Skip to content

You are not logged in. Register orLog In

start:

Root / faqcompatibility / faqgeneralcompatibilityoffice -- [Prev    -    ]

How can I set up Open Office to allow me to open WordPerfect files?

This is a short HOWTO, applicable to both the Windows and Linux versions of
OpenOffice on the installation of a filter to open WordPerfect (v 5/6/7/8/9/10)
WPD files from the File->Open dialog of OpenOffice.

Windows
1. Download the WriterPerfect Windows standalone installer exe file from
libwpd on sourceforge.net.
2. Shut down OOo (Important!).
3. Run the installer exe file and it will set up the file filter/recognition
automatically.
This was tested on OOo 1.9m54 and WriterPerfect 0.2.1 and worked first time.

Linux (slightly more involved...)
Very important: CLOSE ALL INSTANCES OF OOo
1. Install libgsf including the devel packages if you are using a RPM based
distribution). Get the most up to date version you can find.
Try rpmfind or rpmseek for packages if your package manager doesn't have the most up to date.
2. Install libwpd package (either from libwpd.sf.net or your package manager)
3. Download and untar the latest WriterPerfect tgz file from libwpd.
4. If you do not have a JAVA SDK installed (ie only the JRE is installed)
you will need to download and install the SDK from the java site
5. Download and set up the OOo SDK. THIS IS NOT A BIG DEAL.
Go to the OOo SDK page and download the current one for Linux.
6. As root, extract the OOo SDK and change to that directory.
In that directory do ./configure.
You will have to tell it the location of your OOo installation, your Java SDK,
and other things. The last question asks about auto deployment - say YES.
7. Then do ./setsdkenv_unix to get into the SDK shell.
8. Change directory to the WriterPerfect source directory. Run make.
If you encounter errors early on, it might be because you need updated libgsf
or you need the devel packages. As long as it makes the
WriterPerfect.uno.zip file, you are fine.
9. If it completes the make but exits abnormally, manually copy the
WriterPerfect.uno.zip file to your OOo installation
directory under /share/uno_packages.
10. If you had to carry out step 9, in your OOo directory under /program
run 'pkgchk --shared'. This will register the filter properly for all users.
11. Start OOo and you should find you can open Word Perfect files.
If for some reason it does not open, select wpd as the file type and try again.

Note: This was tested on OOo 1.1.2 running under Slackware10 with
WriterPerfect 0.2.1, libpwd 0.7.2 and libgsf 1.9.1 and worked as described.
Steps 9 and 10 were not needed.

Root / faqcompatibility / faqgeneralcompatibilityoffice -- [Prev    -    ]