WD97: Imported WordPerfect Document Contains Gaps

ID: Q173442

The information in this article applies to:

Microsoft Word 97 for Windows

SYMPTOMS

If you import a WordPerfect document into Microsoft Word, the document may contain large gaps between paragraphs.

CAUSE

This problem occurs when the WordPerfect document contains secondary leading with a negative value. (To adjust this setting in WordPerfect, press SHIFT+F8, 4, 6, 6).

For example, a secondary leading of -3 points in WordPerfect results in 652.35 points of spacing after paragraphs in Word. (To adjust this setting in Word, click Paragraph on the Format menu).

WORKAROUND

To work around this problem, use either of the following methods.

Method 1: Remove the Spacing After Value in Word

To fix this problem after you have imported the document into Word, follow these steps:

On the Edit menu, click Select All.

On the Format menu, click Paragraph, and then click the Indents And Spacing tab.

Change the Spacing After setting to 0 pt.

Click OK.

Method 2: Change the Negative Value Before Converting to Word

To prevent this problem from occurring, change the negative value for secondary leading in WordPerfect before you import the document into Word. Use the appropriate method for your version of WordPerfect.

WordPerfect 5.1 for MS-DOS:

In WordPerfect 5.1 for MS-DOS, the secondary leading code is similar to the Spacing After setting for paragraphs.

To change this value in WordPerfect 5.1 for MS-DOS, press SHIFT+F8, 4, 6, 6, and reset the Secondary Leading value to 0".

NOTE: Pressing SHIFT+F8 opens the Format menu. Pressing "4" selects Other Formats. Pressing "6" selects the Printer Settings menu, and pressing "6" again selects the Leading value. Press the TAB key or ENTER to place the cursor on the Secondary value.

WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows:

To change this value in WordPerfect 5.2 for Windows, change the Between Paragraphs [HRt] setting under Line Height (Leading) Adjustment in the Typesetting dialog box (available on the Layout menu).

WordPerfect 6.x:

To change this value in WordPerfect 6.x, change the Adjust Leading setting on the Word Spacing and Letter Spacing dialog box. Use the Typesetting command on the Layout menu (in WordPerfect 6.0), or the Format menu (in WordPerfect 6.1 for Windows).

MORE INFORMATION

WordPerfect is manufactured by Corel Corporation, a vendor independent of Microsoft; we make no warranty, implied or otherwise, regarding this product's performance or reliability.

In WordPerfect, there are two different codes for line breaks: [SRt] (Soft Return), and [HRt] (Hard Return).

The [SRt] Code

WordPerfect automatically inserts the [SRt] code at the end of each line in a paragraph. The Leading Primary value in WordPerfect is equivalent to the Line Spacing setting in Word; it controls how much additional vertical space is after each line. If you change the Leading Primary value, WordPerfect adjusts the line spacing for the paragraph.

The [HRt] Code

WordPerfect inserts the [HRt] code when you press the ENTER key. This code is equivalent to the paragraph mark in Word. Therefore, the Leading Secondary value in WordPerfect is equivalent to the Spacing After setting in Word. However, unlike the Spacing After setting, you can set Secondary Leading to a negative number. This forces adjacent paragraphs to overlap.

Word for the Macintosh version 6.x, Word for Windows 95 version 7.0, and Word 97 all convert the [HRt] code to the Spacing After setting. However, because Word does not allow a negative value, it incorrectly sets Spacing After to a large value (approximately 671.75 points).

REFERENCES

For additional information on how Microsoft Word converts leading from WordPerfect, please see the following article in the Microsoft Knowledge Base:

Q72292 WD: How Word Converts WordPerfect 5.x/6.x Hard and Soft Returns

STATUS

Microsoft has confirmed this to be a problem in the versions of Microsoft Word listed at the beginning of this article.

Additional query words:

Keywords : word97 kblayout
Version : WINDOWS:
Platform : WINDOWS
Issue type : kbbug