to main chapter Settings Notebook

File Page

In the settings notebook, page File, you can define the text file type Wordstar / ASCII and "with word wrap", "no word wrap" for arbitrary file name extensions. These file name extensions do occur in the dropdown box of the File - Open dialog.

ASCII Codepages

The codepage of the ASCII file depends on your operating system: OS/2 and eCS uses IBM (DOS) codepage, Windows and Linux ISO codepage. But Wordstar file format has always IBM (DOS) codepage.

If you want to save or read a file in the not default codepage, then use the file - import/export function in the menu of WSedit.

Wordstar format

"Unformatted" shows Wordstar/Write&Set files like in an ASCII Editor with word wrap on; saving an "unformatted Wordstar file" will create a right margin of 78, so the file will fit the screen of a DOS Wordstar with its 80 column window. While saving a file, "Wordstar formatted" stores the formatting of the text (the position of the Soft Returns, the hyphenation), "WordStar unformatted" will destroy all Soft Return and hyphenation information!

If you reformat a "Wordstar formatted" file, WSedit fetches the right margin value from the last ".RM" (right margin) dot command.

In Wordstar 5, 6 and 7, the data format differs from Wordstar 3.4 and 4. WSedit reads Wordstar 3.4 up to 7, but writes always Wordstar 4 format (which can be read by Wordstar 5, 6, 7 without problems). But it is possible that some formatting information gets lost. Footnotes/endenotes gets converted to Write&Set/Hypermake format.

Distinguish WS tabs is only relevant if you have got Wordstar (DOS) files. Wordstar knows two different tabulators: the ^I and the ^OG tab keys. If you check this box, the ^I tabs are converted to normal spaces, otherwise they are converted to snow chars.

Mixed snow chars in WS5-7 should not be set if you often read WS5-7 files. If soft spaces (snow characters) gets swallowed while reading an original Wordstar file, you should activate this setting.

Default checkboxes

The two "Default..." checkboxes can be checked only by one file type.