Some examples of the problem . . .
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Some examples illustrate the way WP10/11/12/X3+
(and probably future versions) will select words if you leave
the WP9TSS unchecked (i.e., OFF).
Example 1: If you use your mouse to select a word to
be underlined, you'll notice that WP10+ will also underline the
trailing space after the word, like this . This is how many
WP10 users first discovered the existence of the new, poorly
documented, and unannounced WP9TSS.
Note that underlining spaces is primarily
controlled in WordPerfect by the "Text & Spaces"
setting in Format, Font, Underline [tab]. If Text & Spaces
is enabled, you'll get underlined spaces, which is preferred
by most people -- except for trailing spaces, which is generally
not desirable.
Example 2: The following demonstration macro was posted on the
Corel WP10 newsgroup on 8/17/01. It is supposed to convert the
selected word to a word with initial capitalization. One of the
C_Techs confirmed that the macro works properly with the WP9TSS
turned ON; otherwise, it fails to work properly and apparently
converts the following word, too!
Application (WordPerfect; "WordPerfect";
Default!; "EN")
SelectWordNext ()
ConvertCaseInitialCaps ()
SelectMode
(State: Off!)
While these two examples may seem trivial,
the presence of extra spaces in some macros can produce completely
different results when the macro plays. And you might not even
notice it. (Your client or boss might, though.)
Update (5/28/08): There appears to be an undesirable interaction between
this new feature and the Tools, QuickWords option, "Expand
as plain text." See Footnote 2 below.
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With respect to certain cursor movements,
Charles Rossiter, a C_Tech, wrote in the Corel WP10 newsgroup:
"...Try doing Ctrl+Right Arrow [in WP10]
towards the end of a paragraph. With WP9 Text selection [turned
on to emulate WP9 and earlier versions], the cursor jumps from
word to word, even over the paragraph break. Without WP9 text
selection, at the paragraph break, the cursor jumps to the end
of the line, and then after the next hard return and then to
the start of the next paragraph....This has severe effects on
any macros which use [the] PosWordNext [command]...."
Imagine a macro, for example, that must count
words (say, by moving the cursor with the PosWordNext command
and incrementing a counter variable). Maybe the count is meant
to keep document or section size within certain limits, or maybe
it's to position the cursor at a certain spot before other processing
can occur. With the WP9TSS checked ON in WP10, only words are
counted. With it OFF (the default), it appears from reports that
it will count the end of the paragraph, the next hard return,
and then begin counting in the next paragraph.
In this imaginary example, the OFF setting
will affect the count because an accurate count depends on how
the cursor moves over a specific block of text. Paragraph endings
and hard return codes are not normally considered to be words. |
In my opinion . . .
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There are two broad areas of concern. The first
relates to using older ("legacy") macros in WP10 and
later versions. The second relates to creating new macros
in WP10 and later versions for use in those versions. |
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Using macros in WordPerfect 10/11/12/X3+ that
were written in earlier versions |
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Any macros written in a version prior to WP10
that are to be used in WP10/11/12/X3+, and that use the very
common commands of -
PosWordNext
PosWordPrevious
PosParagraphNext
PosParagraphPrevious |
SelectWord
SelectWordNext
SelectWordPrevious
SelectSentence
SelectSentenceNext
SelectSentencePrevious
SelectParagraphNext
SelectParagraphPrevious
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...and (possibly)...
DeleteWord
SelectOn
SelectOff |
- should have correction/compensation
code added to them (see sample snippets
below).
Also, the above may not be a comprehensive
list: There may be other, similar commands that should be added.
(If you have found any, please contact
me; the good news is that I have not yet received any reports
of other commands that should be added to the list.)
Tip:
You can download a code-checking macro here (WP9TSSCC.zip)
that can examine the current macro you have onscreen for editing,
and create a separate listing of any of the above commands that
it finds in the macro's code. The list can help save you some
time when examining the macro's code for proper operation
under WP10+.
Here, "proper operation" means the
macro operation you personally expect with the new "Use
WP9 text selection" switch enabled (i.e., "on").
See below for the types of effects you might find with your legacy
and newly written macros.
Note
that this macro is not the "compensation code"
or "code correction" macro referenced above and elsewhere.
That particular macro can be downloaded below
(as WP9TSS.zip). But please read on before you download it.
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Here are some logical possible results of
playing a macro in WP10/11/12/X3+ that was written in a previous
("legacy") verion of WordPerfect:
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Playing a LEGACY MACRO in WordPerfect 10/11/12/X3 |
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... with WP9TSS "on" during playback |
... with WP9TSS "off" (the shipping
default) |
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The macro should play OK (WP10/11/12/X3+ should
act like WP9, WP8, etc.). |
The macro may have problems if the above-mentioned
commands are present, especially if the code was written with
their specific (pre-WP10) actions in mind; corrections are highly
recommended to ensure the macro plays in WP10+ the same way it
was recorded/written. |
Either of the sample
code snippets at the bottom of this page can be added to all
legacy macros as a simple precaution. Since they won't execute
in a version other than WP10 due to embedded IfPlatform() commands,
any legacy macro that has them can be used in both the original,
earlier version of WP and in WP10/11/12/X3+. In effect, the legacy
macro will become "WP10/11/12/X3+ aware." |
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Using macros in WordPerfect 10/11/12/X3+ that
were written in WordPerfect 10/11/12/X3+ |
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Any new (WP10+) macros should be examined
to see if they are working as expected in WP10+ under the two
possible states (ON and OFF) of the WP9TSS. Obviously the initial
state of the WP9TSS when the macro was first written or recorded
can be later changed to the opposite state by any user, thereby
inadvertently modifying the macro's behavior. This can produce
unpredictable results, whether obvious or not, with macros that
contain the above commands. (And I am not certain if any other
macro commands are affected!) Here are some logical possible
results of playing a macro in WP10/11/12/X3+ that was written
in a previous verion of WP or one that was written in WP10/11/12/X3+
itself:
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Playing a NEWLY WRITTEN MACRO in WordPerfect
10/11/12/X3+ |
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... with WP9TSS "on" during playback,
and |
... with WP9TSS "off" (the shipping
default) and |
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... if WP9TSS was "on" during macro's
creation |
... if WP9TSS was "off" during macro's
creation |
... if WP9TSS was "on" during macro's
creation |
... if WP9TSS was "off" during macro's
creation |
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The macro should play OK (same conditions, same
WP version). |
The macro may have problems if the above-mentioned
commands are present, especially if the code was written with
their specific actions in mind; the code should be examined to
see if corrections are required (the writer may like the way
the new text selection and cursor movement methods work, and
setting the WP9TSS to "on" may be undesirable). |
The macro may have problems if the above-mentioned
commands are present, especially if the code was written with
their specific actions in mind; corrections are highly recommended
to ensure the macro plays the same way it was recorded/written. |
The macro either plays OK (same conditions, same
WP version) or it doesn't (e.g., if it uses a word count routine
that uses one of the above cursor-positioning commands the count
could be wrong if, say, hard returns between paragraphs are also
counted); the code should be examined to see if correction routines
are required (the writer may like the way the new text selection
and cursor movement methods work, and no correction may be desirable). |
Such macros are strong
candidates for correction code, such as that found below, to
force them to behave as they would have behaved in WP9 and earlier.
Assuming, of course, that this was the intent of the writer of
the new WP10/11/12/X3+ macros -- a very important point to consider.
(The author may want to rewrite all or part of the macro code
to make it perform predictably.)
To put it another way, if you include these
correction code snippets in a macro, you are tacitly assuming
that you want the macro to employ the legacy-standard method
of selecting words (i.e., to NOT include any following space),
moving the cursor (i.e., to NOT stop at the end of the line,
at the paragraph break, etc.), and so forth. |
Correction / compensation
. . .
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The downloadable file below contains a macro
that contains code snippets that can be added to older ("legacy")
macros that will be played in WordPerfect 10 (and later), to
help make those macros work as they did in the earlier version
(i.e., WP9 and earlier) by temporarily enabling this setting
if it is not already enabled, then restores it to its previous
state when the macro exits.
These snippets are also
useful in newly written macros (i.e., written in WP10+) where
you need the WP9 text selection state turned "On" for
proper macro function. Be sure to read any comments in the macro.
Download WP9TSS.zip (v1.01; 06/13/06; ZIP=9,109 bytes)
See the Footnote 1 below
about a new system variable, ?WP9selection, that can also be
used. |
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Backward compatibility in newly written WP10/11/12/X3+
macros |
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If you include the code snippets in the above
ZIP file in a newly written WP10/11/12/X3+ macro, you are tacitly
assuming that you want the macro to employ the legacy-standard
method of selecting words (i.e., to NOT include any following
space), moving the cursor (i.e., to NOT stop at the end of the
line, at the paragraph break, etc.), and so forth.
If you don't use these snippets and you write
the WP10/11/12/X3+ macro by recording text selections and cursor
movements, the macro will naturally behave in the manner dictated
by the then-current "Use WP9 text selection" setting
in Tools, Settings, Environment. Later, if the user changes this
setting, the macro could produce erroneous results (whether obvious
or not).
There are several issues to confront here:
- What happens if a user later changes the
WP9 text selection setting to the opposite of the one used during
recording (or manually coding) the macro?
- What happens if you want to use the macro
with an earlier version of WP?
- What happens if you add the code to a WP10/11/12/X3+
macro long after it was recorded or written, and you're not sure
of the original state of the WP9 text selection setting? Unless
you deliberately set the WP9 text selection ON before recording
the macro, you probably wouldn't want to blindly add these procedures
to the macro later, or you might get different results, depending
on the purpose of the macro code. Examine the code to be sure.
