. Donato. All rights reserved. PLEASE READ THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF THIS FILE. IT IS UPDATED EVERY TIME A NEW VERSION OF DOUBLEPAGE IS RELEASED. ***************************************************************************** * WARNING * * THE INFORMATION AND CODE PROVIDED IS PROVIDED AS IS WITHOUT WARRANTY * * OF ANY KIND, EITHER EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO * * THE IMPLIED WARRANTIES OF MERCHANTABILITY AND FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR * * PURPOSE. IN NO EVENT SHALL JEAN P. DONATO BE LIABLE FOR ANY DAMAGES * * WHATSOEVER INCLUDING DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, LOSS * * OF BUSINESS PROFITS OR SPECIAL DAMAGES, EVEN IF JEAN P. DONATO HAS BEEN * * ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES. * ***************************************************************************** ********************************************************************** * FREEWARE * * I do not charge any fee for the use of the DoublePage macro. * * This archive may be included on Bulletin Board Systems, Internet * * archive sites and on CD-ROM collections distributed by such * * sites, provided any charge is solely to recover the cost of * * distribution. Any such distribution must contain the complete * * unmodified archive, including this file. * ********************************************************************** DESCRIPTION =========== DoublePage is a Microsoft Word for Windows macro that prints a document in a 2-column landscape format on the default printer. (In some printer drivers that capability is built-in but for most of them it is not.) It will typically print about one page per column; hence it is a great way to cut down on paper costs and waste. Now it can even optionally print on both sides of the sheet for even greater paper savings! On every page of the printout, it will also optionally add its own special footer giving the name of the document, the date and time it was printed, and the page number. DoublePage will not modify the actual document. Rather, it will create a temporary document in memory which will be deleted after printing. However, as with any such utility, you should always make regular backups of your files just to be sure. REQUIREMENTS ============ DoublePage requires you to have Microsoft Word for Windows properly installed. It has been developed on the English US version of Word 7.0 for Windows 95. It includes automatic built-in support for these platforms: - English US Word 7.0 for Windows 95; - English US Word 6.0 for Windows; - French Canadian Word 7.0 for Windows 95; - French Canadian Word 6.0 for Windows; - German Word 7.0 for Windows 95; - German Word 7.0 for Windows. If your platform is not listed above, DoublePage will still attempt to run, but the results may or may not be satisfactory. If there is heavy demand for support of a particular foreign language Word, I may add it to future versions. DoublePage should work under Windows NT, but that platform is not currently supported. LIMITATIONS AND COMMENTS ======================== DoublePage works best with plain text documents. It will work with other document types however (provided Word can load them, of course) with the following considerations. Some special objects or options often cannot be readily reformatted in a 2-column layout, and they include: text boxes, pictures, frame data, styles other than the default Normal, etc. But DoublePage will try to work around these obstacles to produce the best possible printout! DoublePage will remove the frames (but not the data inside them) which prevent 2-column formatting. It may or may not change your document's styles on the printout, depending on the limitations it encounters while processing it. Also, it will remove all headers and footers and optionally replace them with its own special footer on every page of the printout as mentioned earlier. Remember, none of these changes affect your original document - just the printout! DoublePage works with any paper size; it will use the one that is selected in Word (in File/Page Setup/Paper Size) for your active document. Please do read the "USAGE" section which has been rewritten and contains interesting tips. ARCHIVE CONTENTS ================ The DoublePage archive DPAGE200.ZIP contains the following files: DBLEPAGE.DOT : The Word template containing the DoublePage macro. README.TXT : This file. FILE_ID.DIZ : A short description. INSTALLATION, UNINSTALLATION, AND EXECUTION =========================================== Since you're reading this file, you have probably already uncompressed the archive; it should have created the files listed in the previous section. This can be done in any directory. DoublePage is distributed inside a template named DBLEPAGE.DOT. If you want to use it only from this template, first open DBLEPAGE.DOT and then go to step B below. Otherwise, you will likely want to use DoublePage from within the template you commonly use (for example, the default NORMAL.DOT template). A) To install in that manner, follow these instructions: 1. Start Word. 2. From its menu bar, choose File/Open and open the DBLEPAGE.DOT you got from this archive. 3. From its menu bar, choose Tools/Macro. 4. Click the Organizer button. 