[comp.sys.ibm.pc] Internal Format of Microsoft Word

cramer@kontron.UUCP (Clayton Cramer) (11/11/86)

A few days ago I posted an article requesting help with converting a
Volkswriter format file to Microsoft Word format.  I've received a number
of responses (some on the edge of, "Hey dummy!") telling me to write a
program to replace the Volkswriter imbedded formatting characters with
the equivalent Word formatting character commands.  (E.g. replace the
Volkswriter Shift-F10 character for bold face with Alt-B.)  If it were
really that simple, I would have done that without asking for your help.

In fact, Word does NOT use imbedded formatting characters.  The text
and the format control information are quite separate -- it looks from
dumps of Word files like there may be a bit map of some sort that 
specifies which characters are bold, normal, italic, etc.  In any
case, the conversion is NOT a straightforward one-to-one conversion.

In any case, I decided not to do the conversion after all.

Clayton E. Cramer