APPLICATION NOTE #134
 TRANSLATING WORDSTAR FILES
 Rev. 01


 This application note gives you the information you need to convert a 
WordStar file into XyWrite format.


 WORDSTAR FORMAT
 WordStar, a word processor produced by MicroPro International 
Corporation, offsets certain ASCII character values by 128 in order 
to create special control codes. For example, the carriage return 
that is created by a wordwrap character has an ASCII value of 141 (a 
standard carriage return has a value of 13); spaces entered by 
WordStar to justify lines have an ASCII value of 160 (a standard 
space has a value of 32); and the line feed character that is part of 
a page break marker has an ASCII value of 138 (a standard line feed 
character has a value of 10).

 To read a WordStar file in XyWrite, use the XLATE (Translate) command 
described below to remove the offset from these special control 
codes.


 XLATE COMMAND FORMAT
 Like the CALL command, the XLATE command loads a copy of the named 
document from the disk into memory and the display for viewing and 
editing. The XLATE command also  translates upper ASCII characters 
(ASCII 128 through 255) into lower ASCII characters (ASCII 0 through 
127). The XLATE command performs this translation by subtracting 128 
from the ASCII value of all characters in the extended ASCII 
character set.

 The general form for XLATE is:

   CM:XLATE d:filename

 XLATE works by copying the file to the display. The original document 
remains safely on disk. Thus, you may edit or even ABORT the 
displayed document without disturbing the original file. (Only when 
you use the STORE or SAVE command to save the document back to the 
disk does the file on the disk change.)


 USING THE XLATE COMMAND
 Let's say you want to display a WordStar file called CHAPTER.DOC and 
have the upper ASCII characters translated into lower ASCII 
characters in the display. Start with the screen cleared of any 
document.

   Type:   F5xlate chapter.doc<CR>

 Result:  XyWrite calls a copy of the file CHAPTER.DOC to the display. 
In the display, all upper ASCII characters are translated to as lower 
ASCII characters. Not all of these characters appear on the screen. 
For example, the carriage return and line feed characters are 
invisibly embedded in the file.


 SAVING THE DOCUMENT
 XLATE loads the document into memory only. The translation is not 
saved on disk until you SAVE or STORE it. If you want to maintain the 
original WordStar version and have a XyWrite-readable version as 
well, you could save the document under a different name. For 
example, if you use XLATE to display the file CHAPTER.DOC, you could 
then:

   Type:   F5save chapter.trn<CR>

   Type:   F5ab<CR>

 Result: XyWrite saves the displayed document under the name 
CHAPTER.TRN. CHAPTER.TRN reflects the translations performed by the 
XLATE command. Your original document, CHAPTER.DOC, is cleared from 
the screen without being saved to disk, so the translation is 
discarded and the WordStar document is intact.


 Note #1  Translated Characters. Keep in mind that XLATE translates 
all characters in the extended character set, not just the special 
control codes created by WordStar.

 Note #2  Pointing at Filename. You can also use the XLATE command by 
displaying a directory and pointing at a filename.

 Note #3  Clearing the Screen. You can have XyWrite automatically open 
a new window for you (if the current window has a file in it) when 
you issue the XLATE command. Refer the the XyWrite Reference Guide 
for information on the NW (New Window) setting.