Therefore, before using this code in a new,
WP10/11/12/X3+ macro you should first decide the issue of backward
compatibity as well as issues of text selection methods and
cursor movement behaviors your users expect. You may not need
the code at all, or you may decide it is necessary to make your
macro perform in expected ways. The decision, like your implemtation
of the techiques here, is your responsibility. |
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Some things worth remembering |
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In summary: Some macros -- old or new -- played in WP10 (and later
versions that use the WP9TSS switch) will behave differently
in how they select text and move the cursor over words, depending
on the current state of the WP9TSS switch.
In particular, if pre-WP10 macros contain
the commands listed at the top of this page (PosWordNext, SelectWord,
etc.), you probably should use one or the other of these macro
code correction procedures. At the very least, such procedures
can give a consistency to macro playback, particularly if they
were written under an earlier version of WP or were written under
WP10+ with the WP9 text selection setting enabled ("on").
If they were written under WP10+ with the setting "off,"
you should carefully examine the macro's playback under both
of the setting's states, since a user could have switched this
setting and thus (possibly) affect the macro's operation. You
will want to plan for this and add whichever correction procedure(s)
seems most appropriate.
Finally, If future versions of WP (i.e., WPX5,
etc.) contain the "Use WP9 Text Selection" setting,
you probably will need to edit existing macros that contain the
above code snippets to add other IfPlatform() statement parameters
[e.g., IfPlatform (_version10!; _version11!; _version12!);_version13!;_version14!;_version15!],
modify registry keys, etc. See the comments in these "code
correction" macros. |
Conclusion . . .
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Long-time WordPerfect users who have upgraded
to WP10 or a later version probably have discovered that they
should enable (i.e., check) the WP9TSS in the Tools, Settings,
Environment dialog. Otherwise, text selection and cursor movement
will default to the "Microsoft way."
More importantly, anyone who uses WordPerfect
macros in WP10 or later version is faced with the issues outlined
above. Simply put, do not use macros under WP10 or later version
"as is." They may work okay, but to be certain
you can open them for editing and play the code-checking macro
(WP9TSSCC.zip) on them to create a
separate list of any of the above problematic commands that it
finds in the macro's code. The list can help save you some time
when examining the macro's code for proper operation under WP10+
and it should tell you if the macro needs compensation code.
Feel free to add the compensation code snippets in WP9TSS.zip
to any macros that contain these problematic commands.
Note also the disclaimer here,
which is particularly appropriate for users of WP10/11/12/X3+.
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Footnote
1
WordPerfect 10's service patch #2 (WP10/SP2,
or build 10.0.0.663) implemented a new system variable, ?WP9Selection,
which returns "0" (False) if the user has turned off
the WP9TSS and "1" (True) if it was turned on. For
example:
Messagebox ( ; "WP9 text selection state
(T/F)" ; ?WP9Selection)
You can use it to store the current state
of the WP9 text selection switch and, at the end of the macro,
return it to the user's preferred state with PrefEnvironment
(WP9Selection: On!) or PrefEnvironment (WP9Selection: Off!).
Be aware that the macro will not compile in
earlier builds of WP10 (the variable doesn't exist in either
the initial release of WP10 or Service Pack 1), so you may prefer
to use code structures like those used in WP9TSS.zip
if there's a chance the macro could be played in either WP10/original
or WP10/SP1.
Footnote 2
There appears to be an interaction between
the Tools, Settings, Environment, "Use WordPerfect 9 text selection" setting and the Tools, QuickWords option,
"Expand as plain
text." If the former setting is disabled
(the Corel shipping default) and latter setting is enabled when
you create a new QuickWord entry, then an extra hard
return might be inserted later in the expanded QuickWord when
you type its abbreviation in a document.
This seems to depend somewhat on the way the
material is selected before it is used to create the QuickWord.
Rebooting WordPerfect after creating the QuickWord does not help,
nor does enabling "Use WordPerfect 9 text selection"
during the session (even if followed by a reboot of WordPerfect).
In these cases the problem QuickWords were already created with
the bug in them.
The only way I have found to fix the problem:
1. Delete the problem QuickWord(s).
2. Enable "Use WordPerfect 9 text selection"
in Tools, Settings, Environment.
3. Reboot WordPerfect (optional, but can't
hurt) and create the QuickWord(s) again.
Tips
- Perhaps Charles Rossiter's QWManage.wcm
macro can help with step #3 if you use it to create a list
of all your QuickWords before deleting all the problem
QuickWord entries (step #1). The macro produces a two-column
table with each row containing the QuickWord abbreviation and
its expansion. Edit the ftable if necessary. You can then exit
WordPerfect and rename the QuickWord template (e.g., rename QW13EN.WPT
[for WordPerfect X3] to QW13EN-BACKUP.WPT) to back it up, and
WordPerfect will create a new, empty one when you next start
WordPerfect. Finally, reload WordPerfect and replay the macro
to restore the QuickWords file.
- You can disable "Use WP9 text selection"
after the problematic QuickWords have been re-created. But unless
you prefer the "Microsoft way" of moving the cursor
and selecting text, and you do not use macros, you might find
that keeping this setting enabled is preferable. Again, for reasons
why this might be true for you, especially if you use macros,
see the information on this page (above).
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