Word Perfect integration

[John Gordon]

I have WordPerfect v13 which we are currently using for letter merges.
I would like to automate this with Python instead of learning the WP
Macro language.

I suspect that learning how to integrate python with wordperfect will
end up being much more work than learning wordperfect macros.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ethan Furman]

I have WordPerfect v13 which we are currently using for letter merges.
I would like to automate this with Python instead of learning the WP
Macro language.

Does anyone have any pointers?

~Ethan~

 

[Alec Taylor]

wow, people still use WordPerfect?

I suspect that learning how to integrate python with wordperfect will
end up being much more work than learning wordperfect macros.

Just my two cents.

 

[Ethan Furman]

wow, people still use WordPerfect?

Them's fightin' words right there!

Yes, we still use Word Perfect, and will as long as it is available.
The ability to see the codes in use (bold, margins, columns, etc) has so
far been unequaled in anything else I have looked at.

~Ethan~

 

[Ethan Furman]

I suspect that learning how to integrate python with wordperfect will
end up being much more work than learning wordperfect macros.

Possibly... but I enjoy coding in Python.

~Ethan~

 

[Terry Reedy]

Them's fightin' words right there!

Yes, we still use Word Perfect, and will as long as it is available. The
ability to see the codes in use (bold, margins, columns, etc) has so far
been unequaled in anything else I have looked at.

Definitely. I did a book with WP and periodically went through with
codes revealed to delete any junk and got the camera-ready copy I
wanted. I have recently used OpenO modeled after MSO and occasionally
get frustrated when I cannot see what it actually inserts, to explain
why it does not behave as expected.

That aside, if you are on Windows, check the list archives for 'office
automation' or somesuch. If WP has the standard API, I believe the
answer is to use the PythonWin extensions, included with the ActiveState
Python distribution and available on SourceForge.
There is a windows module includes in the stdlib, but I do not know if
it has enough.

 

[Seebs]

Yes, we still use Word Perfect, and will as long as it is available.
The ability to see the codes in use (bold, margins, columns, etc) has so
far been unequaled in anything else I have looked at.

I have used other software that had this functionality, but not so much
lately. (Although it appears that PageStream still does this, which is
totally of relevance to someone, I'm sure.)

But yeah, that was an AMAZING feature, and not having it is one of the
reasons I'm so often unable to get things done in MS Word.

Sadly, Corel dropped Mac and Linux support, and I don't do real work on
Windows, so WP has been off my list for a long time now.

-s

 

[aspineux]

I have WordPerfect v13 which we are currently using for letter merges.
I would like to automate this with Python instead of learning the WP
Macro language.

Does anyone have any pointers?

paper letter or eletronic mail merger ?

What you need is :

- 1. write a "template" in WP with tag like <NAME> <DATE> <ADDRESS>
- 2. make a database with the corresponding data
- 3. replace tag by data from a database, and generate a new WP
document
- 4. print all these ducument.

1 & 2 are not programming related
3. Should not be impossible, look at the wp binary file if you can
find and replace the tag
4. More difficult: can you start a print job from a command line ? or
put all file in
a directory, then start WP and ask him to print all file in this
directory or create print job and
put them in a queue and hope WP will process the queue.

Regards

~Ethan~

Alain

 

[Alec Taylor]

Personally, I use LaTeX, which fits all my requirements.