--- In norse_course@..., tcku@... wrote:
>
> Either that or we detest overpriced buggy software. I use Corel WordPerfect,
> and am seriously considering a shift to Linux. Html or txt files are best
> for me, though I am able to handle RTF as well.
Another possibility is to hand edit rtf files.
That is actually simpler than it sounds, since we only
need to use a *small* *subset* of the rtf commands.
Just a few simple rules:
1) rtf begins with curly bracket : {
2) rtf ends with curly bracket : }
(just like in C-programs)
3)First word after opening curly barcket is \rtf
4)Second word is \ansi (or \mac in rare cases)
That's really all there is too it!
The rest is all formatting instructions.
And those should be used sparingly...
Remember TWO rules:
a) all commands begin with a slash: \
b) enclose paragraphs in curly brackets to limit the domain
of a command.
If you understand these few simple rules you can already
write rtf-formatted files.
The point is, though, that often machines (automatic code generation)
make a mess of things. Handwritten code, on the other hand can
be beautiful as well as simple! Do you have a vein of the skald
in yourself? Then hand-formatting text is clearly for you!
Here are the importand commands:
\par = start new paragraph.
\tab = insert a "tab" (jump forward a standard space - makes beautiful
tables)
{\i abcdefghi... } = text in brackets comes out italic.
{\b pqrstuvwxyz. } = text in brackets comes out in boldface.
That's all! Now you can start writing beautifully formated text
documents! And even if people cannot read it, the inserted
commands will be so few, that the text can still be read in
its rtf-coded format. It will also be easy to create <html>
versions, since all you need to do is to do a "search and replace"
on five or six different commands.
The alternative would be "Tex",
but not everyone has a viewer, and most "free" sytems are a
big hassle to install - at least the ones I've seen.
Either that or they cost too much, and have too many tools
included, most of which you'll never need. TeX works nicely
on Linux, though, where it is part of the "standard package".
The advantage of rtf is its simplicity, as well as the general
availability of "readers" (Word or Word-pad can always read it)
But I use WriteNow, and it too can handle it.
MS Word is not very nice, since it often doesn't read its
own older version files. Then I have to go back to the old version,
save the file as "rtf" and then reopen with the new version.
Then it works. (at least in the few cases where I got stuck,
it worked that way)
Finally, here is a simple example:
~~~~~~~~~~~cut here~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
{\rtf\ansi
{\b Hello,} {\i Norse Course!}\par
\tab Wellcome to RTF!
}
~~~~~~~~~~cut here~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
If you cut out and save as "Hello.rtf" in text-only format,
and then "open" the file "Hello.rtf" with Word-pad
(included for free with Windows), you should seee the 2 lines:
Hello, Norse Course!
Wellcome to RTF!
"Hello" will be in boldface, and "Norse Course" in italic types.
The second line will be in normal (straight) types.
Best regards
Keth