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Copying to and from other applications

Data from other applications can be transferred to EasiWriter:

Documents saved from Impression using 'Text with styles' (DDF format) can be imported complete with formatting and emphasis etc. Otherwise when text is moved between applications it will lose its structure and formatting information. Text can only be copied from applications that are capable of writing text only documents.

Tables can be created automatically from CSV (comma separated value) files and Tab separated files can be dragged into a table. EasiWriter can save the contents of a table as a Tab separated Edit file.

Importing files

  1. Click where you want the text to be inserted.
  2. Drag the document icon into the EasiWriter document window or
2 Drag a document icon from a Save dialogue box into the EasiWriter document window.

Text files and other text based, non-graphic files (such as Obey and Command files) can be opened directly into EasiWriter.

Where the document being imported is formatted (such as Word or HTML) the formatting will be preserved if possible.

Text can be formatted after it has been copied into an EasiWriter document by selecting it and choosing a structure. For example if three paragraphs were selected and Section was chosen from the Structure menu the first paragraph would become the section heading.

Impression

Documents saved with Styles from Impression (DDF format) can be imported complete with formatting and emphasis etc.

Saving from Impression -
creating a DDF file

  1. Click inside the Master frame or Story you want to save.
  2. Choose Text from the Save menu and make sure With styles is selected.

  3. Drag the document icon to a directory viewer
    or
    Drag the document into an Easi/TechWriter window
    or
    Drag the document icon on to The Easi/TechWriter icon on the Icon bar.
  4. Move Pictures, and Tables created with TableMate, by saving into the Easi/TechWriter document.

HTML from Impression

If you are importing from Impression with the intention of creating an HTML document it is better to import as Text only and reapply the styles in EasiWriter. This is because a document imported from Impression lacks structure. For example a numbered list coming from Impression will be seen as a series of individual hanging paragraphs with numbers at the front giving the following:

<P>
1	Item one
<P>
2	Item two
<P>
3	Item three

But if you import the text, remove the numbers, drag over them and apply a Numbered list you will get:

<OL>

<LI>Item one
<LI>Item two
<LI>Item three

</OL>

which is altogether much better HTML.

The same is true of other structures such as Sections.

Inserting a document

Documents, text files, sprites and draw files can be inserted into a document at the caret position.

If you don't specify a pathname EasiWriter will look in the CSD (currently selected directory) for the document.

Importing CSV files

CSV (comma separated value) files can be used to exchange information between applications. Often they are created by a Spreadsheet.

This is an example of a CSV file:


"","Perrier","Moët","Theakstons"
"Normal","61","11","11"
"Inebriated","18","52","20"
"Paralytic","6","10","55"
"Comatose","0","11","31"


  1. Click where you want the table to be created.
  2. Drag the CSV file icon into the EasiWriter document window.

A table will be created automatically:

Perrier Moët Theakstons
Normal 61 11 11
Inebriated 18 52 20
Paralytic 6 10 55
Comatose 0 11 31

By default Automatic column widths will be used, but will be automatically changed to Fixed width with word wrap if the table does not fit within the margins.

See the Tables folder in the Examples directory for more information.

Importing Tab separated files

To create a table from a Tab separated text file:

  1. Choose Table from the Structure menu.
  2. Drag the Text file icon into the EasiWriter document window.

The table will be filled in automatically.

Importing pictures

Pictures can be incorporated into an EasiWriter document either into a line of text or into a Picture or Figure structure.

Pictures can be either Sprites, Draw files, Extended Draw files (as produced by DiagramIt or TableMate), PNGs or JPEGs and can be cropped and scaled.

You can create Picture styles to automatically control the appearance of pictures.

In-line pictures

In-line pictures are pictures that have been inserted into a line of text. They behave like words and will wrap if necessary. They can be moved up or down in the line by dragging on them.

1 Click where you want the picture to be inserted.

2 Drag the picture icon into the EasiWriter document window
or

2 Drag a picture icon from a Save dialogue box into the EasiWriter document window.

Floating graphics

asiWriter Pro+ has an additional picture type called Floating graphics. This paragraph also shows how in-line graphics can be 'floated' to the left or right margins, while the text flows round them. This is similar to the way graphics are left and right handed in HTML. Paragraphs can contain more than one picture which can be positioned on either side or stacked on one side.

