FileSaveAs Doc Err: Incorrect .Format Argument Explanation

The information in this article applies to:

• Microsoft Word for Windows, versions 6.0, 6.0a
• Microsoft Windows operating system version 3.1

SYMPTOMS

There is a documentation error in the Word for Windows online WordBasic Help in the FileSaveAs topic. The same error occurs on page 445 of the "Microsoft Word Developer's Kit."

These resources contain the following incorrect information:

   You can specify other file formats, which must be listed in the
   [MSWord Text Converters] section of the WIN.INI file. To determine
   the appropriate value, count down, starting at 0 (zero), to the file
   format you want, and then add 100.

   You can specify other file formats if they are listed in the [MSWord
   Text Converters] section of your WINWORD6.INI file or the [MS Text
   Converters] section of your WIN.INI file. To determine the appropriate
   value for the .Format argument, count down, starting at 0 (zero) in the
   [MSWord Text Converters] section of your WINWORD6.INI file. Continue
   counting, starting with the next number, in the [MS Text Converters]
   section of your WIN.INI file, until you get to the file format you
   want. Then add 100 and use that number as the value of the .Format
   argument. For example, if you count down to 12, the value for the
   .Format argument is 112.

                                            Counted   .Format
File, Section, and Setting                  Number    Argument
--------------------------                  -------   --------

[MSWord Text Converters]

MS-DOS Text with Layout                     0          100
Text with Layout                            1          101
Lotus123                                    2          102
DisplayWrite                                3          103
MSMultiPlan                                 4          104
MultiMate 4.0                               5          105
MultiMate Adv II                            6          106
MultiMate Advantage                         7          107
MultiMate 3.3                               8          108
WordPerfect 4.2                             9          109

[MS Text Converters]

WrdPrfctDOS50                               10         110
WrdPrfctDOS                                 11         111
WrdPrfctDOS52                               12         112
MSWordWin2                                  13         113
MSWordDos                                   14         114
MSWordDos6                                  15         115
MSWordMac4                                  16         116
RFTDCA                                      17         117
MSBiff                                      18         118

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in Word versions 6.0 and 6.0a for Windows. We are researching this problem and will post new information here in the Microsoft Knowledge Base as it becomes available.

WORKAROUND

To avoid counting the WINWORD6.INI and WIN.INI entries manually, create a macro that uses the ConverterLookup() function to return the correct value for the .Format argument. See the sample macros on page 303 of the "Microsoft Word Developer's Kit" or the "ConverterLookup()" topic in online WordBasic Help for more information.

MORE INFORMATION

The following six formats are internal to Word for Windows, so they always use the same number for the .Format argument:

.Format     File
Argument    Format
--------    ------

   0        Normal (Word format)
   1        Document Template
   2        Text Only (extended characters saved in ANSI character set)
   3        Text+Breaks (plain text with line breaks; extended
            characters saved in ANSI character set)
   4        Text Only (PC-8) (extended characters saved in IBM PC
            character set)
   5        Text+Breaks (PC-8) (text with line breaks; extended
            characters saved in IBM PC character set)
   6        Rich-text format (RTF)

REFERENCES

"Microsoft Word Developer's Kit," version 6.0, Microsoft Press, 1994, pages 303, 445