5. Make sure the left pane of the Organizer window shows DBLEPAGE.DOT macros (you should only see DoublePage in the list) and the right pane of the Organizer window shows the template you normally use such as NORMAL.DOT. 6. Click on the DoublePage macro name. 7. Click on the copy button. 8. Click on the Close button. 9. From the Word menu bar, choose File/Close. You can use a similar technique to propagate the macro to other templates. B) To execute the macro from the menu bar, follow these steps: 1. Make sure the document you want printed is open and the currently active one. 2. Choose Tools/Macro. 3. Click on DoublePage. 4. Click on Run. To uninstall DoublePage: simply click on the Delete button instead of Run, and then manually delete its archive and the files it created (they are mentioned in the previous section) using File Manager, Windows Explorer, or a DOS box. C) You can create a custom toolbar button to execute the macro whenever you want, with a single mouse click. To do so, you must first install the the macro as described earlier. Then, follow these steps: 1. From the Word menu bar, choose Tools/Customize. 2. Click on the Toolbar tab. 3. Click on Macros from the Categories list. 4. Left click on DoublePage from the Macros list (keep the mouse button pressed) and drag the DoublePage name to your toolbar (release the mouse button). 5. A window named Custom Button automatically pops up. Select a button image and press assign. The Custom Button window disappears and your new button now has an image on it. 6. Back in the Customize window, select the name of the template you want to use in the "Save in" box (for example, normal.dot). 7. Click on the Close button. USAGE ===== Simply follow these quick and easy steps: 1. In Word, open the document you wish to print. This document can not be protected. (If you have an option Tools/Unprotect Document in your Word menu bar, then it is protected.) You must remove that protection for DoublePage to work with your document, even though DoublePage will not actually modify it. 2. Execute the DoublePage macro (see the above section, step B or C). 3. You will see the welcome window; press OK to continue (or Cancel to return to your original document). 4. You will then see the options window. You can press OK to continue using these defaults, Cancel to return to your original document, or Help to view the online help. Before pressing OK, you can change the options to suit your own preferences and needs; these options are detailed below. Processing Options ------------------ - Convert tables: Checking this box will convert all tables to text. This is often required because large tables will overlap the columns and overwrite text (it's a Word limitation). If your document only contains small tables, then you can clear this box to have them printed as is. Default: checked. - Remove pictures: Checking this box will remove all graphics and pictures. This is often required because large graphics and pictures will overlap the columns and overwrite text (it's a Word limitation). It is also useful if you don't need these items since your printout will be shorter. But if you want them and they aren't too large, then you can clear this box to have them printed as is. Default: checked. - Remove manual breaks: Checking this box helps ensure continuous output by removing all manual page and section breaks. Default: checked. - Add special footer: Checking this box adds the cute DoublePage footer at the bottom of each page (if possible), telling you the document name, the date and time it was printed, as well as the page number. Default: checked. - Force Normal style: You should leave this box cleared, unless you are experiencing unusual formatting problems, such as text overlapping another column (again, a Word limitation). This can happen, for example, if your document contains special Word styles such as "TOC3" (Table of Contents). DoublePage analyzes your document and attempts to use the best formatting strategy on the printout; but it can be fooled by these styles. If it happens, try forcing the Normal style throughout. That could cause the Table of Contents page numbers to get misaligned, and some fonts or character formatting to be changed, but at least the text shouldn't overlap on the other column. Default: cleared. Layout Options -------------- - Compress lines: Some fonts such as Courier and MS LineDraw, and other non-proportional fonts or very long lines, can wrap on the printout. If this is so, checking this box will help ensure unbroken lines. See the "TIP" near the end of this section. Default: cleared. - Use current margins: You should leave this box cleared, unless you are not satisfied with DoublePage's default margins or if Word is giving you a "margins are outside the printing area" warning. If you check this box, DoublePage will use these settings from Word's File/Page Setup/Margins window: Top Margin, Bottom Margin, Left Margin, Right Margin, Header Distance, and Footer Distance. This is a very powerful feature for those with unusual papers or equipment, but can also be a "dangerous" one: your printout will be messed up if the values specified in Word are incompatible or incorrect. Default: cleared. Print Options ------------- - No. of copies: A number from 1 to 9999. Default: 1. - Collate: