You may wish to transfer documents between RISC OS and Windows. Fireworkz documents can easily be transferred between the two platforms, but there are some potential problems which you should watch out for.
You may wish to transfer documents between RISC OS and Windows. Fireworkz documents can easily be transferred between the two platforms, but there are some potential problems which you should watch out for.
Before copying a file, you should check for the following:
Fireworkz stores the fonts used in documents internally by their PostScript name, if there is one, rather than any platform- or vendor-specific name. If most of the fonts you use on both platforms are standard fonts with analagous PostScript names, you should find that the correct fonts are used.
For example, documents which use the RISC OS fonts Trinity and Homerton will be displayed in Times New Roman and Arial, the equivalent standard Windows fonts.
If your documents use non-standard fonts which do not have a direct equivalent on your other systems, another font will be substituted. Inevitably, this will mean that your text is reformatted.
Fireworkz allows you to stretch and shrink type using the Width option in the Text section of the Style editor. Unfortunately, if this option has been set in RISC OS, it will mean that with some fonts, Windows will not display the text at the correct height or width.
Ideally, you should turn this option off in all text before transferring files.
Charts and pictures which are embedded within documents will be transferred along with the text and the rest of the document. Fireworkz will interpret and display most embedded picture files, and also more complex pictures such as pictogram charts which are effectively a Draw file containing embedded sprites or further Draw files.
Referenced pictures will usually be transferred or translated. However, you must first make sure that the file names of referenced pictures can be understood by both systems. You will also need to make sure that in both the original and the copy that all the files are in the same directory: this makes it much easier for Fireworkz to find the files.
Fireworkz for Windows will not understand any databases inserted into Fireworkz Pro documents. All database areas of such documents will be ignored.
The process of transferring files to Windows is quite simple. The work needs to be done at the RISC OS end, so if you are going to be sent files and do not have access to an RISC OS computer, make sure that the person sending the files has a copy these instructions.
You can now take the file to a Windows computer.
To transfer files from Windows to RISC OS:
Firewrkz
.You will now be able to use the file in RISC OS.
If you use VirtualAcorn you can ease the filename mapping process somewhat. In Windowed mode, go to Tools – Options and alter the list of HostFS Extensions. Add a mapping between RISC OS file type "BDF" (Fireworkz) and DOS extension "fwk".