Link Areas

General Tips | Troubleshooting | User Support | Macro Programming | Downloads | Other

  General Tips, Tricks

Corel WordPerfect Suite 8 Resource Guide __ Hidden within Corel's web site is a gold mine of information written for "administrators and MIS professionals." Power users will also love it.
WordProgress __ A newsletter from the American Bar Association's Law Practice Management Section with an emphasis on WordPerfect. A very good site for general WordPerfect coverage including coverage of macros.
WordPerfect 7 Tips and Tricks from Corel __ A bevy of how_to's straight from Corel.
MicroCounsel -- Geared toward the law office but there are a number of articles and tips that all WordPerfect users will find helpful. Also includes a few macros to download.

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  Troubleshooting

Corel's Knowledge Base __ Search Corel's web site for information on how to deal with glitches.

  User Support

WordPerfect Universe __ Hosted by macro guru Gordon McComb, this site includes a popular discussion board on all versions of WordPerfect. You don't have to subscribe to any newsgroup or listserv.
Corel Newsgroups __ Corel has established a number of newsgroups where you can get answers. This page lists all the newsgroups and links to them.

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  Macro Programming

A great tutorial is hidden deep within Corel's web site. This officially covers version 8 but most of it is applicable to all versions since WP 6.1 for Windows. Chapters include:

•     Macro Basics
•     Macro Concepts
•     Organizing and Structuring Macros
•     Variables in Macros
•     Arrays in Macros
•     Creating a Macro Interface with Dialog Boxes
•     Using Callback Loops in Macro Dialog Boxes
•     Macros Included with Corel WordPerfect Suite 8

PefectScript Journal __ Articles on intermediate to advanced macro programming from one of the experts.

The Cutting Edge __ Articles from Gordon McComb on selected advanced topics for macro developers
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  Macros to Download

WordPerfect Universe __ DOS and Windows macros to download from Gordon McComb
WordPerfect Wiz __ Macros for WP 6.1 to 8.
Barry MacDonnell's Toolbox for WordPerfect for Windows -- A number of macros to download plus links to other sites.

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  Other Links Unrelated to WordPerfect

Here are a few programs that may come in handy and which are FREE – not shareware. This is not a comprehensive list nor are these necessarily the best programs of their type.These are simply programs that I have used and can recommend.

QuickNotes
Download at http://www.sationeryworld.com/gautamjain. You can create post-it type of notes and place them on a memo board of your choice. It also includes an alarm and program scheduler. Can be configured to run both on the system tray and the desktop or on the system tray only.

NoteTab
NoteTab is a text editor on steroids. Actually, it comes in three versions – standard, professional, and the light version. The standard and professional are shareware but the “light” version is terrific and it is free. Opens multiple documents with tabbed window panes. It uses clipbooks to store tags and run macro like functions. Clipbooks can be user defined or download one of many from the web site (e.g., html tags). Convert from ansi to ascii and many other text editing tools. You can download from http://www.notetab.com.

WordWeb
This is a free stand alone dictionary and thesaurus that can be used with virtually any Windows program. It includes synonyms, antonyms, and more. There is a pro version you can buy the free version is very nice. Download from http://wordweb.co.uk. I haven’t vetted it to see how much it uses the Queen’s English rather than American English. If it is any indication, however, the first definition given for “run” is a score in baseball.

ClipBoard Magic
This Windows clipboard extender saves multiple clipboard pastes in memory and, optionally, lets you save to or import from disk. You also have the option of doing a “series” paste which lets you paste multiple entries from the clipboard in a series with one keystroke. The utility has several other features as well. Download from http://www.cyber-matrix.com.

EnZip
This is a free zip utility which allows you to extract or create your own zip files. It uses an Explorer style interface and can be opened by right clicking on any file. Options include the ability to recurse directories, multiple diskette spanning, create self-extracting zip files, password protection, and more. Compatible with both pkzip and Winzip but this one is FREE. Download from http://website.lineone.net/~chris_m.

Gozilla
Gozilla is a download manager that is especially helpful for large downloads (like those WordPerfect service packs). If a download is disrupted, you can usually resume it without having to start all over again. The free version is ad supported. Download from http://www.gozilla.com.

1st Page 2000 from EvrSoft
This is a great text based html editor. The user can select from pre-defined Easy, Normal, Expert, and Hardcore modes but the toolbars and keyboard shortcuts can be completely customized. It includes 450 scripts (javascript, VB script, and more). Create the text in one tabbed pane and preview the results in the preview tabbed pane. Includes spell checker, thesaurus and much more. It includes tag highlighting, color coded to type of tag or script as defined by the user, and much more. Download from http://www.evrsoft.com.

IrfanView Graphics File Viewer
IrfanView is a slick graphics viewer which can view and convert many common graphics formats such as .jpg, .png, .gif, .bmp, and more (sorry, no .wpg support). A number of special effects can be applied such as emboss, 3D buttons, and more. It will create a slideshow of selected files and create thumbnails of graphic files in a folder. It even includes a screen capture utility. This is a great little program at a remarkable price – free. Download from http://stud1.tuwien.ac.at/~e9227474/.

Archive Peek
Archive Peek allows you to search for files stored in an archive file in a variety of formats. It natively searches for .zip files. It also searches for filenames of other archive files ( .arj, .cab, .lzh, and others) using the program associated with that file format. You can download at  http://www.geocities.com/SiliconValley/Heights/7017/.

