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Topic: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware (Read 7840 times) previous topic - next topic

WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Experienced users: I have discovered that a placeable WMF from NWC can be ungrouped (correctly!) and its individual components edited, in the "Open Office" suite. This is a free, open source project, alternative to MS Office:

http://www.openoffice.org

There is a fancier commercial version called "Star Office," I am told.

Why would you want to edit the components of the WMF? Because it gives you greater control over the visual appearance. Just remember that each line a staff is an independent element, as is each subcompenent of a note.

WMFs from NWC have always been placeable in MS Word (and can be cropped and resized there). But at least in its 97 version, Word did not correctly ungroup the WMF. Software that correctly ungrouped the WMF as vector graphic elements was not free.

You can still convert a WMF to bitmap formats (including GIF) via the free "Irfan View" now downloaded from Tucows. If you tried that more than a year ago and weren't happy, download the current version and try agin. It's better.

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #1 –
That's one small compatability step for OpenOffice.org, one giant leap against Microsoft. Star Office is souped up with a third party (that's why it can't be open source) database program, some fonts/clipart, and most importantly to some people a "Sun Guarentee" and a price tag ($76). Star Office 5.2 was free, and I'm glad I downloaded it before 6.0 came out for the database program.

P.S. Apparently, its OpenOffice.org because OpenOffice is already taken...

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #2 –
Thanks for that pointer! This program suite is awesome, finally I could uninstall that old version of microsoft's attempt.

My computer is a lot happier now. :)

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #3 –
If some experienced NWC would like to play with this, and let us know the result (I don't have the time right now):

A common request is the capability to change just one staff in a NWC composition to x-head notes. This cannot be done within the program as of v.1.75, but there are external techniques discussed elsewhere in the forum.

Wouldn't it be nice if a WMF could be edited to do that? Based on my preliminary finding with Open Office, I believe it can be done.

The WMF is opened in Open Office, then saved as a native format document. Select the WMF image, then Modify > Convert > to Contour.

At this point, the WMF can be ungrouped (Modify > Ungroup) and it individual elements moved. But there is a better way:

Instead of ungrouping, choose Modify > Enter Group. This allows you to act on the elements without accidentally repositioning the group.

If you use the mouse to select a portion of the WMF that happens to contain font elements, you can change the font or font size. So, if a section with NWC note heads is selected, and if you have an x-head susbstitute font that is otherwise the same as NWCV15, you can magically change the note heads. I believe the Scriptorium has a font like that (If not, I will provide one).

I've tried this, and is seems to work more or less. The "or less" part is that it's tricky making the selection to be exectly what I want to select. The reason is that element bounding boxes do not tightly conform to the element sizes, so it requires some playing around to select exactly what I want. But the font change definitely works.

Would anyone else care to try it out?

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #4 –
Nice. I trust it will work, but when I was "upgraded," I did not take along good old banger, so if you do not see another reply saying otherwise from me, please e-mail me with the font. This is much better than hackit !link(e-mail=mailto:m53rd@yahoo.com)

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #5 –
I'm definity going to need the font -- I can't find it anywhere, but thanks for showing me this part of OpenOffice.org. I had wanted to mess with clip art -- one of the only things I liked about MS Office 97, but could not figure out where to go to. Finally, it dawned on me that you meant the drawing program because that is what you've used in the past. Finally, the computer with no jar of pens!!

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #6 –
F.B. --

At about the time I created "Hackit," Al Stevens created a very similar font that works the same way. Since his explanation of how to use the font was better than my own, I removed Hackit in favor of his font. Al Stevens' xfont is here, in the Scriptorium:

http://nwc-scriptorium.org/ftp/helpful/xfonts.zip

Alas, right now I am not at a computer that would allow me to download and use xfont. In order to work in the way intended (with Open Office) the internal font name would have to be something other than NWCV15. But if Al named it NWCV15, that is easily fixed.

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #7 –
I got back to my other computer.

