IBM Lotus Symphony
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In IBM Lotus Symphony , apart from its own XML formats you can also open and save many foreign XML formats.
IBM Lotus Symphony normally recognizes the correct file type automatically on opening a file. There may be cases where you have to select the file type yourself in the Open dialog. For example, if you have a database table in text format that you want to open as a database table, you need to specify the file type "Text CSV" after selecting the file.
In File - Preferences - Symphony - Load and Save - VBA Properties you can specify the settings for the VBA macro codes in MS Office documents. VBA macros are unable to run in IBM Lotus Symphony ; they must first be converted and adapted. Often you only want to use IBM Lotus Symphony to change the visible content of a Word, Excel or PowerPoint file and then save the file again in Microsoft Office format without changing the macros they contain. You can set the behavior of IBM Lotus Symphony as desired: Either the VBA macros are saved in commented form as a subroutine of IBM Lotus Symphony and when the document is saved in MS Office format are written back correctly again, or you can select the Microsoft Office macros to be removed when loading. The last option is an effective protection against viruses within the Microsoft Office documents.
Even if they are not installed, some filters can be selected in the Open and Save dialogs. If you select such a filter, a message will appear saying that you can still install the filter if you require.
If you want to install additional filters or remove individual filters from the installation, close IBM Lotus Symphony , start the Setup program and select the Modify option. Then you will see a dialog in which you can add or remove individual components of IBM Lotus Symphony . Graphic filters can be found in "Optional Components".
Lotus Symphony Documents can read various versions of the Microsoft Word text format. You also can save your own texts in Word format. However, not everything available with Lotus Symphony Documents can be transferred to MS Word, and not everything can be imported.
Importing is normally not problematic. Even redlining information and controls are imported (and exported) so that tool recognizes inserted or deleted text in Word documents as well as font attributes that have been modified. Different coloring for each author and the time of such changes is also included. When graphic text boxes and labels are imported from templates, most of the attributes are also imported as direct paragraph and drawing attributes. However, some of the attributes may be lost during the import procedure.
It is also possible to import and export RTF files. This file format can be used to exchange formatted texts across various applications and platforms. In this way, many formats read by most programs will be transferred without a problem. The clipboard uses RTF format when you insert part of a spreadsheet from Lotus Symphony Spreadsheets through DDE into Lotus Symphony Documents.
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The filter Text Encoded helps you open and save text documents with another encoding font. The filter opens a dialog that enables you to select character set, default fonts, language and paragraph break. |
When borders in HTML documents are exported, lines are exported in a width of exactly 1 pixel since Netscape Navigator and MS Internet Explorer do not recognize smaller lines. When importing, a border of 1 pixel width will appear with 0.05 pt width.
With Lotus Symphony Documents, you can insert footnotes and endnotes in your HTML document. They are exported as meta tags. The footnote and endnote characters are exported as hyperlinks.
Notes are used to include unknown characters in an HTML document. Every note that begins with "HTML:..." and ends with ">" is treated as an HTML code, but is exported without these designations. Several tags around text can be included after "HTML:..." Accented characters are converted into the ANSI character set. Notes are created during import (for example, for meta tags that have no room in the file properties or unknown tags).
The HTML import of Lotus Symphony Documents is able to read files that have UTF-8 or UCS2 character coding. All characters that are contained in the ANSI character set or in the system's character set can be displayed.
When exporting to HTML, the character set selected in File - Preferences - Symphony - Load and Save - HTML Compatibility is used. Characters not present there are written in a substitute form, which is displayed correctly in modern web browsers. When exporting such characters, you will receive an appropriate warning.
If, in File - Preferences - Symphony - Load and Save - HTML Compatibility, you select Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer, or Lotus Symphony Documents as the export option, upon export all important font attributes are exported as direct attributes (for example, text color, font size, bold, italic, and so on) in CSS1 styles. ( CSS stands for Cascading Style Sheets.) Importing is also carried out according to this standard.
