Filtrix conversion software

[lsk2002]

Has anyone used this software? Someone sent me the link and I have tried the demo. I have Interleaf (QuickSilver) files that I want to convert to FM files. I continue to get errors and have yet to make a file at all. Yes, I have made it an asci file, I have saved as version 5, 6, and, 7.

Right now I am saving my files out as interleaf 5 and opening them in FM, but there is quite a bit of clean up and of course I have to get every graphic out by opening a pdf in illustrator or photoshop, cleaning up the graphic and saving them as the appropriate file. Was hoping Filtrix might be a miracle tool...lol!!!

Anyone know of this software or a better way of converting from Interleaf to FM?

FM9

XP

All available patches

Thanks,

ls

[Art_Campbell1]

I've used Filtrix stuff in the distant past and wasn't impressed.

If I had to go from Interleaf, I'd try (assuming you still have Interleaf) outputting to PDF and saving the PDF to RTF, then open that in Frame.

You may be able to spin out the graphics if you open the PDF in Word and then SaveAs HTML -- that'll spit out the graphics separately.

Another possiblity would be if you have or can find older FM software -- I'm almost positive (Arnis? Shelia?) that FM versions around 5.x and 6.x had a direct Interleaf import filter.

Also, Rick Quatro has a series of scripts for graphics manipulation that work great. I used them to convert embedded graphics to referenced graphics in anchored frames. May be handy for clean up...

Art

[lsk2002]

Well, I finally got a file converted. Don't know what I was doing wrong. Anyway....it is not a file to work

with! Awful!!!

I have been opening my interleaf files in FM, it is just alot of clean up, but the tables come over great!! I get rid of the pics and junk before I bring it over to framemaker. Only real problem is all the marker (or whatever they are called) are brought over and I have tried to delete them in the find and change and they don't delete. I manual have to delete them out of each step and then of course change it to the correct para tag. I will try the pdf to rtf, but it seems I had the same problem opening word files like that.

Thanks, will let you know....

ls

[lsk2002]

Well, tried converting pdf to rtf. Many of the pages did not come over. I have also tried converting my Interleaf file to rtf. It isn't that great either. The only time I do that is when my Interleaf file will not open in FM after saving it down to Interleaf 5. I guess, anytime you are changing software, it just is going to mean a lot of clean up. Thanks for anwering though.

ls

[AxialInfo]

Interleaf has an output format called "Interleaf Ascii Format", (IAF) analagous to FM's MIF format. Note though that  the actual extension of the files exported may not be changed. In any event it's possible to look at the IAF files (poss. still named .ildoc)  in a text editor to get some sense of how they work.

FM9 still has the import filter listed in maker.ini, it's

224="0460" AW4W IAF MIF TextImport "InterLeaf ASCII Format" aw4w.xxx ^.iaf

On a couple of occasions I've ended up doing scripts to convert IAF to MIF, but it took mega mega work; unfortunately the particular files were very idiosyncratic so the scripts wouldn't be good for a general conversion.

Sheila

[AxialInfo]

oh -- and one more thing, have you tried just opening the IL files, doing copy all, and then pasting into FM? It's been so long that I don't recall whether I got usable results that way or not, but sometimes the clipboard is the best transition tool available.

[lsk2002]

Sheila,

  I had forgotten that you can copy and paste from Interleaf to FM. I might start doing that for some text. It doesn't seem to bring over quite as much junk. But as far as tables, I still need to open the Interleaf files in FM. The tables come over great!! Just a little fixing and no typing anything over!!!...lol

Thanks,

ls

[AxialInfo]

One other thing, you might want to try doing a "MIF wash" of the files after you've imported the Interleaf files, as the filters often leave "hidden stuff" in the file that can clog up the works later on.  Doing a Save As MIF and then opening the MIF and doing Save As FM creates that "fresh linen" feeling and generates good karma.

Sheila

[lsk2002]

Thanks Sheila,

Yes I have been doing that. Don't know what or if it helps. But I started doing that after I read it on here.

ls

[AxialInfo]

oh #2, my point about the filename extensions is that if they are exported as .ildoc then you could manually change the name to .iaf and then FM's filter should recognize them.

[Stefan-Gentz]

While the original post is quite old, still today sometimes customers come up with the question of how to convert legacy Interleaf/QuickSilver content to FrameMaker or DITA. If you are in need of that, please contact me directly.

[kenpayne77]

Hello Stefan,

I have FrameMaker5. I want to open Interleaf documents from that same time frame as when FrameMaker 5 was the latest release. I do not know what version of Interleaf I used to create my documents. Is there a way for me to import my Interleaf documents into FrameMaker 5? I am desperate to recover these Intermeaf documents.

Thank you very much for any assistance you could provide.

Best regards,

Ken