Yes, it is possible to change any number of standard notes into x-head notes, using this technique. You can change a few notes (as with spoken words) or a drum staff in a composition that otherwise has standard notes.

In a nutshell: You need to install Open Office, and the font NWCX15 from the Scriptorium helpful files "xfonts." This does not affect the existing NWCV15 font installation.

When your NWC composition is completely finished and ready for printing, make a placeable WMF of each page using File > Print Preview > Copy > placeable WMF.

On a page-by-page basis, open the WMF in Open Office. Click on the image to select it, then Modify > Convert > to contour.

You can then Modify > un-group the WMF and move or edit its components. But if you do not intend to reposition anything, it is better to use Modify > enter group.

Select the notehead to be changed by sweeping with the mouse, in the usual fahsion. A bounding box with handles will appear around your selection. Caution: The bounding box of each nothead is considerably larger than the visible notehead. You will need to include extra area.

On the drawing toolbar, click the text editor icon (T). The upper toolbar will change to a text editor. At left, you can change the font from NWCV15 to NWCX15. Since fonts are listed alphabetically, NWCV15 is listed before NWCX15.

It is best to do this at 200% maginification, so you can see your result. Be sure that you did not miss any noteheads, and that you did not inadvertently include any text objects or lyrics.

Save the changed image in Open Office native format. It can be printed or converted to PDF using Ghostscript.

The changes you make cannot be re-imported to the NWC editor. That's why it is important to use this technique only when your composition is final.

You can also do other editing functions, such as locally changing the lyrics font, or whatever. Experiment.

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #8 –
After hearing about it in this forum, I downloaded Open Office, and on the one hand it looks absolutely marvellous, while on the other I just don't know where or how to begin.  I really need a manual.  The web site gives no hint of anything of the sort; they seem to think that we are born with the knowledge of what to do with it.  I currently use MS Word because it is there, and is a lot better than nothing if not nearly as good as it should be; I have some experience with, and prefer, WordPerfect, but my wife (who uses it in at work) tells me that it is being phased out, so there is no point in trying to switch to it.  Anyhow it was years ago that I used it and by now I have forgotten most of it.  Neither Word nor WordPerfect prepared me for Open Office.  Any advice on how to find out what it does and how to get it to do it?

Stephen

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #9 –
Wouldn't it be nice if NWC had all of those things native to the program that we all need these other programs for...

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #10 –
Patience, Steve.  I have just returned from the year 2007, and NWC 2.0 does everything you want, and then some.  Wait till you see it.  (I tried to bring it back with me, but all non-organic matter was destroyed while I was in the time stream.)

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #11 –
 
I suggest reviewing the improvements from only 1.55 to 1.75 and deciding what can be expected by 2007...
 

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #12 –
Open office is open-source software. Since nobody is making the big bucks from it, a real manual would be a labor of love. Don't hold your breath.

Wait! Don't go away! Try the built-in help file that comes with the program. It's njot as helpful as the infamous MS paper clip, but it will tell you what you need to know, if you've ever used a similar kind of program before.

Whatever may be the future of NWC, there will necessarily be some uses for which WMF placement is essential. I have in mind the inclusion of small portions of music in what would otherwise be a word processing document. Brochures handed out to an audience, or congregation, are of that type.

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #13 –
You can find manual books on www.amazon.com

As OpenOffice is completely free, I don't mind paying for one of those books.

BTW, OpenOffice rules. Our company has been thinking in replacing all the old Office suites with OpenOffice. An upgrade to OfficeXP would have cost us "a kidney", plus I'm sure we would have had to updgrade the computers also.

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #14 –
-
BUMP!

As NWC2 is in public beta phase, it would be worth updating this thread with EMF information.

So far, I have failed to follow the above tutorial with an EMF file in OO1.1 :P
_
 

Re: WMF from NWC editable in Open Office freeware

Reply #15 –
The EMF files work fine. I am using using v 1.11 which came on a magazine.

I bought Metafile Companion but that drops the slurs.

I should have looked here first!