From: faigin@aero.org (Daniel P. Faigin)
Subject: Re: WordPerfect v5.1 - 2 problems
Organization: The Aerospace Corporation, El Segundo, CA
	<1992Jul28.172041.14514@galileo.cc.rochester.edu>
Date: Wed, 29 Jul 1992 19:59:56 GMT


My wife writes....

On 28 Jul 92 17:20:41 GMT, scls_ss@uhura.cc.rochester.edu (Eric Scoles) said:
> In <sjlai.4@fcit-c1.fcit.monash.edu.au> sjlai@fcit-c1.fcit.monash.edu.au
(SIMON LAI) writes: 


>>I've used 5.1 for some time now (since its inception).  Have persevered with
>>the crashes and strange behavior, though I'm beginning to think its time to
>>change to something like TeX or similar.

> Hm, you say it's crash-happy?  I've never had that problem -- it's possible
> that you got a bad interim release of WP.  You may be able to get them to
> send you a new interim free (the latest is March 92, I think) by whining
> about it on the phone (hey, it's worked for me), but they may want to make
> you pay for it -- $10 for WP for DOS, I think.  As long as you make sure you
> ask for them, you get new printer drivers too.  (And yes, it really does
> change from interim to interim!)

If you have a registered copy and find a "bug" -- the copy is free (so it the
phone call). I've gotten three updates in the last three years this way.

> Also, WP _will_ crash during complex operations with large documents on an
> 8088 or on a 512K system.

Read... "generate" on a document > 500K.

>>2)  Have just started to use Parallel-Protected columns for a thesis. Inside 
>>    these columns I can't seem to be able to create a footnote or a table.
>>    Eventually got around the table problem by creating a text box
>>    and creating a table inside that text box.  This worked fine for about
>>    5 minutes, but when moving the text box around, 5.1 hung (surprise,
>>    surprise).

RTFM. Using "tables" or "footnotes" within "columns" is *explicity* prohibited
-- see Columns, parallel, features in the WP51 manual (p 83 of my mnaual).

> Don't use Parallel columns with block protect for complex stuff.  I also
> seem to remember that there is an explicit problem with block protect and
> tables.  You can always turn off parallel columns for a while and turn it
> back on.  Tables are like paragraphs:  You should be able to do a simple
> indent on it once you've got it to the right width.

Tables will protect data blocks in the same row from page breaks. To move
tables around, use an "advance code" (Format (F8), Other, Advance)
*immediately* prior to the table code.

> Also, you could use a table or a succession of tables instead of parallel
> columns.  That's what most of the office people that I teach opt for.  You
> could then create a simulation of a freestanding table in one "column" or
> another by simply showing the lines.

I second this! I was able to do this for some fairly complex 3 column stuff in
my latest masterpiece. Also, footnotes *are* allowed in tables. Easiest method
-- construct the table, stuff everything in -- make corrections -- *then* turn
off the lines.

Karen Davis
via
Daniel
--
[W]:The Aerospace Corp. M1/055 * POB 92957 * LA, CA 90009-2957 * 310/336-8228
[Email]:faigin@aerospace.aero.org              [Vmail]:310/336-5454 Box#13149
   "You can't be a rationalist in an irrational world. It isn't rational!"
	       Dr. Rance, in Joe Orton's "What the Butler Saw"
Newsgroups: comp.os.msdos.apps