Checking this box will produce an output with pages arranged in the following order: 1, 2, 3, ..., 1, 2, 3, ... Clearing it produces: 1, 1, 2, 2, 3, 3, ... Default: checked. - Manual duplex: Great if you want to print on both sides of the paper and your printer does not support automatic duplex printing. Checking this box causes DoublePage to print all odd pages, then prompts you to put them back in the printer and prints all even ones. Make sure you follow your printer manufacturer's instructions before reloading it with these sheets (to make sure it is safe to do so and to ensure that you are properly positioning them and in the right order). Keep in mind that DoublePage does much more "behind the scenes" processing than these options may suggest, as alluded to in the "COMMENTS" section above. For example, when you do not check "Force Normal style", it is possible that DoublePage will change the style to Normal anyway if it detects it must do so; this is by design and is to ensure the best possible printout. TIP: If you loaded a DOS (or "Text") document in Word (such as this file), its columns and characters may align and display better if you change its font to MS LineDraw or Courier New (you do this by clicking Edit/Select All and then choosing the new font from the toolbar); make sure it is properly displayed in Word before using DoublePage! And if you're using these fonts you will likely want to check the "Compress lines" option to prevent wrapping. While DoublePage is working, you should not be concerned about what, if anything, is happening to your document window; when DoublePage terminates, you will automatically be returned to the beginning of your original document, which it will not have been modified. When DoublePage completes successfully, you will see the following message: "The print job has been sent to your default printer. You are now back to your original document. Thank you for using DoublePage." DoublePage incorporates a comprehensive error detection mechanism; if you see a DoublePage error message you should correct the problem if possible, or contact me for support if you suspect it is caused by a bug (see the "SUPPORT" section below). WHERE TO GET IT =============== The latest released version is available from the World Wide Web at: http://www.cam.org/~donato/index.html Or you can download it from the following anonymous FTP site: ftp://ftp.cam.org/users/donato/ SUPPORT ======= The source code of DoublePage, comprised of over 800 WordBasic lines, is never provided so as to retain control over the posted versions. I will be pleased to read any bug reports, suggestions, or comments you may have regarding DoublePage. However I cannot guarantee that you will receive a reply since this is a "spare time" effort. In your message, you should indicate the version and language of Word that you are using, the version of DoublePage (it is indicated on the DoublePage window title bar), and the exact error message if applicable. If you like DoublePage, let me and other people know about it! DOUBLEPAGE REVISION HISTORY =========================== 96/01/08 - V1.00: Initial release. 96/01/24 - V1.10: Fixed a font resize bug. Added line compression support. 96/03/31 - V1.20: Added support to recognize and optionally remove these items: manual page breaks, section breaks, and graphics. Minor dialog text changes. 96/04/08 - V1.21: Fixed footer problems when used with French Canadian Word. 96/04/17 - V1.30: Fixed a couple of problems which prevented the macro from working under Word 6.0. Fixed a bug that did not always detect an overly large number of copies under Word 6.0. Now a number of copies which is not an integer is not rounded off any more: the user gets a warning message and must input the number again. Improved code that detects the Word version number. Minor dialog text changes. Changed the internal status numbering. Redesigned the print dialog window: now the input field is properly sized and a Collate option has been added. Now screen update is better handled: moving the Welcome, Print, and Thank You windows no longer messes up the screen background (although this had no consequence on the functionality or on the document since the screen is restored at the end anyway). 96/05/01 - V1.31: Picture dialog text clarification. For compatibility reasons, DoublePage now uses the paper size currently selected in Word (in File/Page Setup/Paper Size) for its entire printout (instead of forcing it to 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper, which was inconvenient for some users); however, please note that DoublePage has been optimized and tested on 8.5-inch by 11-inch paper only. 96/05/14 - V2.00: Redesigned the user interface: now all the questions and options are in a single window complete with online help. Added German Word support. Added option to choose whether tables should be converted or not. Added option to use existing margins and header and footer distances instead of the DoublePage defaults. Added manual duplex option. Added option to force Normal style throughout. Added the option not to print the DoublePage footer. Fixed footnotes and endnotes font size and line spacing which were not being adjusted. AUTHOR ====== Name : Mr. Jean P. Donato Internet Address : donato@cam.org