To create a floating graphic.

  1. Drag the picture into the paragraph.
  2. Select the picture and click on the left or right justify icon.
  3. Adjust the position of the picture by dragging it through the text (watch the position of the orange 'anchor' marker).
  4. Move the picture up and down using Ctrl-Drag.

Picture structure

A picture structure acts like a paragraph and will move with the surrounding paragraphs when editing takes place.

1 Click towards the end of the paragraph that you want the picture to follow, or

1 Click towards the beginning of the paragraph that you want the picture to precede, or

1 If you want the picture to follow a structure (e.g. a table) choose End Structure (Ctrl-]) from the Structure menu.

2 Choose Picture (Ctrl-Shift-F8) from the Structure menu.

3 Drag the picture icon into the document, or

3 Drag a picture icon from a Save dialogue box into the document.

Figure

A Figure structure is a picture with a caption. It acts like a paragraph and will move with the surrounding paragraphs when editing takes place. If it needs to move to a new page or column both the picture and the caption will stay together.

1 Click towards the end of the paragraph that you want the figure to follow, or

1 Click towards the beginning of the paragraph that you want the figure to precede, or

1 If you want the figure to follow a structure (e.g. a table) choose End Structure (Ctrl-]) from the Structure menu.

2 Choose Figure (Ctrl-Shift-F7) from the Structure menu.

3 Type the caption, then click in the picture frame to select it.

4 Drag the picture icon into the document, or

4 Drag a picture icon from a Save dialogue box into the document.

Note: If you select a paragraph before choosing Figure the paragraph will be inserted into the figure caption automatically.

Reading RTF and HTML

EasiWriter can read HTML (HyperText Markup Language) and RTF (Rich Text Format) documents. See HTML page 106.

Drag and Drop between Applications

You can drag a selection and drop its contents in windows belonging to some other applications, or even over some applications on the icon bar.

You can also drag data into a EasiWriter window from other applications supporting Drag and Drop such as DataPower from Iota Software and Acorn's Advance.

Exporting Text

Text can be saved from EasiWriter documents either to text only files or directly into other applications using Text from the Save menu. When you use these options any formatting information and pictures will be discarded.

Note: Tables will be saved with a Tab character separating each column and a Return each row.

To a file

  1. Open a directory viewer where you want to save the text.
  2. Make a selection (if required) and choose Text from the Save menu.
  3. Drag the Save icon into the directory viewer.

To another document

  1. Open windows on both EasiWriter and the document where you want the text to go.
  2. Position the caret in the destination document where you want the text to be inserted.
  3. Make a selection (if required) and choose Text from the Save menu. To save only the selection check Selection in the Save as: dialogue.
  4. Drag the Save icon into the destination document.

The text will be inserted at the caret position.

In some cases you can save text by dragging the text icon directly onto an application icon in the icon bar. This will open a new document containing the text.

Note: These methods only work with applications that are designed to work with text and conform to the Acorn guidelines. As an alternative try saving a document or selection as a Text file which may then be imported.

Exporting Pictures

1 Open windows on both EasiWriter and the document where you want the picture to go.

2 Position the caret in the destination document where you want the picture to be inserted.

3 Select the picture and choose Save, check Selection and drag the Save icon into the destination document.

or

1 Select the picture and choose Save, check Selection and drag the Save icon into a directory viewer.

Saving part of a document as a Draw file

Parts of an EasiWriter document (including text) can be saved as a Draw file which can be manipulated in Draw and brought back as pictures if required.

For example a line, or lines, of text can be inverted like this:

or a table can be inserted sideways.

This example demonstrates a number of techniques.

A figure was created and the table was saved into the picture part. This text is a list without a bullet which enables the caption to have multiple paragraphs. The picture was opened in Draw by holding down Ctrl and double clicking. It was rotated and saved.


or a table can be inserted sideways.

This example demonstrates a number of techniques.

A figure was created and the table was saved into the picture part. This text is a list without a bullet which enables the caption to have multiple paragraphs. The picture was opened in Draw by holding down Ctrl and double clicking. It was rotated and saved.

  1. Choose Area as Draw from the Save menu.
    The pointer will change to:
  2. Drag over the area you want to save and release the button.
    The Save as: dialogue will appear.

  3. Edit the name if required and drag the icon into a directory viewer, another document or even into the document you are working on.

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