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Saturday, May 28, 2016

WordPerfect viewer/editor on Android?

WordPerfect viewer/editor on Android? For long-time WordPerfect users, it has been virtually impossible to read or write WPD files on an Android device. The only official option, thus far, has been the official and commercial Corel WPD viewer, but the user reviews have been mixed, to say the least.
    This problem has prompted me to research and experiment, based on the fact that a free Windows MS Office-compatible suite like Libre Office [or Open Office, or Apache Office] has, for some time, had the ability to open WordPerfect files seamlessly [and save them, sometimes]. I formatted and saved a few basic WPD files, simply renamed the file extension to .ODT, and opened them in Libre Office – virtually perfectly [only experiencing importing issues with some complex tables]. Apart from that, formatting features like different fonts, graphics boxes, numbered outlining? No problem.
    Then I proceeded to Android: I copied these test WPD files [simply renamed as ODT files, not exported as Open Office files, remember] to my device/cloud storage services like Dropbox and Google Drive. I installed a number of Open Office/ODT compatible office apps, and tried to open the "new" ODT files.
    The best result so far [only been testing for the last 2 days] has come from OOReader [free via the Google Play store]. Opening a disguised WPD file as an ODT file takes a few seconds to convert, and – success! Almost every file I've tossed at OOReader has imported successfully, with WP formatting and graphics intact.
    Interestingly, the official Libre Office viewer app [also the beta one] chokes on these FrankenFiles, as well as most other allegedly ODT-compatible office viewers and editors.
    And so my 48-hour conclusion and advice are this: If you're a die-hard WPD user and would like to access your files on an Android device, follow these kludgy and hack-ey steps: (1) upload your WPD file AS IS to your device or the cloud; (2) install OOReader on your device; (3) when you need to do so, simply rename the WPD file to an ODT extension, and import into OOReader.
    Savvy users might even write a batch script or CMD file beforehand which automatically renames or mirrors important WPD files as ODT files in one's PC Dropbox folder, which will save precious seconds when accessing that beautiful WPD data...
    When (if) I find an app which can then also correctly and perfectly edit and save these hacked WPD-as-ODT files, a follow-up report will, well, follow.
    Date: 28 May 2016


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PS: This week [late May 2016] I received an amusing response from someone who was baffled by WordPerfect's continued existence and use. Apparently, there's a new-fangled Office suite made by some outfit called "Microsoft", which has allegedly developed some traction in the word processing universe. And this respondent's advice was to convert all existing WordPerfect files into Word .doc/.docx format, so as to fit into the current hegemony. 

Firstly: WHAT?

Secondly, and somewhat more realistically and less tongue-in-cheek: A few of us die-hards love WordPerfect because, well, "Reveal Codes". [And if you need to ask, don't read on...]

Having become a WP user since the late 80's, and with a stash of thousands of WPD docs, one is reluctant to engage in large-scale batch reformatting and conversion ops, merely to fit in with the MS Word crowd. As an interim and pragmatic measure and recognition of Android "realpolitik", maybe my suggestion to just rename WPD files to ODT is then not entirely beyond comprehension?

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