Microsoft KB Archive/64546

Save As Text, Save As Text+Breaks, and Undefined Characters

PSS ID Number: Q64546 Article last modified on 11-02-1994

1.00 1.10 1.10a 2.00 2.00a 2.00a-CD 2.00b 2.00c

WINDOWS

Summary:

The Save As Text Only and Save As Text+Breaks options treat undefined characters in the range 128-159 differently. Save As Text Only does not convert undefined characters to spaces, while Save As Text+Breaks converts those characters into spaces.

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word for Windows versions 1.0, 1.1, 1.1a, and 2.0. We are researching this problem and will post new information here as it becomes available.

Undefined characters are the characters between ANSI 128-159 that do not already have a special meaning to Word for Windows. The ones defined in Word, such as the publishing characters, are translated as something else. For example, em-dashes are translated as hyphens. The characters that are not assigned a special character are the ones that are converted to spaces.

When selecting Text+Breaks, sanitize (convert undefined characters to spaces) and add CRLF at the ends of lines. Saving as Text Only does not change the character stream.

KBCategory: kbinterop KBSubCategory: Additional reference words: w4wother 1.00 1.10 1.10a 2.00 2.00a 2.00a- CD 2.00b 2.00c textconv ============================================================================= Copyright Microsoft Corporation 1994.