[bksvol-discuss] Re: TXT and page breaks
- From: "Pratik Patel" <pratikp1@xxxxxxxxx>
- To: <bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Tue, 20 Jul 2004 11:16:10 -0400
Jesse and Tracy,
I am exerpting a message that I sent out,--oh, never mind when, a message
to which Jesse just refered regarding ASCII or text-only) files and
bookshare material. See my comments below the exerpt.
---Original Message---
Message
Jesse,
First, let me appologize about misspelling your name in the last e-mail.
You know, when those fingers move fast, I don't realize that I'm using f
instead
of J or H.
Any way, the Ascii books are capable of keeping the page break (or the Form
Feed char). In fact, the Ascii books that I have downloaded from bookshare
so far, have contained page breaks in their proper place. I am not certain
whether bookshare software is capable of retaining these form feed chars in
the conversion to the DAISY or braille format. In fact what I would
suggest is to let the volunteers who download these titles to be validated
convert
the TXT files into RTF so that if your converters are not capable of
handling the form feed char in the original ASCII, they would at least be
able to
do so from the RTF. However, at this point, if one downloads the TXT file
for validation, volunteers have no choice but to submit the original ASCII.
I would certainly not discourage anyone from uploading ASCII files if that
suits them best. But it is certainly not a matter of the ASCII capable of
handling
page breaks.
By the way, those of you technically inclined, the ASCII code for form FEED
(I.E. page break) is control+l or ASCII 12.
----End Original Message----
Tracy, the reason why you are finding proper page breaks in the text files
is precisely because the formfeed char is preserved. K1K is more elegant in
honoring these page breaks; but, as you have found, it is iratic to work
with on occasion. Word follows some Microsoft-designed scheme that doesn't
honor the formfeed characters.
Jesse, as I recall the question regarding bookshare conversion tools an
their ability to honor the pagebreak chars in the text files still remains
to be answered. If for instance, Tracy takes a working text file, converts
it into RTF in K1K, edits in word, and resaves it in TXT, and that resulting
text file is shown to contain the formfeed chars, will the DAISY or Braille
conversion utilities honor these page breaks?
Pratik
Pratik Patel
Managing Director
CUNYAssistive Technology Services
The City University of New York
ppatel@xxxxxx
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx] On Behalf Of Jesse Fahnestock
Sent: Tuesday, July 20, 2004 9:35 AM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] Re: TXT and page breaks
Tracy --
The answer as to why txt submissions need to be resubmitted as RTF is, I
believe, that our system is set up to minimize the introduction of errors or
new elements (the latter of which is questionable in terms of copyright).
While I'm not suggesting you wouldn't get the pages right, allowing
volunteers to resubmit in RTF would allow the potential for incorrect
structure and formatting to be added to the book, "by default" as it were
(or by MSWord). At least I believe that was the thinking.
I understand that it's possible to enter "form feed" page breaks in text
files. Pratik, was it not you who told me about that? Can you clarify for
Tracy?
Finally, I heartily recommend TextPad (www.textpad.com) as a quality free
editor for text files (and HTML, if you need that).
-----Original Message-----
From: bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
[mailto:bksvol-discuss-bounce@xxxxxxxxxxxxx]On Behalf Of Tracy Carcione
Sent: Monday, July 19, 2004 1:40 PM
To: bksvol-discuss@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: [bksvol-discuss] TXT and page breaks
When I got the txt file I'm working on, it had page breaks, but as soon as I
brought it into Word to work on and saved it, the page breaks disappeared.
Is there any way to stop this happening? And DON'T say to edit it in K1K,
because it ALWAYS crashes, sooner or later.
I never got an answer as to why, oh why, do I have to put a txt file back as
txt, when, if I only had the option of putting it back as RTF, I could
easily fix the page breaks, and not have to hassle with K1K's problematic
editing, which is the only way I know to get the pesky breaks to stay in
txt. Why must I suffer? Is there actually a reason txt must stay txt? I
want an answer from Admin, not someone else's guesses.
Tracy
Other related posts:
