Word > Pages batch converter

[Sesshi]

Aside from attempting to script this, is there a tool out there which does batch conversions from .doc to .pages?

[Eraserhead]

Sesshi, are you OK? Where has the Dell lover gone? :p

I'd have thought you'd probably need to script it, as I imagine only Pages can open .pages files.

[Eraserhead]

OK my efforts at a quick script seem to have failed me, I can't get the damn thing to close the save dialog. APPLESCRIPT IS REALLY IRRITATING.


set tilde to (path to home folder as string)
tell application "Pages"
open file (tilde & "desktop:read me.doc")
activate
tell application "System Events"
tell process "pages"
keystroke "S" using {command down}
delay 1
keystroke "read me" -- the name of the file
delay 1
--doesn't press return here. :mad:
delay 5
keystroke "W" using {command down}
end tell
end tell
end tell


This only works for a file called "read me" on the desktop and requires pages to be set up to write the files to the directory you want first, but gives a general idea of a script.

[kingjr3]

Why not just change the default application for .doc to be Pages, then convert them as you need/read them?

[IJ Reilly]

Why not just change the default application for .doc to be Pages, then convert them as you need/read them?

That's way too simple and Mac-like. You should be ashamed of yourself! :)

[Sesshi]

That's way too simple and Mac-like. You should be ashamed of yourself! :)

Quite the contrary actually. You'd have to save them once you've opened each document. The sort of people I'm trying to get to use Macs as they can't ably handle a Windows machine would be flummoxed by this.

I figured I'd have to script it. Thanks, I'll make a start on it.

[emptyCup]

The sort of people I'm trying to get to use Macs as they can't ably handle a Windows machine would be flummoxed by this.

When I worked at a large, mixed Mac/PC organization I found MacLinK (http://www.dataviz.com/products/maclinkplus/index.html?redirect=mlp_search_land)+ invaluable. The documents need to be reviewed after conversion, though, as no converter is 100%. There are usually some formatting problems with page breaks, etc. (footnotes are the worst).

[mlewan]

Aside from attempting to script this, is there a tool out there which does batch conversions from .doc to .pages?

You could try adapting the script to convert from Word (http://pagesfaq.blogspot.com/2006/11/i-have-one-thousand-pages-documents-to.html) to work the opposite way.

[Sesshi]

You could try adapting the script to convert from Word (http://pagesfaq.blogspot.com/2006/11/i-have-one-thousand-pages-documents-to.html) to work the opposite way.

Thanks for the link.

I wonder if Word is scriptable in the same way. Since I've switched back full-time to Vista for my regular working machines and all my partners have done the same I don't need a Word converter anymore... but the script you linked will be very handy for some of my legacy documents in Pages. Thanks.