The "font" property corresponds to Netscape Navigator; that is, before the font size you can specify optional values for "font-style" (italic, none), "font-variant" (normal, small-caps) and "font-weight" (normal, bold).
For example, "Font: bold italic small-caps 12pt/200% Arial, Helvetica" switches to bold, italic, small caps, double-space with the font family Arial or Helvetica, if Arial doesn't exist.
"Font: 10pt" switches to a 10pt font, with bold, italic, small caps off.
If MS Internet Explorer or Lotus Symphony Documents are set as the export option, the sizes of the control field and their internal margins are exported as styles (print formats). CSS1 size properties are based on "width" and "height" values. The "Margin" property is used to set equal margins on all sides of the page. To allow different margins, the "Margin-Left", "Margin-Right", "Margin-Top" and "Margin-Bottom" properties are used.
The distances of graphics and Plug-Ins to the content can be set individually for export to Lotus Symphony Documents and MS Internet Explorer. If the top/bottom or right/left margin is set differently, the distances are exported in a "STYLE" option for the corresponding tag as CSS1 size properties "Margin-Top", "Margin-Bottom", "Margin-Left" and "Margin-Right".
Text frames are supported with the use of CSS1 extensions for absolute positioned objects. This applies only to the export options Netscape Navigator, MS Internet Explorer, and Lotus Symphony Documents. Text frames can be aligned as graphics, Plug-Ins, and Floating Frames, but character-linked frames are not possible.
Text frames are exported as "<SPAN>" or "<DIV>" tags if they do not contain columns. If they do contain columns then they are exported as "<MULTICOL>".
The measurement unit set in IBM Lotus Symphony is used for HTML export of CSS1 properties. The unit can be set separately for text and HTML documents under File - Preferences - Symphony - Lotus Symphony Documents - General or File - Preferences - Symphony - Lotus Symphony Documents/Web - View. The number of exported decimal places depends on the unit.
Measurement Unit | Measurement Unit Name in CSS1 | Maximum Number of Decimal Places |
Millimeter | mm | 2 |
Centimeter | cm | 2 |
Inch | in | 2 |
Pica | pc | 2 |
Point | pt | 1 |
If, in File - Preferences - Symphony - Load and Save - HTML Compatibility, the export option "Lotus Symphony Documents" or "Internet Explorer" is selected, the indents of numberings are exported as "margin-left" CSS1 property in the STYLE attribute of the <OL> and <UL> tags. The property indicates the difference relative to the indent of the next higher level.
A left paragraph indent in numbering is indicated as "margin-left" CSS1 property. First-line indents are ignored in numbering and not exported.
IBM Lotus Symphony imports and exports references to deleted sections such as, for example, a referenced column. The whole formula can be viewed during the export process and the deleted reference contains an indication (#REF!) to the reference. A #REF! will be correspondingly created for the reference during the import.
As with HTML documents, you can choose to use a filter with or without the element (IBM Lotus Symphony Presentations) in the name to open a IBM Lotus Symphony graphics file.
When you import an EPS file, a preview of the graphic is displayed in the document. If a preview is not available, a placeholder corresponding to the size of the graphic is displayed in the document. Under Unix and Microsoft Windows you can print the imported file by using a PostScript printer. If a different printer is used the preview will be printed. When exporting EPS graphics, a preview is created and has the TIFF or EPSI format. If an EPS graphic together with other graphics is exported in the EPS format then this file will be embedded unchanged in the new file.
Multipage-TIFFs are allowed when graphics are imported or exported in TIFF format. The graphics are retrieved as a set of individual pictures in a single file, for example, the individual pages of a fax.
Some IBM Lotus Symphony Presentations options can be accessed through File - Export.
To export a document or graphic in PostScript format:
If you have not yet done so, install a PostScript printer driver, such as the Apple LaserWriter driver.
Print the document with the File - Print menu command.
Select the PostScript printer in the dialog and mark the Print to file check box. A PostScript file will be created.