(This document was created with Claris MacWrite Pro 1.5 and the TeachText/SimpleText XTND Translator 2.0. If you don’t see fonts and sizes in the text, you need to install the translator or read these docs with SimpleText instead of TeachText. SimpleText ships with System 7.1 Update 3.0, Macintosh System Software 7.1.2 and later, and other Apple software products.)
Installation Instructions
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 & SimpleText” 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.)
If you have installed any previous version of this translator, you will also have to remove it.
About TeachText & SimpleText Documents
TeachText documents can consist of text and pictures. SimpleText adds font, size, and style information, while keeping full backwards compatibility with the TeachText format. Neither one (at least through SimpleText 1.1) handles justification information, and they both display all documents left justified, with pictures centered.
TeachText & SimpleText support several different types of documents. This translator will allow XTND-capable applications to read regular TeachText & SimpleText documents, as well as TeachText/SimpleText 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/SimpleText documents is “ttxt” and the document type codes are “TEXT” for regular documents and “ttro” for “Newspaper” documents.) There is also no support for the QuickDraw GX print queue and portable document formats that SimpleText can view.
The only difference between regular and Read-Only TeachText/SimpleText documents is that the TeachText or SimpleText application will return an error message if you try to edit a Read-Only document. Regular TeachText and SimpleText documents can also be read by most word processors as “Text-Only” format documents, but all pictures and formatting are lost when doing so.
Reading Documents with this Translator
Many XTND capable applications will handle “TEXT” type documents internally, and you will have to specifically select the “Teachtext & Simpletext” format in the pop-up menu in the Open dialog box to get the application to hand the file off to the translator for processing.
Since the translator accepts any “TEXT” type document, no matter who created it, you may be able to get the translator to read documents created by other programs that use the styled text format. (I believe America Online and Tex-Edit files can be read this way.)
Version History
Version 1.0 – May 1993: First release.
Version 2.0 – July 1994: Added SimpleText 1.0/1.1 import/export, upper/lower case style exporting, extended
underline styles export. Fixed small memory leak (~12 bytes per picture exported).
More efficient disk reading & writing routines.
Style Handling
SimpleText versions 1.0 and 1.1 can display more sizes than its menus list, and it can display colored text as well. It can’t display the full range of styles many word processors support though. To work around this the export side of the translator converts text in the “UPPERCASE” and “lowercase” styles to uppercase and lowercase text (trying to preserve any diatrical marks or other foreign characters present). Also, text in the “Word Underline” or “Double Underline” styles becomes normally underlined text. There is no support for Superscript, Subscript, Strike Through, Small Caps, or other fancier styles.
Known Limitations
• Tab handling isn’t done very well. This may or may not be fixed in the future.
• Even though the translator tries to export line spacing/leading info, both SimpleText 1.0/1.1 and the import side
of the translator ignore it.
• Only 8 colors of text can be imported or exported. These happen to be the 8 used by MacWrite II.
MacWrite Pro will approximate your selection from it’s palette to one of these 8. (I don’t know what
other programs do.) These eight colors are black, white (white), blue, red, green, magenta, cyan,
and yellow. Colors in pictures are not affected.
Compatibility Notes
I have had no problems importing or exporting with this translator and MacWrite II or MacWrite Pro 1.5. Beta testers reported success using this translator with FrameMaker, Nisus, ClarisWorks, and Style.
This translator is written in 68000 code, with no FPU calls, so it should run without problems on any Macintosh model, including under 68k emulation on the Power Macintosh series.
Documents that are opened and resaved through the translator and MacWrite have their pictures converted 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).
Acknowledgments
I’d like to publically thank Martin Charest and Greg Scarich, a couple of beta testers who helped work out bugs so you wouldn’t have to suffer from them. As always, Philip Nunez has been a great help, even if he couldn’t get the Macintosh port of philcc done in time for me to use it.
This Translator File & Documentation may be freely distributed provided:
- the files are distributed together and unmodified.
- no charge is made for the files themselves. (You can charge for the media the files are on or for time spent transferring the files over a computer network or telephone line.)
At the time of this release, I can’t guarantee anything in return for a shareware fee, so I’m not asking for one. However, if you find the translator useful and continue to use it, I ask you to donate $5.00 (or whatever amount you find appropriate) to your favorite non-profit source of software, be it a user group, Internet FTP archive, bulletin board system, or whatever. (I reserve the right to charge for future versions of the software or to restrict distribution of the software in the future.)
Contacting the author
Comments, suggestions, requests, bug reports (gasp!), etc. can be sent to the author at:
