Fwwputils – Windows version

If you have a compiler, then download the source code and read the ReadMe.txt file for Windows compilation instructions.

For the majority that don't have a compiler, I have made Windows binaries available here.  Since I don't use Windows very much this will not always be as up-to-date as the source.

Download/Installation

Last update: 1st April 2007 – compiled from the 0.5.14 source, with MSVC on Windows XP.

Note that, as a general principle, if you run software from an untrusted source (like me) you should first scan it for viruses.  If you don't have any anti-virus software, I have heard good reports about AVG Anti-Virus, which is available free to home users from GriSoft.  Other free-for-personal-use alternatives include Avira AntiVir PersonalEdition Classic.

You probably want to download the RTF converter:

• Download fwwp2rtf.exe (60K)

To install, save the executable(s) in the folder you wish to install to (I'd suggest C: (Local Disc) –> Program Files).

Alternatively, if you want to convert to other formats (less likely), you can:

• Download the collection of 0.5.14 binaries (138K)

If you know what MD5 sums are, then you can check them:

cadf4c6b12cf72822129befc8d50f33b  fwwp2rtf.exe
ee6d3dfbfb225ca5af60e419db76a9c8  fwwputils-0.5.14-winbin.zip

Setup

To run, if you're comfortable with the command-prompt then you can use the (very basic) command-line syntax:> fwwp2rtf myfile.wpwhich creates myfile.rtf in the same directory.

More likely, you want to click on files to convert them.  To do this you need to associate the program with the .WP file extension.  Here's a simple way to do this:

1. Find a .WP file in the file browser (e.g. by opening My Computer and navigating to the folder containing the file).
2. Right click on the file and choose Open with (or just Open if that's not available).
3. If you get a choice box asking to choose either Use the Web service... or Select the Program from a list, then choose the latter.
4. This brings up a dialogue box, and by clicking on the Browse... button you should be able to choose the fwwp2rtf program (you will probably need to remember where you saved fwwp2rtf.exe previously).
5. Make sure the Always use this application option is selected and then choose OK.
   (The only visible effect will probably be a black window that briefly opens then closes – see the second note below about refreshing the display).

Usage notes

• After associating the .WP file extension with the converter, you will be able to convert .WP files by just double-clicking on them.
• The conversion program creates a converted copy of the file in the same folder, with the same name (and extension .rtf, though this might be hidden by Windows).  However, the icon for this new file will not be displayed until the file browser updates its display – that is, you will probably need to force it to update before you see the converted version of the file.  To force an update use the menu option View –> Refresh.
• The converted file will probably have an icon indicating that it is a word-processor file.  You should be able to open it by double-clicking on its icon.
• One thing to watch out for is that the converter is set up to not overwrite an already existing .rtf file – I chose this behaviour because it is the safest option.  However this means that, if you have already converted a file, an .rtf file will already exist, so subsequent attempts at conversion will be ignored.  You will need to delete, rename or move the converted version of the file before any subsequent attempts at conversion.
• The main known bugs in conversion are that files using clip-art or mail-merge fields will contain a few junk characters.  Also, some of the more obscure characters – such as certain accented characters – will be converted to question-marks.

Hints:

• To convert multiple files, highlight them all (e.g. using the Select all menu option, or by using ctrl+click to select files), right-click on the group of highlighted files and select Open (possibly Open all).
• If you have .WP files on a floppy, copy them to a folder on your hard-drive before converting.  (This is better because if you converted them on the floppy then the new files would be created on the floppy disc itself, which is much slower than creating them on your hard-drive.)

Debug version

If something doesn't work properly then you might like to try using the debug version of the RTF converter (220K).  The extra output should give you (or me) more clues to help diagnose the problem.

MD5 sum:

91f4a1031530b3afe4a43a82af4ee119  fwwp2rtf-debug.exe