Hi,

What's the best console tool (text-mode), to convert ms word files to
plane text?
catdoc, seems ok, works on most files, but looses a lot of formatting.
antiword, seems quite good, but it doesn't work on every file...

What are people using, any better suggestions?

I have a script here ready to go, so all I have to do is set the prog
variable... I get a lot of these files unfortunately, so any suggestions
would be appreciated.


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On 02/11/2009 01:22 AM, Daniel Dalton wrote:

Hi,

What's the best console tool (text-mode), to convert ms word files to
plane text?
catdoc, seems ok, works on most files, but looses a lot of formatting.


Well, sure you lose formatting going from Word to text. Can you be
more specific as to what you mean?



antiword, seems quite good, but it doesn't work on every file...

What are people using, any better suggestions?

I have a script here ready to go, so all I have to do is set the prog
variable... I get a lot of these files unfortunately, so any suggestions
would be appreciated.


$ abiword --to=txt some_file.doc

Requires some GNOME and GTK libs, though.

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Jefferson LA USA

Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification


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On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 01:56:30AM -0600, Ron Johnson wrote:
> On 02/11/2009 01:22 AM, Daniel Dalton wrote:
>> Hi,
>>
>> What's the best console tool (text-mode), to convert ms word files to
>> plane text?
>> catdoc, seems ok, works on most files, but looses a lot of formatting.
>
> Well, sure you lose formatting going from Word to text. Can you be more
> specific as to what you mean?

Yep, well, I just mean like indentation, numbers, tables converted to
tabs, etc.
When I say numbers I mean the auto numbering word does, and for that to
show up in plain text as 1, 2, 3 etc...

Does that make sense, and possibly other things.

>
>> antiword, seems quite good, but it doesn't work on every file...
>>
>> What are people using, any better suggestions?
>>
>> I have a script here ready to go, so all I have to do is set the prog
>> variable... I get a lot of these files unfortunately, so any suggestions
>> would be appreciated.
>
> $ abiword --to=txt some_file.doc
>

Uh... I was hoping to avoid starting the gui...

Thanks,

Daniel.


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On 02/11/2009 02:09 AM, Daniel Dalton wrote:

On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 01:56:30AM -0600, Ron Johnson wrote:

On 02/11/2009 01:22 AM, Daniel Dalton wrote:

Hi,

What's the best console tool (text-mode), to convert ms word files to
plane text?
catdoc, seems ok, works on most files, but looses a lot of formatting.
Well, sure you lose formatting going from Word to text. Can you be more
specific as to what you mean?


Yep, well, I just mean like indentation, numbers, tables converted to
tabs, etc.
When I say numbers I mean the auto numbering word does, and for that to
show up in plain text as 1, 2, 3 etc...

Does that make sense, and possibly other things.


antiword, seems quite good, but it doesn't work on every file...

What are people using, any better suggestions?

I have a script here ready to go, so all I have to do is set the prog
variable... I get a lot of these files unfortunately, so any suggestions
would be appreciated.

$ abiword --to=txt some_file.doc



Uh... I was hoping to avoid starting the gui...


Hmmm. *Maybe* it would work from the console. Two ways to find
out, and one doesn't require that you know C...


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Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification


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On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 06:22:44PM +1100, Daniel Dalton wrote:
> Hi,
>
> What's the best console tool (text-mode), to convert ms word files to
> plane text?
> catdoc, seems ok, works on most files, but looses a lot of formatting.
> antiword, seems quite good, but it doesn't work on every file...
>
> What are people using, any better suggestions?

Daniel,

Ooconvert is a command line utility, converts between
all 183 formats (!) that openoffice recognizes.

http://sourceforge.net/project/showfiles.php?group_id=168329

Requires an openoffice installation.

I have not tested it myself.

Joel

> I have a script here ready to go, so all I have to do is set the prog
> variable... I get a lot of these files unfortunately, so any suggestions
> would be appreciated.
>
>
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>

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> Ooconvert is a command line utility, converts between
> all 183 formats (!) that openoffice recognizes.


If ooconvert requires open office, then you may as well have X
installed to meet all the requirements. If you have to install X ,
then you may as well use OOo.


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Systems Administrator
www.stardothosting.com/managed-hosting


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On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 07:09:27PM +1100, Daniel Dalton wrote:
> On Wed, Feb 11, 2009 at 01:56:30AM -0600, Ron Johnson wrote:
>
> > $ abiword --to=txt some_file.doc
> >
>
> Uh... I was hoping to avoid starting the gui...

$ DISPLAY= abiword -t txt /tmp/test.doc
$ ls -l /tmp/test.txt
-rw-r--r-- 1 tzafrir tzafrir 58 2009-02-12 04:27 /tmp/test.txt

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http://tzafrir.org.il | | a Mutt's
tzafrir@cohens.org.il | | best
ICQ# 16849754 | | friend


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On 02/11/2009 08:07 PM, debian debian wrote:

Ooconvert is a command line utility, converts between
all 183 formats (!) that openoffice recognizes.



If ooconvert requires open office, then you may as well have X
installed to meet all the requirements. If you have to install X ,
then you may as well use OOo.


That's just *wrong*.

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Supporting World Peace Through Nuclear Pacification


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> $ DISPLAY= abiword -t txt /tmp/test.doc
> $ ls -l /tmp/test.txt
> -rw-r--r-- 1 tzafrir tzafrir 58 2009-02-12 04:27 /tmp/test.txt

Thanks! That works from text mode. I'll have to do some tests and see
which is the best now... :-) does that trick work with other apps?

Daniel.


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> Hmmm. *Maybe* it would work from the console. Two ways to find out, and
> one doesn't require that you know C...

Yes, I did test it. :-) And setting the DISPLAY var seemed to make it
work.


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