AntiVir Personal Edition
Looking for a free virus checker for home user? Then take a look at AntiVir Personal Edition from Germany (yes, they do have an English version). It gives basic virus scanning protection using a Windows interface. The personal edition does not support email scanning but will protect from those nasty macro viruses and worms. Updated about every other month. Download from their web site at http://www.free_av.com.

InnoculateIT Personal Edition
A very nice virus scanner with frequent updates. The Personal Edition does not provide for email scanning or network support. Nevertheless, it is something I can recommend. Download from http://www.cai.com. Registration is required but free.

AVPLite
AntiVirus Pro Lite is a DOS based anti-virus scanner which is free (the company charges for the Windows versions). It simply scans the target drive(s) and/or folder(s) and is not resident or have the other bells and whistles of Windows based scanners. Nevertheless, it has gotten very good reviews for detection. It can be useful to package onto diskettes for checking suspect computers. Download it from http://avp.ru (hint: choose the English version). If you want to be able to run from diskette, you will also need to download AVDisk at http://members.xoom.com/avdisk. This program uses batch files to create the diskettes. You will need pkzip and pkunzip in the same folder. While all this may seem to be a hassle, just being able to run from a diskette makes it worthwhile.


ShortKeys Lite
Assign text to key combinations so that when you type in the key combination, it is replaced by the assigned text. Similar to WordPerfect’s QuickCorrect but can be used in any Windows application. Just don’t use the same assignments in QuickCorrect and ShortKeys or you may have some interesting results. The lite version can be downloaded at http://www.shortkeys.com. They also have a commercial version available.

ScramDisk
ScramDisk allows you to set aside disk space and encrypt it as a virtual drive using your choice of encryption algorithms – Blowfish, DES, 3DES and more. You can choose between speed and security. You must mount the encrypted disk before accessing data or even seeing the virtual drive. More details and download at http://www.scramdisk.clara.net.

rjhExtensions
These are extensions to the popup menu when you right click on a file or folder in Explorer. Copy or print the list of files in a folder, drop to DOS in the selected folder, shred files, and encrypt or decrypt files using Blowfish technology. You can also do a batch rename of files. The shred option overwrites and then deletes the files making recovery impossible in most instances. I say “most instances” because the author does not detail the exact method of shredding, in particular whether it meets DES or better standards. This is from RjH Software and can be downloaded from http://www.rjhsoftware.com.

SaverWiz
This allows you to create your own screen saver. Select the photos or graphics of your choice, add some text if desired, set defaults for time delays, and you’ve made a slide show style screen saver. The best part is that it creates a separate .scr file which you can distribute to friends, family, or customers. This is also from RjH Software and can be downloaded from http://www.rjhsoftware.com.

Eraser
Eraser allows you to securely delete files and/or data from unused disk space. The user can choose between 3 types of erasure including 7 pass Department of Defense standards, the even more secure 35 pass Gutman standard, and the faster 1 pass pseudo-random writing of data. You can run it on demand, via a scheduler, and/or as a shell extension to Explorer. Available at http://www.tolvanen.com/. The software is free though the author does request a $10 donation.

CleanUp
This is a utility that empties out all those temporary files and caches. Items cleaned up include the Internet Explorer cache, Internet Explorer History folder, the newsgroup cache, and the Recent Documents folder (the one which appears under the Windows 95/NT Start menu). It also removes temporary files from the temporary directories. Other options are also available. Note: this simply deletes the settings and/or files. It does not do a secure delete. Download from ZD. Go to http://www.zdnet.com and search the free download area for “cleanupw”.

IronKey
This is an encryption program that creates self-extracting encrypted files. That means you can send it to or decode it from another computer which does not have the encryption software. It is a shell extension to Explorer. It uses DES standard encryption which is considered okay for home use but should not be used for REALLY secret stuff. Download at http://inv.co.nz.

Delete 97
Place DELETE.EXE into your command folder (c:\windows\command) and use in place of the DEL command in DOS. It will send deleted files to the recycle bin. It also allows deleting multiple files at one time and deleting files no matter what the file attribute is. You can find it at Cnet’s download section (search for “Delete 97") at http://www.cnet.com . You can also find at http://www.easytools.com in the download section.


APR Calculator
Okay, this is not a general purpose program but it is so important in what I do, I thought you might like it as well. This calculates the Annual Percentage Rate of a loan with options to set various periods (weekly, monthly, etc.) and for uneven payments. It comes from the Office of the Comptroller of the Currency (OCC) which is one of three federal agencies which enforces the Truth-in-Lending Act. You do have to know something about the TILA to use this (e.g., what is a finance charge) but it is extremely valuable for anyone who makes loans, attorneys, or anyone interested in the accuracy of the APR disclosures given them. Download from http://www.occ.treas.gov/aprwin.htm.

GhostScript and GhostScript Viewer
GhostScript is a free utility which allows you to create PDF files from any application. GhostScript Viewer is a separate graphical interface allowing access to GhostScript without fooling with all those arcane command line options. These are separate products but are used together. For information and downloading Ghostscript and Ghostscript viewer, go to http://www.cs.wisc.edu/~ghost/ and follow the links. Barry MacDonnel has a WordPerfect (versions 8 and 9) macro to help automate the creation of PDF files from withing WordPerfect.